The Hole Movie Review

The Hole [Le Trou] (1960)

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Written by: José Giovanni (Novel), Jacques Becker and José Giovanni and Jean Aurel (Adaptation), Jacques Becker and José Giovanni (Dialogue)
Directed by: Jacques Becker
Starring: Bervil André , Jean Keraudy , Michel Constantin
Rated: --

Plot
Four prison inmates planning an escape must include their newest cell mate in the plan if they are going to succeed.

Verdict
What an amazing prison break movie. The focus is on the method and it does a great job of putting you in the prisoners' mindsets, you get a feel for the patience and dedication demanded for such a task. You rejoice in each little victory, excitement building as they approach the goal. The directing was excellent and the ending is great. While it could be alleged that it's slow, it's that same pace that makes the escape visceral. Escape is a game of inches, one day at a time.
Watch it.

Review
The warden shows leniency with Claude Gaspard, commuting the punishment for having a lighter in prison. Claude is assigned to a room that already has four men. the men are quite jovial for convicts, sharing food with Claude.

When Claude leaves the room the men wonder if they should tell him about their plan. What does Claude have to risk? It turns out Claude is imprisoned for attempted first degree murder. The victim is his wife and it's likely he'll get twenty years of hard labor. The men fill Claude in on their plan to escape and he joins in.

The men are uncertain about Claude, but they have no choice if the plan is to succeed. Their resourcefulness is clever, making tools out of common objects and finding ways to hide them. They dig through the floor of their cell with a steel bed post during the day, hoping that the noisy cell block will conceal the hammering

Throughout, the plan is on the brink of being discovered. It's a risk, but accepted due to their long sentences. Though it's never revealed, I wondered how long Roland had planned this. He leads them through every step, and the planning could have been years. This is based on a true story, with the original escapees serving as technical advisers.

Le Trou - Definitive prison break movie.

This movie excels due to its simplicity. Our focus, like the prisoners, is escaping. That's what this movie is about. Nothing else matters. If this movie were remade today, backstory and drama would be shoehorned into the plot, diminishing the actual escape. By focusing on the method of escape and the small gains made each day, it puts you in the prisoners' minds. Any attempt to expand the plot, would dilute it. You can argue the movie is slow, and it is to a degree, but what makes it slow also makes it very real. It walks you through this escape one small step at a time. That helps you understand the patience they had as they dug through the floor and then the sewer. Each strike could be the one that alerts the guards. They navigate tunnels and locked doors until finally one of them lifts a manhole cover and is outside of the prison. Will he run off immediately or continue to patiently wait until they can all escape?

The movie is well directed, with every shot putting you in the minds of the prisoners. While these guys are in prison or a long time, we never learn what they may have done. We enjoy their successes as they get closer to escaping. When Claude's wife withdraws the charges, he is no longer facing twenty years.

The warden informs Claude of the good news, but when Claude returns the men are suspicious. Why did the warden talk to him for so long? Could this jeopardize their plan? They have no choice but to proceed.

This prison allowed the men to dress in street clothes. I'm guessing after this escape attempt, that rule changed to uniforms.

I rooted for the escape for two hours. These guys didn't seem bad, though admittedly I don't know them. I was invested. I thought for sure they would escape. This anticipation led to a great ending.