The Great Escaper

A film that is quite emotional as a D-Day veteran 'escapes' the confines (not in a jailbreak sense) of his care home to attend the 70th anniversary in France, causing a media frenzy in the process!

Michael Caine and the late Glenda Jackson give wonderful performances as the elderly couple in the care home, Caine playing Bernie the veteran in question and Jackson, Rene his devoted wife who covers up for him as much as possible and encourages him to follow his destiny.

I am used to seeing the two actors in their pomp in sixties and seventies films so this is quite a change.

Look out for good supporting performances from the care home staff and fellow D-Day veterans some with their own demons.

The film uses brief flashback timelines to show the horrors of the D-Day events in the Second World War. However the film is not all excising demons and dwelling on past stressful events. There is plenty of humour as Bernie (Caine) makes the trip and meets up with fellow vets both Allied and German.