Victory (1981) User Reviews

Once again, you can't trust the critics.

[wgfinley · 8/10 · 3 February 2002]

John Huston's Victory has probably seen so much critical scorn it's mind boggling. Is this movie Oscar material? Certainly not, but it's a great film in many ways.

First of all, Bill Conti offers up a first rate uplifting musical score. It's outstanding work and you hear a bit of resemblence to the score he wrote for a 1982 film that received a little bit of notoriety -- The Right Stuff.

Next, the cinematography is simply gorgeous. Soccer is not an easy sport to film and I think this film was done wonderfully. I thought the choice of film stock, a certain amount of grain to make it almost like you're watching a documentary was a nice touch. Some of the action shots and slow-mos are absolutely wonderful to behold.

Finally, we have a nice plot with a couple of surprises, a great cast, and an auteur director. Certainly, Huston was in failing health and not at the top of his game by this time but his work on this film was still memorable. For me I will always remember the wonderful line with "The Forger" asking Hatch "You don't want to get shot as a spy do you?" And the quick reply, "No, I don't want to get shot as anything." Simple one liner, uncomplicated, yet funny.

Victory is a great inspirational film, a sure hit for soccer fans (of course he wasn't offside - he was behind the ball when it was struck!) and a nice film for war buffs. Just ignore Maltin et al and spend the time watching it, widescreen DVD recommended, you won't be sorry.

"Take me out from the ball game"

[benbrae76 · 8/10 · 1 September 2006]

The script of this unusual war/escape movie was nothing special, and neither was the acting. Not surprising about the latter since half the performers weren't actually experienced actors. However I loved every minute of it, and thought it was great fun and terrific entertainment. Of course there are those who won't quite see it that way and will dismiss it out of hand. And they'd be perfectly sane to do so. Everything about "Victory" (aka "Escape to Victory" in the UK) says it's one to leave well alone.

Even if you disregard the lack of aesthetic qualities, and tut-tut over the reality of it all, it's worth watching if only to see again a few of the great past-masters of what the Brits like to call "the beautiful game" (i.e. soccer). And Sylvester Stallone as a goalkeeper is something to behold.

As far as escape stories go this is about as original as they get, but even here it's possible to see plundering from other story lines, i.e "The Great Escape", "The Password is Courage", "Albert RN", to name but three, and as at least one reviewer has pointed out, the music is extremely reminiscent of the first one.

One of my favourites snippets is that of the Nazi sports commentator, portrayed by Anton Diffring, that stalwart of war movies, broadcasting his gramophone record of enthusiastic crowd applause, when in "reality" the whole stadium was as quiet as the grave.

I think this is one of those rare occasions, if taken in the right vein, when a bad movie can be a crowd pleaser. Forget the war pundits, the realists and the purists. Just enjoy the movie for what it is. Tremendous fun!

Implausible but enjoyable

[aegm · 8/10 · 7 July 2000]

I was looking through the action collection at the video store and trying to find something that might interest my husband and myself, a daunting task. When I picked up Victory, I thought 'why not?' as it has Max Von Sydow who we both enjoy. The fact that it had Michael Caine was an added bonus. Besides I wanted to know what kind of film could have those two AND Sylvester Stallone. Somehow I couldn't picture Stallone playing football with the Europeans, at least not doing it well. I was right. Stallone couldn't play, but it didn't matter because that was part of the shtick for the character.

I'll admit that there were a couple of places where the plot was rather predictable and places where I simply thought it was completely unbelievable. However, all in all I would recommend this movie. It's fun and, at times, touching.

