Memorable, crazy movie

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

A fictional serio-comic story about a mass escape of 600 American and British prisoners-of-war across 1943 Nazi-controlled Italy. It's a POW escape, and re-capture, and then seizure of a Nazi freight train which is bearing prisoners for delivery to the Germans in Austria. They divert the train across northern Italy in an attempt to find haven in Switzerland. The film has quite a long, sluggish start, but recovers well with far-fetched but thrilling sequences. Sinatra gives an understated performance as the American Colonel given over to ruthlessness when needed. Trevor Howard has a determined air of ruthlessness as the British officer. Both roles dovetail well because there are some surprisingly ruthless moments which give the film a slight edge over many other WWII set dramas of the time.

It's 1943 Italy. German forces have seized control of the country and the Italians are less than thrill. American Army pilot Col. Joseph L. Ryan (Frank Sinatra) is captured. The POW camp is run by the arrogant Battaglia and populated almost entirely by Brits. Oriani is the kinder second-in-command. The British CO is dead and Major Eric Fincham (Trevor Howard) accuses Battaglia of murder. Ryan becomes the highest ranking officer and the new CO of the POWs. He clashes with Fincham planning for escape and then clashes with Battaglia. When Italy surrenders, the guards leave and the prisoners capture Battaglia. Ryan spares his life which comes back to haunt the men when Battaglia helps the Nazis recapture them. The men call him Von Ryan as they get transported north on a train.The relationship between Fincham and Ryan is interesting. The movie certainly wants Ryan to be the guy in the right but I often find myself agreeing with Fincham. It would have been intriguing to have Fincham as the lead but it's impossible not to make Sinatra the lead. The second half has some good escape action and tension. The miniature work is nice and the action is done well.

An American POW (Frank Sinatra) leads a group of mainly British prisoners to escape from the Germans in WWII.Rumors of a personality clash between star Frank Sinatra, who was flown by helicopter to the set, and director Mark Robson were not enough to cause problems as the film was shot with relatively little trouble. However, Sinatra did insist that the ending of the film be altered. Sinatra also insisted the film be shot in Panavision rather than Fox's CinemaScope.It's interesting to imagine a time where Frank Sinatra demanded enough respect on a movie set that he could boss the director around, be able to pick the camera used, and even get the script re-written. Gee, Frank, why not just be a producer if you want so much authority?

I've seen Von Ryan's Express ten times and it's one of those war films that are ideal for passing a couple of hours on a wet afternoon. Basically the film is set in Italy in 1943 and is the story of a group of POWs who are abandoned by the Italians as the Allies advance, then are captured by the Nazis and placed on a prison train where they kill their captors and force the driver to drive them through Italy to Switzerland and freedom.Frank Sinatra, as good an actor as a singer, plays Colonel Joseph Ryan, an arrogant pilot who antagonises the mostly British POWs and is nicknamed Von Ryan for his high handed and arrogant attitude. However, the British POWs, led by Trevor Howard, come to respect him as the film goes on and help him achieve his plan to escape to Switzerland.Von Ryan's Express is a good film as the action never lets up and the final scenes where the POWs cut the railway line behind them to stop a German train capturing them and then have a gun battle, where Ryan is gunned down, are first rate. Also the way the Gestapo are outwitted is clever, with the POWs dressed in stolen German uniforms, and there is a twist when the POWs find a woman, apparently a prostitute, on the train and then Ryan has to shoot her when she tries to escape and betray them to the Italian police.A good film that was very popular when released and one of the best war films of the sixties.