Good premise - boxing behind enemy lines, but appallingly non-dramatic in emphasis at key moments. The moral dilemma of our Irish-named prize-fighter with an English accent was made a bit laughable by the unbelievable, good-cop, evil-cop, well spoken, Oxford-educated personality of our sadistic Nazi, camp-commandant. And. as for an Ending? Well lets just say they were low on resources to show anything realistically decent. One or two good points, however, such as the worrisome rawness of the British expeditionary force in contrast to the professionalism of hardened Germans, & the French "paysannes" who were well portrayed, both in manner, and with good props.
26 Reviews
How in god's name does this have an avg rating of 7?
ktmreardon31 December 2020
Not too bad....but pls
Imitatoooor13 January 2021
As a german citizen I cringed while hearing this guys talking in german. It was just terrible. Its not only how they were speaking but also what they said. No one would speak like that. That was really bad.
Did they actually get some advice from a german native? Guess not...
Btw: Sry for my poor english. ;)
Btw: Sry for my poor english. ;)
B movie
robmarissen-2802314 September 2020
Do not waste your time
sandino_owen11 October 2020
Average at best, poor at worst - not worth the time to watch.
mdkooter16 October 2020
I watched this movie open-minded (It supposedly had an 8 on IMDB, before the negative reviews came in). I was fairly disappointed straight from the beginning, mostly due to VERY illogical behavior from the main characters, rather average acting, terrible foreign languages (I speak German and I can't understand half the German lines lol), weird plot turns.
Right in the beginning the characters are faced with a situation where they can a) do nothing b) attack or c) find a creative solution. They script, almost like always, chooses the most boring option A rather than either the logical or the creative options. That makes the movie very boring to watch, without any surprises.
I was constantly hoping for some kind of interesting turn of events, but even when the options were presented the makers decided to take the greyest possible choice and return back to flatline. The movie essentiall is trying to portray ww2 by showing a horse and wagon, people in uniforms and 'old barns' - otherwise it's decidedly absent and the story is really just about a few guys who make dumb choices all the time.
Barely worth the watch despite that I'm heavily into ww2. Sorry, I'd have liked to like this!
Right in the beginning the characters are faced with a situation where they can a) do nothing b) attack or c) find a creative solution. They script, almost like always, chooses the most boring option A rather than either the logical or the creative options. That makes the movie very boring to watch, without any surprises.
I was constantly hoping for some kind of interesting turn of events, but even when the options were presented the makers decided to take the greyest possible choice and return back to flatline. The movie essentiall is trying to portray ww2 by showing a horse and wagon, people in uniforms and 'old barns' - otherwise it's decidedly absent and the story is really just about a few guys who make dumb choices all the time.
Barely worth the watch despite that I'm heavily into ww2. Sorry, I'd have liked to like this!
Wasn't going to review but decided aftet some negatives
suripat4 October 2020
This isn't an Academy winning movie but it is good. It has a nice script, definitely has good acting and good tension moments. The ending seems a bit precipitated but it is, overall, a good movie. Don't pay attention to the haters that have something against British movies, that's nonsense.
pure garbage
flackoxflacko26 November 2020
Embarrassing
grahammain5 October 2020
I want to be fair. It started out very well. Story was convincing and I was engaged up until the point that I wasn't. I started to notice how low budget it was and then I zoned out. I'd love to see this film being finished properly. Genuinely felt unfinished or hurried towards the end. Struggling to see why this gets such a high review. I sense this project lost focus somewhere.
See it, no regrets
FilmExec20169 August 2020
Fantastic to see quality British film making with restrictions on funds and time work.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, it was very well written and played on heart strings. The main plot line was well conceived with a fall guy allowing others to escape, however this journey has its twist and turns and it certainly has you second guessing.
The on screen chemistry between the main characters Danny and Billy was especially moving as you travel the journey through boy to men for both.
I would recommend anyone who has an interest in war films to rent this, you will not be disappointed.
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, it was very well written and played on heart strings. The main plot line was well conceived with a fall guy allowing others to escape, however this journey has its twist and turns and it certainly has you second guessing.
The on screen chemistry between the main characters Danny and Billy was especially moving as you travel the journey through boy to men for both.
I would recommend anyone who has an interest in war films to rent this, you will not be disappointed.