Thrilling and attractive war fim about a soccer match between Allied prisioners of war and a German team

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 11 February 2019]

Enjoyable warlike movie with memorable images and outstanding acting by well-known faces . It packs crisp performance , intrigue , stirring scenes , suspense ,soccer game , twists and turns . Set in World War II, a group of inmates (Michael Caine , Daniel Massey ,Tim Pigott-Smith , Maurice Roëves) imprisioned at a German concentration camp , there the Prisoners agree a spectacular escape by planning on using the football game as means of escape from the stadium . This is a decent film about a daring breakout from inescapable Nazi concentration camp , a barbed-wired and strongly controlled camp by using a soccer team playing at Paris stadium , being performed by all star cast and professionally directed by John Huston . It deals with Nazi officers (Max Von Sidow , Arthur Brauss ) who come up with a propaganda event in which an all star Nazi team will play a team composed of Allied Prisoners of War in a Soccer or Football game . Following the hard preparatives of a diverse group formed by rebel officers and soldiers mounting a dangerous getaway from a soccer match . Captain Robert Hatch (Sylvester Stallone comes off best among the familiar gallery of prisoners and Nazi stereotypes) is assigned the difficult mission to be in contact with the French freedom fighters . The most part of the film concerns on the elaborated process of scheming the escape ,it includes : secretly digging an underground tunnel to execute a great effort for the groundbreaking breakout throughout the sewers trying to make their bid to freedom . Later on , a football match is set up so that the players flee . As allied POWs prepare for a soccer game against the German National Team to be played in Nazi-occupied Paris, while the French Resistance (Amidou , Carole Laure) are making plans for help them escape through the sewer tunnels of Paris , of course , they want to finish the game first . Now is the time for heroes.Their goal was freedom...

This exciting story contains soccer sports , thrills, intrigue, tension, excitement galore, entertainment and lots of fun . However , being slightly unsatisfactory both for fans of star-studded prison escape sub-genre and for soccer buffs , the latter hoping to watch the best football scenes . This movie results to be a crossover between The great escape (1963) and The longest year (1974), and even Rocky (1976) , taking parts here and there . Although it holds heavily on the barely plausible notion of a squad of Pow soccer stars escaping from Paris stadium . Suspenseful WWII epic packs exceptional plethora of prestigious actors incarnating the motley group of POWs , giving good acting ,along with a great support cast . Stars Sylvester Stallone whose character , Captain Robert Hatch , remains today as charming in his long iconography . Along with the always great Michael Caine as a British official reluctant to participate in the masquerade . Secondary cast includes notorious actors as Carole Laure , Amidou , Arthur Brauss , Tim Pigott-Smith , Maurice Roëves , Anton Driffing ,Michael Wolf and the incombustible Max Von Sidow . In addition , the footballers carry out some cunningly devised games from Pele and his squad of internationals as half the Ipswich team , plus to Ardiles and Moore. For all of the soccer players who had acting parts in this movie, this picture has been their only ever theatrical film acting role.

Colorful, atmospheric cinematography by Gerry Fisher shot in Budapest, Hungary , Paris, France . Excellent production design and art direction with evocative sets by Dennis Washington . Rousing and lively soundtrack , nowadays a classic score , and being constantly reminded , by Bill Conti . The movie was scored by Bill Conti who had composed the Oscar nominated music score for Sylvester Stallone's Rocky (1976). Victory (1981) is one of around ten collaborations of the pair and one of just a handful of non-Rocky franchise films scored by Conti and starring Stallone with the others being F.I.S.T. (1978), Lock up (1989), and Paradise alley (1978).This Soccer/Concentration camp movie was well directed by the great John Huston at his best , its tense filmmaking makes this crackerjack entertainment , being shot over a period of five weeks. The picture was made in a good time of the 60s , 70s and 80s when Huston resurged as a director of quality films with Fat City, (1972), The man who would be king (1975) and Wise blood (1979). He ended his career on a high note with Under volcano (1984), the afore-mentioned Honor of Prizzi (1985) and Dublineses (1987). Rating : 7/10 . Above average , as the intrigue is entertaining on its own , this is one of John Huston's best films , a model of his kind , definitely a must see if you are aficionado to WWII movies . Huston broke a new ground with this landmark movie , providing classic scenes and agreeable dialogs . Two thumbs up , essential and indispensable watching , a real must see.

Motivating Movie

[p_empi · 15 July 2003]

Many people have passed negative comments about this film.If you study it closely, though, you will notice many positive and original scenes.

