Escape to Victory

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Huston directs. Gerry Fisher behind the camera. Bill Conti scores. Roberto Silvi cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Italy, United Kingdom, United States of America, Hungary. Dialogue in English, German, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 145 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
• 2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, German, French.
• 3International production across 4 countries: Italy, United Kingdom, United States of America, Hungary.
• 4Directed by John Huston, shot by Gerry Fisher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 5Original score by Bill Conti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 6Editor Roberto Silvi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 7Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine and Max von Sydow carry the top of the cast.
• 8Marketing tagline: "Now is the time for heroes.".
• 9IMDB entry: tt0083284 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 10Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography

Gerry Fisher

Original score

Bill Conti

Editing

Roberto Silvi

Production design

J. Dennis Washington

Makeup / hair

Tony Lloyd

Runtime

116 min · 1h 56m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$10,000,000

Box office

$27,453,418

Return

275% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

PG-13

IMDB

Escape to Victory (1981) ↗

Also by

John Huston

• 
  The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

  1948 · ★ 8.0
• 
  The Maltese Falcon

  1941 · ★ 7.7
• 
  The Asphalt Jungle

  1950 · ★ 7.5
• 
  Independence

  1976 · ★ 7.5
• 
  Key Largo

  1948 · ★ 7.5
• 
  The Man Who Would Be King

  1975 · ★ 7.5

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Victory (1981) - Trailer HD 1080p

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• John Chard2015-12-27
  ★ 7.5/10

  Arguably one of the most unfairly derided boys own movies out there. World War II and the Nazi officers have come up with a propaganda driven idea for the German national football team to play a team composed of Allied Prisoners of War. Led by Capt. John Colby (Michael Caine) the prisoners agree, but there's more than just propaganda at stake here. Directed by John Huston in the twilight of his career, Escape To Victory, in spite of it being a perennial Bank Holiday staple viewing in the UK, is a film that's often used as a kicking post by stuffy critics. It's hard to understand why such a fun and harmless piece can cause such derision in cinematic circles. It can't be expectation because when you read the plot and see that Sylvester Stallone is playing as the goalkeeper, and that a tubby 48 year old Caine is the captain of this soccer team, well surely you know this film isn't all about about cranial depth encompassing the propaganda machinations of the Nazi regime. Using real footballers (notably Pelé, Bobby Moore and Osvaldo Ardilies) is what makes Escape To Victory work as entertainment for so many people in the UK. Huston, much like Stallone, hadn't got a clue how to make a football based movie. In stepped the footballers to choreograph the films football sequences - sequences that give the film some truly memorable moments (Pelé overhead kick, Ardiles rainbow flick, and erm, a Stallone penalty save). They couldn't act for toffee, none of them, but that's where Caine comes in. Guiding them through their scenes, Caine was highly thought of on the set by the players, a sort of father figure by all accounts, and not just on the set, but in the bar as well. Stallone excepted (he was off doing his own thing most of the time), it was a happy shoot, and this shines bright in the movie, with the non actors growing in confidence as the movie progresses. So while the film ultimately deals in escapist fun, it's not without moments of poignancy too. A sacrificial break for the war effort induces winces across the board, whilst the arrival of the Eastern Block players from the work camps demands our utmost heartfelt thoughts. So is Escape To Victory a great film? No, of course not. But it is a darn good one. A film that's easy to lose oneself in during the holiday periods. With Caine flicking the eff off Vs, Max Von Sydow being classy as usual and some legendary footballers strutting their stuff, what's not to enjoy? Really? 7.5/10

  Read full review ↓
• RottenPop2026-06-26
  ★ 6/10

  With World Cup fever in full swing, it feels like the perfect time to revisit a film we reviewed a few years ago: Escape to Victory. Set during World War II and loosely inspired by true events, this classic football film follows a group of Allied prisoners of war drafted by the Nazis into a high-stakes match against the German national team. Directed by the legendary John Huston and penned by the team of Evan Jones and Yabo Yablonsky, the film boasts a top-tier cast featuring Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Max von Sydow, Pelé, Carole Laure, and Bobby Moore. Huston really put together a perfectly crafted picture here. The story pulls you right in, and honestly, it keeps you glued to the screen from start to finish, even all these years later. Max von Sydow is an absolutely sinister villain you can’t help but love to hate. Michael Caine is terrific as always, shining as the moral compass of the group and going toe-to-toe with von Sydow. Then there is Stallone. He is definitely an interesting casting choice for this one, but he’s great on--screen and showcases his natural charm. Behind the scenes he was a bit of a twat but that’s to be expected. And actual football star Pelé turned in a solid debut performance that made me almost jump out of my seat cheering. At its core, this is a triumphant war film that echoes classics like The Great Escape or The Eagle Has Landed, just with soccer driving the plot. But even with all of that going for it, the picture definitely has its issues. While it is inspired by real events, the story we see on screen is a complete Hollywood fabrication that only features a fraction of the truth. The actual history is incredibly grim, ending in death and imprisonment rather than a clean escape. You can also feel the movie struggling to figure out its own identity. Is it a feel-good patriotic sports flick, or a gritty, hard-hitting prisoner of war story? Still, when you take all of that into account, it remains a really solid and entertaining sports movie that earns a very easy three stars.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• VI

  Victory Company

• NE

  New Gold Entertainment

  IT

• LO

  Lorimar Motion Pictures

  US

Key crew

• EditorRoberto Silvi
• Stunt DoubleMenyhért René Balog-Dutombé
• StuntsGábor Piroch
• Special EffectsCandy Flanagin
• First Assistant DirectorElie Cohn
• Makeup ArtistTony Lloyd
• StuntsZoltán Gulyás Kiss
• Makeup ArtistMichael Westmore
• Executive ProducerGordon McLendon
• StuntsSándor Boros
• Supervising Sound EditorLeslie Hodgson
• CastingRose Tobias Shaw
• Special Effects Makeup ArtistAllan A. Apone
• Associate ProducerAnnie Fargue
• Assistant CameraMike Rutter
• Camera OperatorKenneth J. Withers
• Co-ProducerMario Kassar
• ProducerFreddie Fields
• Set DecorationSydney Ann Smith-Kee
• Production DesignJ. Dennis Washington

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• nazi
• escape
• sports
• world war ii
• football (soccer)

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1981-07-30PG-13

Also known as

International titles

• Menekülés a győzelembeHU
• فرار به سوی پیروزیIR
• Η Μεγάλη Απόδραση Των 11GR
• VictoryUS
• Návrat k vítězstvíCZ
• 승리의 탈출KR
• Escape a la victoriaMX
• Escape a la victoriaES
• À nous la victoireFR
• Flucht oder SiegDE
• Flykt till segerSE
• O filme do PeléBR