Had I truly known the plot of the 1973 original, I don’t think there is any way I would have gone my entire adult life without seeing Franklin J. Schaffner’s cult classic Papillon. With that information stated, I am glad I never saw the original before watching Michael Noer’s (Nordvest (Northwest) remake of the same title. I went into the film fresh, with no expectations. Nor did I know anything about the story other than it was a prison movie. But after watching just 30 seconds of the trailer and understanding that prison backdrops are often the set of some of my favorite movies, I knew I would see the film and that I would see it in the theatres.
The only problem was that the critics and the lack of moviegoers were shortening my timetable. While this movie has a 76% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it has only a 54% critic rating, and its gross after two weeks is less than $2 million. Long story short, when I went to look at the possible times and theatres for when and where I could see this movie, my choices were few and far between. If I had waited even a week longer, this movie would not have still been in the theatres. I’m uncertain as to why. This movie was riveting and had me engaged throughout its 133-minute runtime.
The original’s success had much to do with the lower-than-expected average with the critics and the number of people who went to see it. I know I am bothered when some fantastic movies from my youth are remade and are so bad that they are unwatchable (Flatliners, Point Break, Robocop). Unless they were remarkable, I’m not even sure I’d be bothered with them. The same good is said for this movie, though the difference between 2018 and 1973 is 45 years. That seems like plenty of enough time to generate entirely new audiences. Still, people hold grudges, and sometimes, older people often seem to hold longer and harsher grudges than younger people. Nevertheless, if you enjoy a good prison film that fits somewhere in the mold of Rescue Dawn meets Escape from Alcatraz meets The Shawshank Redemption, you’ll love retelling this true story.
Charlie Hunnam (F/X’s Sons of Anarchy, Lost World of Z) plays the role of Papillon, the film’s title character and main protagonist. We meet him briefly in 1931 Paris, where he lives the good life as a vault thief by day and extravagantly spends part of his haul at night with his girlfriend Nenette (Eve Hewson – Bridge of Spies, Enough Said). Just enough of a glimpse of him might convince you to think he’s Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. But the very night that we meet him, he is arrested for the murder of a local pimp. Even though he has an alibi in Nenette, who was with him the entire time, Papillon has no chance of a fair trial.
A “witness” identified him as killing the man, and all involved, most notably Papillon himself, knows he’s been framed for murder. No longer is it a question of an appeal. Papillon is focused instead on his escape plan. He receives sentencing to a penal colony in French Guiana on the coast of South America. Most of the other inmates are (actual) murderers and people who have no regard for human life. He knows he’s in for hell. It is just a question of how long and if he’ll survive. While being transported to his prison in South America, he meets a man named Dega (Rami Malek – USA’s Mr. Robot), a former banker who has been sentenced for selling counterfeit bonds. Dega is a brainy, submissive optimist who believes that his wife will get him out of his sentence through appeal. Besides the bifocaled Dega’s intelligence, his biggest asset is his wealth. The wealthiest prisoners bring money into the prison in chambers that they hide in their butts. Papillon hedges that Dega has brought a lot of money in with him and promises protection in exchange for the money he believes he will need to escape.
We learn in prison from Warden Barrot (Yorick van Wageningen –47 Ronin) when Papillon and Nega arrive at the French Guiana prison after a long ride on a prisoner ship from Europe that there is no chance to escape. Escapees will be caught. And even if they didn’t, they would either die from starvation in the brush or be eaten by the sharks in the ocean. We learn that after your first escape attempt, you get two years in solitary confinement. After the second escape, the punishment is five years in solitary. And if you survive that, you’ll be sent to the disreputable Devil’s Island, where you will live out your days. If you commit murder, you are executed by guillotine in front of all of the other prisoners.
During the film, we see some, if not all, of these things happen. This movie sucks you in. It is graphic. What the lead characters go through is so grueling that you can feel it yourself, and while it isn’t quite as intense as Murder in the First, it’s not that far off. What’s better is that it is not even the movie’s intent. The movie is more about the friendship developed between Papillon and Dega. In fact, you would think there is no way that Papillon would continually do what he does for Dega. At times, it feels too preposterous. But it is based on a true story. There is just innate goodness when it comes to their friendship. Even in the most extreme circumstances, when it would be so easy for each to do what’s best for them, they find it in their hearts to help each other instead.
Hunnam continues to knock on the door of being part of Hollywood’s elite. He continues to show up with top-notch performances in movies that deserve a better fate. His biggest-budget movie (King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword) failed to deliver with critics and audiences. Papillon was a movie for which he gave up the lead role of 50 Shades of Grey. Instead, he has delivered critically acclaimed films (Crimson Peak, The Lost City of Z) that missed their mark with audiences. He has broken free from the Sons of Anarchy Jax Teller typecast. He’s deserving of leading man roles. I hope he continues to get these offers. I would enjoy seeing him in various big-screen roles more than returning to television. And Malek brought a performance vastly different from Elliot’s lead role on Mr. Robot that you might not have even known it was the same character.
Hunnam’s Papillon was my favorite part of this movie. But the cinematography was equally as excellent. I love it when I get so lost in a film that I forget I’m watching it. And this was one of those films. At times, I felt like I was another inmate. At other times, I felt like a fly on the wall. Papillon’s incessant drive to escape the arduous conditions of a place that he should have never been had you cheering for him the whole time. And, even without knowing anything about the movie, you could figure out the ending. But that never took away from the film’s ride. It’s not a film for everyone, but if you like harrowing true stories and, especially if you like prison movies, this one is a must.
Plot 9/10
Character Development 9.5/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 8.5/10
Screenplay 8.5/10
Directing 8.5/10
Cinematography 10/10
Sound 9/10
Hook and Reel 9.5/10
Universal Relevance 8/10
89.5%
A-
Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie
- Papillon (1973)
- The Shawshank Redemption
- Murder in the First
- Locked Up
- Cool Hand Luke