The football is not exaggerated like many other sporting Movies.

I first saw it when it was released in 1981/82 and thought it was very good. As a War film it is only average, but as a Football spectacle it is very interesting. The fact that the makers used real life footballers, including the great man himself "Pele" is original. We are actually seeing first class football players do their stuff in a controlled Movie enviroment... Heck some of them even try to act!

I think Michael Caine and Sly would have enjoyed making this Movie.

The message from the Movie is that Football is a game which is understood by everyone and will always be played under any circumstances. It is the Universal game and always will be!

For some this will be terrific, for most it's a fun twist on familiar sports and prison escape plots

[secondtake · 6/10 · 1 June 2014]

Victory (1981)

A slow beginning leads not to a typical sports movie but to a parallel of a heist film. That is, this group of prisoners has to think of an unusual way to pull off a job— their escape from a Nazi prison camp. The method? A soccer match. It's ludicrous I suppose but it's fun, and there are enough turns of plot to keep you going whether you like light-hearted WWII films or sports films.

If Pele is the surprise star here, don't expect much of him on any level, as an actor or as a player. His screen time is brief and generally dull, oddly, though still fun. But Michael Caine is his usual dependable excellent self, here as a once-great soccer player now leading a team of prisoners. He is given permission to get the best players he can find in all the Nazi prisons, assembling a kind of uber-team of stragglers and has-beens.

The other actor of fame, Sylvester Stallone, plays what is almost a caricature—the American who won't fit in because he is so rebellious and righteous. And right, we hope. He eventually becomes a last-minute goalkeeper, and it's kind of hilarious and impressive (he's young but already ripped). His character is obviously more familiar with American football than the other kind, but don't let that stop an ambitious young fellow.

The movie is an odd mix of acting styles and it's a bumbling kind of plot at first, but it steadily builds itself into something to cheer about. The end will be a surprise, by the way, and is maybe the one shining moment where the film, as a bit of movie-making, steps out of the box.

The reviews on this site are all over the map here. My impression is that soccer fans have an automatic win-win on this one, and that the game is seen as fresh and heroic in a good way. If you don't like soccer in particular, the sport is just a lively device to work the larger plot. As a prison film or escape film this is way out of its league, sure it is, but it's still solid and inventive in its own small ways. When it gets so unlikely you have to groan, don't worry, there is a sense of beating the odds to every aspect of the plot, so why not?

As you can see, it's easy to enjoy this movie even if it's nothing to write home about. Fair enough.

Decent Movie Featuring Terrific Football

[jcanettis · 7/10 · 22 October 2005]

If the part where the football match takes place was omitted, "Victory" would be a "5 stars out of 10" film. The reason is that although it features two very good actors (Michael Caine - Max von Sydow), there is not much to stand out: A rather incredulous WW2 plot, an average acting (what could you expect from professional footballers or from Stallone?), and a simply decent direction, produce an average result. Thankfully, there is more than that, as I will explain in more detail later.

"Victory" is about some inmates in a WW2 prison camp, who have a passion for soccer. Captain J. Colby (Caine), a former footballer, is the leading figure in the camp matches that take place. One day, he is spotted by football-fan Major Steiner (Max von Sydow) who proposes him the idea of organizing a match between allied POWs vs. Germans. Colby agrees, as he believes this will be a great morale-booster and a chance for better prison conditions for those involved; however, more senior inmates are skeptical, as they believe this will be a propaganda stunt for the Germans. In the end, they also concur but only after they have convinced the team's goalie Capt. Hatch (Stallone) to arrange the team's escape during the match. The difficulty is that both Colby and his team are more interested in this game than in their freedom, so they are hesitant on what they should finally do...

As I said, the movie is just watchable during its first part. And yet, when we start to watch the Allied - Germans match, things get much better: We watch terrific football from stars such as Pele, Ardiles, and Bobby Moore, with scenes such as Pele's goal being memorable to all sports fans. Of course, if you are not into soccer, then perhaps you won't get that excited (although the spectacle can be exciting for non-fans, too). But if you like the King of Sports, then you will certainly enjoy this film. 7/10.