Low Budget, Low Quality, Low Entertainment
OzMovieWatcher4 August 2020
Danny Finnegan, (played by Sam Gittins), is an accomplished British boxer, finding himself retreating from the advancing Germans near Dunkirk. He is captured and a German SS Officer identifies him and pits him in the boxing ring against an equally talent German boxer. The POW's use the cover of the boxing ring to stage an escape.
Where do I start? This movie is so bad !! Low budget movies do not need to be so bad. While I think Sam Gittins played his role convincingly well, the other actors around him that gave poor performances were a major distraction. As a military historian and military gun collector, I spotted numerous flaws quickly in the first few minutes of the movie.
The story line was good, albeit that such events would not have actually happened in reality during the German advance on Dunkirk.
The uniforms? OMG... At least the British uniforms looked authentic. The German uniforms looked much more like they came from a costume store for dress up parties. Close ups on the German helmets were a dead give away as being plastic. The leading German SS Officer would never have worn such an unkempt uniform, His cap looked like he had sat on it.
I found the first 20 minutes or so into the start of the movie very slow and unconvincing. Putting the inaccuracies aside, the story began to flow and I was able to struggle through to the end of the movie.
The Germans soldiers speaking actual German language with very strong British accents in their speech was distracting. Obviously Englishmen speaking German, that they may have spoken for the first time while rehearsing their scripts.
Hand held cameras again !! H.H. cameras are good for dramatizing being jostled in a crowd or attempting to simulate the view of one of the characters, but this hand held camera being held very unsteady in what should have been fixed camera scenes made this movie look very amateur.
Gun fire from the incredibly loud British Enfield .303 in this movie gave out the same decibels and tone of a paintball gun at higher volume.
Audio track of gun fire and poor CGI were totally out of whack. And amazingly, none of the firearms in this movie gave any recoil at all!!.
Overall, not a bad story line and plot, as historically inaccurate as it is,; but the bad acting, inaccuracies, costumes, CGI and camera work left this movie severely wanting. This is a very low end B grade movie, if not hitting C grade. I would give it a 2.5 rating, but gave it a 3 as I could not go halfway between 2 and 3 on IMDB ratings.
Where do I start? This movie is so bad !! Low budget movies do not need to be so bad. While I think Sam Gittins played his role convincingly well, the other actors around him that gave poor performances were a major distraction. As a military historian and military gun collector, I spotted numerous flaws quickly in the first few minutes of the movie.
The story line was good, albeit that such events would not have actually happened in reality during the German advance on Dunkirk.
The uniforms? OMG... At least the British uniforms looked authentic. The German uniforms looked much more like they came from a costume store for dress up parties. Close ups on the German helmets were a dead give away as being plastic. The leading German SS Officer would never have worn such an unkempt uniform, His cap looked like he had sat on it.
I found the first 20 minutes or so into the start of the movie very slow and unconvincing. Putting the inaccuracies aside, the story began to flow and I was able to struggle through to the end of the movie.
The Germans soldiers speaking actual German language with very strong British accents in their speech was distracting. Obviously Englishmen speaking German, that they may have spoken for the first time while rehearsing their scripts.
Hand held cameras again !! H.H. cameras are good for dramatizing being jostled in a crowd or attempting to simulate the view of one of the characters, but this hand held camera being held very unsteady in what should have been fixed camera scenes made this movie look very amateur.
Gun fire from the incredibly loud British Enfield .303 in this movie gave out the same decibels and tone of a paintball gun at higher volume.
Audio track of gun fire and poor CGI were totally out of whack. And amazingly, none of the firearms in this movie gave any recoil at all!!.
Overall, not a bad story line and plot, as historically inaccurate as it is,; but the bad acting, inaccuracies, costumes, CGI and camera work left this movie severely wanting. This is a very low end B grade movie, if not hitting C grade. I would give it a 2.5 rating, but gave it a 3 as I could not go halfway between 2 and 3 on IMDB ratings.
Do not judge a book by its cover
alexpeix1 February 2021
Truly abysmal
malcolmgsw20 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Well I waited and waited to see the soldiers getting back to Dunkirk. Instead of which we get a truly woeful low budget script about a soldier being forced some German boxers. The escape is represented by a shot of the White Cliffs at the end. Why do they bother to turn out this sort of rubbish.
