Henri 'Papillon' Charriere is a safecracker unfairly convicted of murder in 1930s France. He is sent to the infamous French penal colony - Devil's Island. He makes the acquaintance of fellow convict Louis Dega, who hires him as a bodyguard, but they eventually become friends. A sadistic screw attacks Dega and Papillon defends him. He thus gets thrown in solitary where Dega smuggles him food. Papillon is caught with the contraband food but refuses to implicate Dega. Papillon is then deprived of food by the screws. He is driven to eat insects and he spends two years in solitary where the screws torture hum. When he is released, Papillon and Dega plan their escape. Andre Maturette, a gay orderly, insists on escaping with them. They bribe a guard into giving them a boat but when they escape, Dega breaks his ankle and the boat is not sea worthy. Furthermore, there are bounty hunters waiting for them. It seems the prison sets up prisoners like this quite a lot. After a trapper kills the bounty hunters he refers the escapees to a leper colony where they get a boat and supplies. When they arrive at the main land, soldiers open fire and shoot Maturette and capture him along with the injured Dega. Papillon seeks refuge with a native tribe for a while but eventually they move on and leave him. He further seeks refuge in a nunnery but they turn him over to the police. Papillon spends five years in solitary but he is then reunited with Dega and the pair have the last laugh at the prison. The film boasts excellent performances from Steve McQueen as Papillon and Dustin Hoffman as Dega. The movie could be a contender for McQueen's best ever performance and Hoffman gives his customary amazing portrayal of a complex character. McQueen has to endure a lot of torture and suffering in the movie and he is convincing in his agony and despair in a very demanding role. The score to the film is very good and the movie is well paced. Those looking for a lot of prison based mayhem may be disappointed by the film's pace but it is realistic in showing the viewer the repetition and boredom of prison life. You will never forget the scene at the end in which Papillon urges Dega to jump off the cliff with him. We have the final satisfaction of Papillon triumphing over the prison which is a tribute to his indomitable character.
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