A remake with real footballers would crush

[jordi005 · 7/10 · 16 March 2019]

I loved this film as a kid because I am such a huge fan of the sport and more so because it used real life footballers. I often wonder and hope with the popularity of the sport today and the level of talent why hasn't anyone tried rebooting or remaking this film. Could you imagine a film with Messi, Rinaldo, Neymar, Rooney, Suárez, etc? I would definitely recommend it be a period piece film again during WW2 and you could use some of Germany's current day greats like Klose, Mueller, Lahm, Ozil, etc. This film will always be a timeless classic for me personally.

Great movie

[dantt777 · 10/10 · 27 April 2005]

This a great movie for any football fan. A great set of stars from the 70's, Pele and Stallone as a funny goalkeeper. This is one of my favorite soccer movies. The storyline is not the best, but it is catchy. Now the way the stadium was set up, the noise, it feel really real. I would love to see a similar movie remade. Maybe a victory 2 with todays's stars. Some people do not like the idea of sly as a football player, I disagree, I think he playing the "football-ignorant"american is good. Now I also think that the way the soccer players acted was very realistic. In special Pele was good. I know many friends in many countries outside the USA who just love this film.

Contrived and cheesy, but massively enjoyable

[rick-520-6264 · 7/10 · 7 January 2015]

*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 best movie about football/soccer ?

[Maziun · 5/10 · 4 August 2013]

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.

Football + War = Masterpiece!

[mdiffey · 10/10 · 30 October 2001]

Despite being universally derided by everyone I know, I still believe that Escape To Victory is possibly the greatest feelgood movie ever made. For anyone who has a passion for football this is an absolute must see, if just for a chance to see legends such as Bobby Moore and Pele playing in the same team.

However, while the football is marvellous, the drama is on a similar level. Everyone always goes on about this film being cheesy, but I really believe it has some great dramatic moments: Caine telling Stallone "I won't be responsible for your death", the tragedy of the Eastern European prisoners, and of course the performance of Max von Sydow.

He really does make the film what it is with a hugely dignified portrayal of a man who has no interest in the war going on around him. When he tells Caine "if all the nations of the world could solve their problems on the football field, wouldn't that be something?", it may be a hugely naive (and slightly corny) sentiment, but you honestly believe that he means it.

There are some minus points, however; it's clear that Stallone has never played as a goalkeeper before (I should know because it's my position), some of the lines delivered by the footballers do sound enormously false (a problem similar to that with the musicians in The Blues Brothers, another classic), and many of the British and German officers are incredibly caricatured. Also, as a war movie it's about as far removed from the terrible reality of war as it's possible to get.

However, to state that Escape to Victory is unrealistic is to miss the point entirely. It's pure escapism. As such, it can lay claim to being one of the few specifically male-oriented feelgood movies around.

In conclusion, it surely deserves to be regarded as something of a modern classic.

POWs have a ball in this WW II escape film

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 10 April 2017]

Many movies made about World War II are complete fiction. The stories are totally fabricated but set within the context of the war. Most, but not all, are based on novels. Some of the better action and intriguing war films fit in this category. And, some books and movies are based on certain theaters and aspects of the war. These include battles and campaigns, the underground and resistance, POW camps and escape stories. "Victory" is one such movie.

It was based on a 1962 Hungarian film that itself was inspired by a mythical football (soccer) match between a Kiev team and the German occupation forces in the Ukraine during WW II. While there wasn't such a match, three matches did take place between a Kiev soccer club and a team of the occupying Germans. The Ukrainians won all three, and after the last match, the Kiev players were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Many other matches apparently were held between Ukrainian clubs and German Army teams – about 150 total, with the Ukrainians winning a ratio of 6-3.5-1.5. See "The Death March" under Wikipedia for a detailed account and more background.

This film is set in Germany and France, and involves British and American POWs, as well as a collection of Allied prisoners from other countries. So, "Victory," aka, "Escape to Victory" outside America, is a combination POW, soccer competition, underground resistance, and escape film. It also fits in the category of very late films made about WW II.

