There are some stories that are simply too fascinating to be anything other than entirely truthful – as the old adage goes, sometimes reality can be stranger than fiction. A decade ago, there was a mild flurry caused by a man by the name of Bernie Jordan, a 90-year-old veteran of the Second World War who decided that he was going to ignore the orders of the staff at the nursing home in which he resided with his sickly wife, and venture off across the channel to Normandy to participate in the 70th anniversary commemoration of D-Day. Travelling alone and with several health problems caused by his old age, Bernie was motivated by nothing but his sheer desire to pay tribute to his fellow servicemen, both those that fell during the war and the ones who survived, many of whom he encountered on this journey. His story has been dramatised into The Great Escaper, a delightful and oddly funny retelling of this incredible true story, in which director Oliver Parker works with screenwriter William Ivory (both of whom have extensive experience with a range of quintessentially British productions over the years) to craft a compelling and genuinely moving narrative around this fascinating event and the people who played a part in Bernie’s brief but memorable rise to fame. A melancholic but deeply sincere exploration of one man’s journey to show his respect to those who fought alongside him in one of the most devastating conflicts in the history of global warfare, The Great Escaper is a very effective film, one that may be somewhat predictable and not entirely daring in the way we’d hope, but still offers astute observations and an abundance of unique ideas that make it an absolute delight in some parts, and a more sombre affair in others, which allows it to flourish into a more engaging and effective portrait of a truly unexpected hero, and someone whose personal conviction and willingness to risk his own safety for the sake of realising his deepest ambitions is beyond inspirational, containing lessons that are valuable to each one of us, while still being tremendously entertaining and genuinely quite well-crafted in terms of its multitude of ideas embedded within.

Literature loves war. There is something incredibly poetic and profoundly moving about the way conflict tends to evoke such strong emotions, even if the majority of worthwhile works hardly ever show to condone the act of war. The focus is usually on the experience of being in war, or the direct aftermath – very rarely do we find works centred on the burden of the past carried by those years into their return to civilian life, which is precisely what makes the story of Jordan so incredibly captivating. He represents a large portion of global veterans who manage to survive warfare, but have to live out the rest of their lives with the memories of being involved in such dreadful conflict, as well as grieving the loss of their fellow soldiers who laid down their lives for their country. The Great Escaper is formed from this very principle, exploring how people like Jordan carried the weight of their past well into their senior years, never quite being able to move past events that took place when they had barely reached adulthood, but yet were tasked with fighting a war for a cause that many of them didn’t think should have been resolved through such violent means. This film draws a clear distinction between celebrating the act of war and paying tribute to the brave soldiers who participated, and its cynicism towards the former shines through in most of the film, particularly in the interactions between these veterans, each of them sharing moments of quiet companionship, bound together by the knowledge that they shared similar experiences, even if they fought on opposite sides of the conflict. First and foremost, The Great Escaper should be viewed as a celebratory tribute to the servicemen of the past and present, whose valiance is admirable, even if the cause that they are fighting for can be freely criticised. It is all filtered through this touching and meaningful story, which proves to be a very effective entry point to discussing these themes simply and straightforwardly, as well as evoking the most human element of the subject, which is sometimes difficult to do in more action-focused fare.

However, The Great Escaper is not restricted to only being a film about veterans reflecting on the past, but also a deeply human story about the connections we make along the way, whether in our youth or towards the end of our lives. After a while, this film surprisingly redirects its focus away from the theme of war and begins to focus on the relationship between the two leads, becoming a beautiful and poignant portrait of a long-time marriage, which was as integral to Jordan’s journey as his desire to pay tribute to his fallen peers. To bring the characters of Bernie and Irene Jordan to the screen, two of the greatest actors in the history of English-language cinema were recruited, the incredible Sir Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson, who are both exceptional in the film. It’s quite bittersweet to see them in this film – not only is it a reunion for two of the finest actors in the medium for the first time in nearly fifty years, it is also the final performances for both of them. This was the last film Jackson made before her passing, only a few months later, and Caine has been adamant that this is his final performance as he eases into retirement after a lengthy career. Both of them may have been much older here than they were at their peaks, but neither one of them showed any signs of being anything less than as sharp and insightful as they were when they first entered the industry. Most of the attention this film received was as a swan song to these two terrific actors, and it is indeed quite a challenging experience to watch it, knowing this is their final work, but it is also one that holds great reverence for its stars, giving them such wonderful, complex characters to play. Caine is as lovable as ever, whereas Jackson is given the chance to be playful and eccentric, something that she seemed quite eager to do after decades in politics. They’re both terrific, and their chemistry is undeniable – and for all the faults we find throughout the film, their performances are nothing short of enchanting and filled with so much complexity and nuance.

Unfortunately, as charming and well-crafted as The Great Escaper may be, this is not a film that is immune to flaws, and it certainly has its fair share of shortcomings that don’t entirely derail the film, but do tend to limit it from reaching the greatness that was within its grasp. The biggest problem with this film is that it struggles to settle on a specific tone – it can’t resist veering towards that kind of delightfully irreverent, heartfelt humour that many gentle British biographical films in recent years have tended to exhibit, but it also is intent on showing the harsh, callous nature of being a veteran reflecting on the past. Parker is a competent director, but he does struggle to find the right balance between the tones, despite both being more than capable of existing together. There are also a few too many themes woven into the fabric of the film, and it doesn’t seem able to resolve each one of them by the end. It does ultimately redirect our attention towards the most important, but several narrative threads feel somewhat restricted from being given the attention they deserve. Mercifully, the emotions themselves are much less heavy-handed than we would expect – this is a film that is layered with sentimentality, but it never seems overwrought, and instead feels genuine for the most part. It is obvious that the film is making use of a lot of the expected emotions, but in a way that at least feels natural, rather than just toggling between the same fundamental set of overly sentimental prompts designed to evoke a particular reaction in the viewer. It’s a simple and effective film, and one that does relatively well to tell its story, even though it could have been much more work to iron out the tonal inconsistencies.

The Great Escaper falls squarely into the category of films that are pleasant but not entirely remarkable. There is an entire sub-genre of lighthearted dramas focused on older individuals who decide to take a major risk, despite being warned against it based on a variety of risks. This film fits perfectly with the many others that tackle similar subject matter or themes, and in this regard, it is not anything special. However, this doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth our time, especially if we fall into the target audience who finds these kinds of simple but effective true-life stories charming and compelling. If anything, this kind of generally pleasant, well-constructed drama has widespread appeal – its themes are universal, even if the subject matter is very specific to a particular culture and generation. It’s a heartfelt film with a lot of soul behind it, and even at its most inconsistent, we still find ourselves drawn into its very touching, good-natured approach to exploring the past. It’s not particularly daring, but it never strives to be – instead, it attempts to be a meaningful examination of the life and times of the main character, a man who took a risk and was appropriately celebrated for his efforts to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for their country. It may sometimes be quite heavily sentimental, but this is to be expected, and it proves to be something of a merit, since it constantly reminds us of the importance of the human component of such a story. Predictable but still very moving, and driven by only the best of intentions, The Great Escaper is a lovely film, and one that proves to be far more delightful in practice than we may have expected based on a cursory glance, which is always a wonderful surprise when it comes to this kind of simple but effective biographical drama.