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Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Escape to Victory is a great movie with a very well developed storyline and a stellar cast. It's a very enjoyable film that takes place shortly after World War II as we see a group of POW inmates prepare for a football game that could win them their freedom, it's a very inspired and original sports film. One thing I didn't like about this movie is that it was way too light hearted, for a film in which Nazi's and war are a primary subject, we never really get a clear sense of the real danger and tough times that these characters are struggling with, there aren't enough tense moments to convey this. The cast is terrific, Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone shine in the lead roles, their styles of acting are very different, but it worked out perfectly and they made a great pair. Exciting and well acted, I would recommend Escape to Victory to anyone looking for a good drama or sports film. POWS in Germany compete in a football game against the Nazis that soon becomes a propaganda exercise. Best Performance: Michael Caine Worst Performance: Laurie Sivell

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS* Having read some of the other reviews on here, it is clear that a few people may not have watched this film properly or simply fail to understand its premise.It is not an historical drama, but an attempt to combine two "boy's own" stories - in short, an exercise in enjoyment. If you read Commando war comics as a kid, you will surely enjoy this film as I did, and if you are a football fan, just double that. Given that most of the then Ipswich Town squad were on show and featured on both sides - including "German" goalkeeper Laurie Sivell - I loved Escape to Victory from the time I first saw it in the early 1980s.Some of the reviews here are simplistic and seem to suggest that the POW camp was full of star footballers. Not so. Steiner's (Max von Sydow's) initial idea is to have Colby's (Michael Caine's) guys knocking the ball about in the yard take on a local Wehrmacht team, but after being turned into a propaganda exercise the entire camp system is scoured for footballers - including the work camps in Eastern Europe which presents one of the more worthy moments in this otherwise light-hearted romp.The senior camp officers are against the game being played, but Colby pushes for it for the sake of the Eastern Europeans, who would otherwise just be sent back to the hard labour camps.The escape of Hatch (Sylvester Stallone) is an interesting sub-plot and his speaking French is comedy gold, and the paunchy Michael Caine does cut a strange figure as the team captain. As for his age however, it was not uncommon for players back then to be playing well into late thirties and early forties. Stanley Matthews played top level football until retiring at the age of forty-six.As for the match itself, it is well put together for its time. Of course, we are not going to see a 2-0 win for the Germans here, and rather than scoff at the Allies coming back from 4-1 down it would be best just to enjoy it and revel in Stallone's attempts to emulate Gordon Banks - "where do I stand for a corner kick?" Pele's overhead kick is overcooked, yes - but this moment stirs Steiner to applaud, signifying that his love of the game of football is powerful enough to overcome his position as a German officer. His standing up to applaud has been cited by some reviewers here as strange, but in the context of the film it is realistic. His being a Wehrmacht officer is forgotten, at that moment he is simply a football fan.Yes, the escape and crowd scene is cringeworthy. Big collars and bigger hair, flared trousers and the complete ignorance of the fact that the players would have been lugging themselves around in heavy football boots. But hey, just enjoy it for what it is.Some more earnest reviewers have pulled up the fact that the players would have escaped at half-time, and yes - this is probably what most people would have done. But had that been the case, we would not have had the comeback to beat Liverpool's feat against Milan in 2005. In any case, Pelé clearly wins the day with his negotiating skills.As for Pelé even being there, there were plenty of black Allied soldiers in German POW camps, and contrary to popular myth they were treated equally by the guards and not shipped off elsewhere. Some non-white soldiers, such as Indians opposed to the British empire, were even persuaded to fight for the Germans. Pelé is portrayed as a Jamaican corporal in the film, which doesn't stretch the boundaries that much.In all, this film remains enjoyable now just as it was more than thirty years ago, in an era when Ipswich Town were pushing for the treble.

The story is one of the unique tales to be based on World War II, The basic premise departs from the love of the game of football in both the sides of Allies and Axis, despite there's a war between them. The added weight of having the Nazi will be very tempted to use the game as a great propaganda against the rest of the world and the Allied POW will be tempted to use the game as a cover to escape makes the story more interesting. However, the story develops rather unpredictably weird, having Hatch willing to go back inside to convey the info to Colby, and having the mob rush in without the Nazi shooting a single bullet. There's also all the little hiccups here and there such as the alarm didn't sound when the light hit Hatch's face when he's escaping, and also the football game rather played stupidly despite being designed by Pele. The acting is surely an average one, despite the big names of Stallone, Caine, and Von Sydow here. From all the roles, I only see Michael Caine delivers a quite convincing acting, although is also refuted by the sheer weirdness of how the story unfolds.

To enjoy "Victory" or "Escape to victory" (as it was called in some countries) you should watch it as a lighthearted war comedy. As a serious drama this movie fails . "Victory" is actually based on real story (see the IMDb trivia for this movie) . The authors of this movie originally wanted to make it a serious drama and a sad movie . To be honest I would love to see the serious version of this story . In the end they decided to make the light version . Maybe they felt the 80's were coming ? If this was made in the 70's it would be as serious movie. Every dramatic conflict that appears here is emotionally flat and the whole movie just shouldn't be treated as a serious one.Anyway , I like what we got here . The movie feels like a mix between "Rocky" and "The great escape " . It gives the whole picture a sense of freshness . It's also probably the best movie with/about football/soccer (depends from where you are from) I've seen.The characters here are rather empty . Michael Caine , Sylvester Stallone and Max von Sydow are the only actors who have got something to play for . They made their one dimensional characters enjoyable. Caine is a smart leader , Stallone is a wise guy and von Sydow is a gentleman. Other characters are truly instrumental . The football/soccer fans will be delighted to see many legends as the prisoners , including Pele and Bobby Moore . I'm proud that Poland here is represented by Kazimierz Deyna.Bill Conti gives the movie very fun and uplifting music score . The football match itself feels very natural . It's well photographed, realistic and emotional . It has something that other football movies failed to capture – the beauty of this sport. The last fifteen minutes of the match is indeed done in real life time.There are two really great movie scenes here – one with the radio and the second with von Sydow standing up. Yes , in the end the movie becomes a little kitschy , still it works a sort of fairytale to make you feel better. It has certain charm and is quite well directed by famous director John Huston ("Maltanese falcon").If you're in a mood for some lighthearted entertainment and you like football or Stallone (or both ) this is not a bad way to spend your time. I give it 5/10.