All the players are good. But, Sylvester Stalone, as U.S. Army Capt. Robert Hatch, has some hammy lines when he is with the French girl, Renee (played by Carole Laure) in the Paris underground. Producer Freddie Fields assembled an impressive cast beyond Stalone. Michael Caine shares the lead with Stalone, as British Capt. John Colby. And, Max von Sydow plays German Major Karl Von Steiner. A coup for the film is Pele, the famous Brazilian soccer player, and several other professional soccer players for both the POW and German teams. The Allied assortment is explained by POWs who played soccer being transferred in from other prisons.

The film makes a clear statement about the German treatment of East Europeans, compared to prisoners from other countries. Caine's Colby insists that the soccer prisoners from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and other Eastern countries be included. When five of them show up, they appear to be undernourished shells of former athletes. None would be able to recuperate for a long time, but Colby keeps them for the team rather than send them back.

The pro soccer players in the film were from teams that had won national and/or world championships. They came from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, England, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Norway, Poland and Scotland. The movie was filmed in Hungary and France. Because Paris had changed so much, with modern buildings in the 35 years since the end of WW II, they couldn't shoot the soccer match there. Instead, Fields found a stadium in Budapest, the "Paris of the East."

This movie is a lighter account of Allied POWs during WW II. It has none of the drama or trauma of other films about the reality of wartime POW camps. But, it is entertaining and a fun film with some good scenes of soccer play. The French underground escape by the Allied team doesn't come off as planned. The team couldn't leave at half-time with the Jerry's in the lead. To the delight of the fans – mostly thousands of French civilians hustled into the stadium to make a crowd (Hungarian extras in Budapest), the Allies rally and the game ends a tie (a legitimate Allied goal having been denied earlier). And, the excitement of the crowd turns into a spontaneous mass movement onto the field and dispersion of the Allied soccer players among the fans as they leave the stadium.

The ending is priceless and caps an entertaining fictional film that most members of the family should enjoy.

Called Escape to Victory in the UK

[jshartwell · 4/10 · 20 December 2006]

British viewers will know this film as "Escape to Victory" and will find it listed on Amazon.co.uk under that name. Perhaps someone with appropriate privileges could update the database with the alternate title!

I found it primarily interesting for the appearance of players from the Ipswich Town Football Club, the local team I supported when the film was released and I was a teen. There was little attempt to change the players' distinctive hairstyles of that era to match the period in which the film was set. The original script called for a winning goal to be scored, but this was changed to a heroic save. As a result, the film was nicknamed "Escape to a High Scoring Draw".

It was evident that none of the actors were footballers and none of the footballers were actors, but it was fairly entertaining at the time. It is now considered a curiosity and family film which gets a regular airing in Britain during the winter festive season.

This movie is part of my childhood.

[denis-629-943430 · 21 June 2010]

This movie is part of my childhood. My older brother was obsessed - to say the least - with this movie, and we used to watch it every week or so. I must have seen it about a hundred times. Pelé, Ardiles, Bob Moore... No football fan can miss this movie. Is it any good? I don't think it's very good, but this is one of those movies that really made part of my life and i can never forget it. Until today - i haven't seen the movie in several years - i can recall many of the dialogs, and a lot of the situations of the game. Brazil was eliminated in 1982's world cup after an epic game against Italy - one of the most profound traumas in Brazilian football history, an event that made Brazil to change it's game style - the art football - to a more pragmatic and tactical style. Somehow this movie reminds me of that golden period of Brazilian football.

