Von Ryan’s Express
Directed by Mark Robson
Written by Wendell Mayes and Joseph Landon from a novel by David Westheimer
1965/USA
Twentieth Century Fox/P-R Productions Picture
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Maj. Eric Fincham: You’ll get your Iron Cross now, “Von” Ryan![/box]
OK action adventure.
American Colonel Joseph Ryan (Frank Sinatra) arrives at an Italian POW camp and becomes ranking officer. Most of the men are British prisoners closely aligned with Major Eric Fincham (Trevor Howard). The major has a tunnel readied for a mass escape. Ryan knows that the war in Italy is nearly over and betrays the escape plans. By this time both the Italians and the British are sure Ryan is a Nazi agent. When the Italians surrender, the prisoners are placed on a fast train to Berlin. This requires something more than a tunnel! Plenty of action ensues.
If you want something to get your blood pumping, this might be just the ticket. I tend to be a giant fan of these kind of movies but something about this one didn’t grab me. Part of it was you just have to know from minute one that Sinatra is a hero, removing some suspense and question marks from the story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxCHiZ-UxOI
