Le Trou

Le Trou

What makes Le Trou stand out is the emphasis on realism compared to other prison break movies I've seen. The film is based on an actual prison escape attempt at Paris' La Santé Prison in 1947. Most of the film focuses on the methodical procedures of a prison break. The camera is fixated on the characters digging holes with their makeshift tools, but it actually feels hypnotic and somehow not boring. There's also a lot of ingenuity in their escape plan. They use a makeshift periscope to observe the guards and a makeshift hourglass to track time. You can't help but admire the thought put into their escape plans. Le Trou happens to be Jacques Becker's final film as he died just a few weeks after filming was completed. The film also employs non-actors in its cast, with one in particular (Jean Keraudy) being involved in the actual prison break.

Despite the film's hypnotic quality, the one thing that bothered me was the lack of human drama. It was shaping up to be a prison break movie where not much happens. But then in the last 15 minutes, the film pulls the rug out from under you. I don't want to spoil the specifics, but it's one of the most effective subversions I've seen in a prison break movie. This took Le Trou from a good to a great film.

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