Another take on a true story with a far more tragical ending

[dagnirmor · 7/10 · 2 December 2008]

This is a good movie - for people who do and do not like football alike. It shows why people actually like football all over the world - it is about sportsmanship, dignity, team work and courage in the face of unsurmountable obstacles. But one thing should not be forgotten but the movie goers everywhere - what is depicted in the movie has its roots in historical fact. In 1941 a team of former Dynamo Kiev players challenged the might of German Wermacht to a series of matches, which, astonishingly, they have all won convincingly. And then, when it became obvious that wins in the stadium can and will inspire uprisings everywhere in occupied Ukraine, the team members were imprisoned by Gestapo. A week later on 16 August, Start defeated Rukh again, this time 8-0. Soon after that, a number of the FC Start players were arrested and tortured by the Gestapo, allegedly for being NKVD members (as Dynamo was a police-funded club). One of the arrested players Mykola Korotkykh died under torture. The rest were sent to the Syrets labour camp, where Ivan Kuzmenko, Oleksey Klimenko, and the goalkeeper Mykola Trusevich were later killed in February 1943. No escapes to Victory for these brave Ukranians. Check this link for more info - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_Match Whenever I watch this movie I always remember FC Start.

Football movie meets The Great Escape

[LuboLarsson · 7/10 · 30 May 2004]

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS *** I loved this film as a kid. Football was and still is a major part of my life, as is movies. Also I was a huge Stallone fan after the Rocky movies came out and was intrigued to see such a huge american star in a football movie! Also Pele was in it too! one of the greatest footballers the world has ever seen, in my opinion the second greatest after Diego Maradona. Michcael Caine appears too as the most unconvincing footballer ever and the rest is filled out by real footballers, actually Ipswich Towns early 80's team fact fans, including Scotlands John Wark who has one line in the movie and they dubbed it! There is a lot of fun to be made from watching this film, I still hold a place in my heart for it, what other WWII film has people wearing white trainers and flares whilst sporting long 70's haircuts I ask you? Classic so bad its good movie *** 7/10 ***

Victory!

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 29 August 2019]

This movie is based on Two Halves in Hell, a 1962 Hungarian film directed and co-written by Zoltan Fabri also known as The Last Goal. Based on a story about a soccer match - yes, football in the rest of the world - between German soldiers and Ukranian POW's during World War II, it's also the inspiration for The Longest Yard. The major difference is that the Nazis kill all of the good guys in Fabri's version of this story.

In truth, the so-called Death Match - in which FC Dynamo Kyiv defeated German soldiers - probably never happened. The team did actually play several matches against German teams and won all of them before they were sent to prison camps where at least four were killed long after the games were played.

Escape to Victory, as this movie is also known, features plenty of major soccer stars of ist era, including Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles, Kazimierz Deyna, Paul Van Himst, Mike Summerbee, Hallvar Thoresen, Werner Roth and perhaps the best player of all time, Pele.

A team of Allied POW's - who are coached by English Captain and former West Ham United star John Colby (Michael Caine) agree to play an exhibition match against a German team. However, they soon learn that this is all a publicity stunt.

Meanwhile, Robert Hatch (Sylvester Stallone), an American who served with the Canadian Army, nags Colby into joining the team, which is a cover for an escape attempt. However, the coach worries that this will get his team killed.

Hatch escapes to Paris and facilitates an escape plan with the French resistance and allows himself to be recaptured so that he can send messages from British High Command to officers who are inside the camp. To get Hatch on the team, Colby has to break his goalkeeper's arm and then trains the American on how to play.

At halftime, the team is down 4-1 thanks to bad officiating, despite the star power of Luis Fernandez (Pele), Carlos Rey (Osvaldo Ardiles) and Terry Brady (Bobby Moore). Hatch shows that he can play goal and the team rallies back to deny a German win and escape anyway as the crowd shouts victory.

George Mikell continues his multiple roles as a German soldier (he also plays one in The Guns of Navarone and The Great Escape) and he's joined by Max von Sydow as Major Karl von Steiner. It's all directed by John Huston, whose career goes from the highs of The Maltese Falcon to the lows of acting in films like The VIsitor (which I love, but...man, night and day).

Sylvester Stallone started soccer training while filming Nighthawks under England's World Cup-winning goalkeeper, Gordon Banks. After a dislocated shoulder and breaking one of his ribs, Stallone said that soccer been harder than fighting in the Rocky movies. Apocryphically, it's said that he wanted to score the winning goal at the end of the film and it had to be explained that goalies don't get to do that, so the penalty kick scene was added in.

