Flucht oder Sieg

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.