Had I have known what the 1973 original had truly been about, 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 actually glad I never saw the original before watching Michael Noer’s (Nordvest (Northwest)) remake of the film of the same title. I went into the film fresh, with no expectations. Nor did I know a single thing about the story other than it was a prison movie. But after watching just 30 seconds of the trailer and understanding my own self 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, I’m not sure that this movie would have still been in the theatres. And I have no idea why. This movie was absolutely riveting and had me engaged throughout its 133-minute runtime.
Perhaps the original’s success had a lot to do with the lower than expected average with the critics and even the number of people who went to see it. I know that I am bothered when some of the amazing movies from my youth are remade and are so bad that they are unwatchable (Flatliners, Point Break, Robocop) and, honestly, unless they were remarkable, I’m not even sure I’d be bothered with. The same good is said for this movie, though the difference between 2018 and 1973 is 45 years. To me, that seems like plenty of enough time to generate entirely new audiences. Still, people hold grudges…and 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, then you’re going to love the retelling of 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 is living the good life as a safe thief by day and extravagantly spending part of his haul at night with his girlfriend Nenette (Eve Hewson – Bridge of Spies, Enough Said). It’s just enough of a glimpse of him that 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 killing the man, and all involved, most notably Papillon himself, knows he’s been framed for murder. No longer is at a question of an appeal. Papillon is focused instead on his escape plan. He is sentenced to a penal colony in French Guiana on the coast of South America. Most of the other inmates are (actual) murders and people who have no regard for human life. He knows he’s in for hell…it’s 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 are held in their asses. It’s a well-known fact that gets another man killed on his first night. Papillon hedges that Dega has brought a lot of money in with him, and he 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 course of the film, we see some, if not, all of these things happen. And I’ll say it again, fans of prison movies are going to love it. 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, say, Murder in the First, it’s not that far off. What’s better is that is not even what this movie’s intention is. The movie is more about the friendship that is developed between Papillon and Dega. In fact, you would think that there is no way that Papillon would continually do what he does for Dega. At times, it feels too preposterous. But it is based upon 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. And this was a movie that he gave up the lead role of 50 Shades of Grey for. Instead, he has delivered in critically-acclaimed movies (Crimson Peak, The Lost City of Z) that haven’t hit with audiences. I do think 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 more seeing him in various big-screen roles than I would a return to television. And Malek brought a performance that was so 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 definitely my favorite part of this movie. But the cinematography was equally as awesome. I absolutely love it when I get so lost in a film that I forget I’m watching a film. And this was one of those films. At times, I felt like I was another inmate. At other times, I felt like I was 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, yeah, even without knowing anything about the movie, you might be able to figure out the ending. But that never took away from the film’s ride. Papillon delivers with a ferocity that has yet to be matched with a 2018 film. It’s filled with drama and rich with characters. It’s not a film for everyone, but if you like harrowing true stories and, especially, if you like prison movies, this one is not to be missed.
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%