Maybe Sly was right! Since this movie was made, goalkeepers have abandoned the net and gone forward for a last-minute set-piece such as a corner, adding to the team's numbers in the area near the goal. As a yinzer, I can only assume that this is like pulling the goalie in hockey. Manchester United Peter Schmeichel actually scored a goal in 1997 under these conditions.

a winner on hands

[manikagarwal2 · 7/10 · 13 December 2012]

what a fantastic soccer movie.. I mean if we keep aside some of the visible glitches, then it sure is a good watch. The players keeping their possible escape half the way down the match and putting forward their morale ,their self esteem ahead to give an eventful 2nd half amidst some nasty ploys adapted by the Germans!!! Its heartening watching PELE dribble around with 1 of his hands supporting his injured chest n that last goal off his feet is a treat to watch.I am surprised how come this movie is not even in all time gr8 sports movies lists of IMDb. Max Paine as always has given good performance too.. Some actors do sound a bit wooden but considering that most of them were not actual players....Highly recommended...

Escape is a Winner.

[Born2BeMild · 8/10 · 29 December 2004]

Any football fans out there? If you haven't seen Escape To Victory either at Christmas, when it is usually on at a ridiculous time of the morning, or hired/bought it on DVD then you are really missing out.

There is a fair amount of disbelief suspending that needs to take place before you settle down. But, if you can numb your brain to the idea of Micheal Caine playing professional football or indeed, Sylvester Stallone doing the same in goal, you're in for a treat.

As a football fan, it was a real thrill to see the great Bobby Moore kicking a ball in anger and, against the Germans too (remember what I said about suspending disbelief).

OK, it isn't the greatest film ever made. But it isn't supposed to be. It's a bit of bubblegum that is just supposed to kill a couple of hours. A feat the movie accomplishes handsomely.

I defy any football fan not to cheer when the goals go in or to curse when the Germans do well. Similarly, try and stifle your guffaws when you see Mr Caine trying to look like he knows what he's supposed to be doing. Is it just me or does he become more cockney when he tries to convey excitement in any of his roles?? Probably one of England's more one dimensional acting talents.

If you don't enjoy it, you're missing the point of it. Nobody will ever forget horror of war, it's ingrained. That isn't what this film is about although it does have a stab at giving the viewer a clue about the life of a POW in WWII.

No, the film is about entertainment. And, on that level, it's one of the good ones.

Where do I stand for a corner kick?

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 8 June 2007]

John Huston, Oscar winning director of The Treasure of Sierra Madre, gives us an entertaining film about a football match between The Germand and Allied POWs during WWII.

Until the actual game, this was just a routine POW movie with the usual obnoxious British Officers, and the one that thinks outside the box (Michael Caine) and makes it interesting.

The actual football match was held in Paris and the Germans fielded their National Team (actors) against a collection of real players from Belgium, England, Poland, Holland, Scotland, Argentina, Ireland, and the great Pele from Brazil. The field judges were, of course, bought off by the Germans.

An escape was planned for halftime, but the game continued and escape occurred later. Like I said, except for the football, this was a routine POW film.

Sly Stallone played an American in the camp that met with the French Resistance to set up the escape. He was actually rather good.

Huston's worst, silliest movie

[ananias73 · 2/10 · 28 October 2007]

A tolerable film only if you don't take it very seriously. Most of all the worst and meaningless film in John Huston career (it's a pity to have a great director in a silly and unrealistic script, it's obvious a bad choice before "Under the Volcano" and 'The Prizzi's Honor"). During the Big Football Match between the evil and very, very mean Germans and the prisoners of the war the football players organize their escape from the camp. We have also Michael Caine in the worst mess he ever played and Sylvester Stallone with his "monkey" accent as the goalkeeper in a Steve McQueen- type role in "The Great Escape". No script, no fun, not even a realistic plot (it's obvious! Germans organize football matches instead of taking care about the war in Europe). Have its spiritual moments because of Pele's presence...