Dont wast your time
mauricio-tarelho23 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this movie thinking it was based on real events but not, this movie is a joke, lot of mistake and bad actors.
Pay attention to the scene where the lady finds the note... hilarious... could not be worse. Also, too many guards in the facility... sometimes one guard to deal with the priosioners... it looks like a B movie style
Magzoub
Berotola_5214 August 2020
Low budget movie
simontobiasstrand8 April 2021
Low-budget films don't HAVE to look like it - but this one does
madorosh22 March 2021
Others have mentioned the writing, acting and plot. I'll add my comments about the production values. The British troops are wearing post-war equipment, which most people wouldn't notice or care about. But why on earth wouldn't they get the actors to at least mime the recoil of the rifles when they're shooting? Combined with the poor sound effects, it looks like they are playing Airsoft and there is no willing suspension of disbelief on the part of the viewer. The German uniforms were a joke, SS men wearing the black party uniform, others wearing odd mixtures of Army insignia on their helmets. Ten seconds of research would have permitted them to correct that. The civilian costuming was equally unconvincing, looks like the costumer went to a thrift shop in hopes of finding something "old looking."
Too much of this just pulls you out of the story. Besides, the war movie sports scene has been done so much better so many times already - soccer in Boys in Company C, soccer again in Victory with Sly Stallone and Max von Sydow, football in the M*A*S*H feature film.
Too much of this just pulls you out of the story. Besides, the war movie sports scene has been done so much better so many times already - soccer in Boys in Company C, soccer again in Victory with Sly Stallone and Max von Sydow, football in the M*A*S*H feature film.
Biggest load of rubbish ever
outten912 July 2021
Not great but not awful
dannycrossman15 October 2022
Story is pretty decent but the ending is wraps up way too quick. Aside from the obvious bad uniforms and German accents, the set dressing could have been much better and the German HQ is also used in another Ben Mole film. As an indie filmmaker I understand how hard it is to make films on low budget but the producers in this film clearly had little military history advice on weapons, tactics, military culture and bearing (or maybe they did but it didn't show). The camera work is decent and lighting efficient. As others have mentioned the boxing scene punches are clearly not hitting each other which adds to the feeling of low budget. The two main a German officers are not very believable and the script a bit too cliche.
Horrendous
johnduncan-260062 July 2021
One of the worst movies I've ever wasted my time on. Ludicrous plot and so historically inaccurate that the film should be listed as a spoof. Oh and the 'combat' scenes, they use Denex replicas, no better than toys and uniforms that are best categorised as fancy dress.
The first few reviews are obviously fake.
johanSweHK27 May 2022
This movie is garbage.
I couldn't make if past the 15min mark.
There are some 10 point reviews but they are obviously fake, one can tell fairly easy when 3 reviews has the exact same phrase " great British film making" or something like that.
I couldn't make if past the 15min mark.
There are some 10 point reviews but they are obviously fake, one can tell fairly easy when 3 reviews has the exact same phrase " great British film making" or something like that.
not the best
jimbob25529 July 2022
Imagine escape to victory only replace football with boxing and then give it a budget of about 500 quid. This is basically the same story only filmed in someones old barn. Some decent acting but ore like a college project.
Great british film making
margaretpnichols15 August 2020
Really well written and well presented film, a great experience. You really feel like you connect with the character, Danny (played by Sam Gittins); and are charmed by the performance of Jennifer Martin as Chantelle. All the actors convey the intensity of the situation.Without giving anything away, the ending is quite a journey!
I would recommend giving this film a watch -- it's an excellent low-budget british film.
I would recommend giving this film a watch -- it's an excellent low-budget british film.
Fantastically Tense Classic
A_ConcernedCitizen9 August 2020
Ben Mole has created a striking vision with Behind the Line: Escape to Dunkirk. Fantastic casting and great tension throughout. The girl playing Chantalle was an absolute standout as the mysterious French farm girl (she broke my heart! would have liked to see more of her) and the brooding boxer Danny was on point (He must have trained for this role - incredibly good boxing technique). Other standouts were the Irish lad Archie and Danny's lovable sidekick Billy. I look forward to following this directors career and of course these actors. Big things to come I'm sure of it! 10/10
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