Arguably one of the most unfairly derided boys own movies out there?

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 25 June 2010]

World War II and the Nazi officers have come up with a propaganda driven idea for the German national football team to play a team composed of Allied Prisoners of War. Led by Capt. John Colby (Michael Caine) the prisoners agree, but there's more than just propaganda at stake here.

Directed by John Huston in the twilight of his career, Escape To Victory, in spite of it being a perennial Bank Holiday staple viewing in the UK, is a film that's often used as a kicking post by stuffy critics. It's hard to understand why such a fun and harmless piece can cause such derision in cinematic circles. It can't be expectation because when you read the plot and see that Sylvester Stallone is playing as the goalkeeper, and that a tubby 48 year old Caine is the captain of this soccer team, well surely you know this film isn't all about about cranial depth encompassing the propaganda machinations of the Nazi regime.

Using real footballers (notably Pelé, Bobby Moore and Osvaldo Ardilies) is what makes Escape To Victory work as entertainment for so many people in the UK. Huston, much like Stallone, hadn't got a clue how to make a football based movie. In stepped the footballers to choreograph the film's football sequences - sequences that give the film some truly memorable moments (Pelé overhead kick, Ardiles rainbow flick, and erm, a Stallone penalty save). They couldn't act for toffee, none of them, but that's where Caine comes in. Guiding them through their scenes, Caine was highly thought of on the set by the players, a sort of father figure by all accounts, and not just on the set, but in the bar as well. Stallone excepted (he was off doing his own thing most of the time), it was a happy shoot, and this shines bright in the movie, with the non actors growing in confidence as the movie progresses. So while the film ultimately deals in escapist fun, it's not without moments of poignancy too. A sacrificial break for the war effort induces winces across the board, whilst the arrival of the Eastern Block players from the work camps demands our utmost heartfelt thoughts.

So is Escape To Victory a great film? No, of course not. But it is a darn good one. A film that's easy to lose oneself in during the holiday periods. With Caine flicking the eff off Vs, Max Von Sydow being classy as usual and some legendary footballers strutting their stuff, what's not to enjoy? Really? 7.5/10

The Expendables of football

[asgard-5 · 6/10 · 18 August 2010]

Michael Cain plays a British POW who was a football star before the war, and with fellow POWs is kicking the ball around the nazi camp awaiting the end of the WW2. Max von Sydow, a high rank nazi official comes up to him and proposes a football match between Nazis and POWs. This movie showcases Sylvester Stallone's attempt to break out of action genre, even though his career as an action star didn't take off yet, as it was pre-Rambo. He plays a sly American POW who's only goal is to escape the nazi camp. So he makes it a priority to join the POW team, but he can't play football to save his life, because he only knows "American football". So they make him a goalkeeper, since only his hands are of any use to the cause. Victory is populated with football stars of the past, Pele being the most famous one. The tone of this film is very very light - it's basically "Mean Machine" for kids, only kids wouldn't want to watch it, because it's pretty low on twists and a generally unengaging picture.

Unrealistic to say the least.

[herbstnebel2ss · 3/10 · 16 June 2004]

Despite its big name cast, to include Michael Caine and Max von Sydow, Victory leaves one feeling flat. Something like what is envisioned here simply could not have happened during WWII because allied soldiers would have never put themselves in the position of even remotely offering the Germans a chance at a propaganda coup. The plot basically revolves around former English soccer player Michael Caine, now a POW, having a chance encounter in a prison camp with German officer von Sydow. The two basically hatch the plan of a soccer game between allied prisoners and the German national team. This is where the plot starts to unravel. Caine makes numerous demands such as excellent food, housing, uniforms, etc. and gets them all...very unlikely! The game it is decided, will be held in Paris. Again wouldn't the Germans be more apt to choose Berlin where they could exert total control over the goings on, rather than risk some fiasco in occupied but still hostile Paris? Of course the ending is no surprise as is typical in war movies of this kind. It's all been seen before, not even Bill Conti's brilliant score, probably the best thing about this movie, can save it.