Von Ryan's Express

Italy, 1943. The American colonel Joseph Ryan is shot down and taken to an Italian prison camp. The British prisoners turn against him at once: in the name of discipline Ryan cooperates with the Italian commandant and wrecks their escape plans. They call him Von Ryan. When Italy surrenders the camp empties, the Germans load the prisoners onto a train for Germany, and Ryan proposes taking the train. The second half happens entirely on that train: German uniforms, telephone lines, the rails running to the Swiss border. What works is that nobody likes Ryan and Ryan has never wanted to be liked. Mark Robson directed. Frank Sinatra plays Ryan and Trevor Howard plays the British major Fincham. The ending was changed at Sinatra's insistence. In the source novel Ryan survives and reaches Switzerland; in the film he is shot down on the tracks. Sinatra wanted that ending to rule out any sequel, which killed the series Twentieth Century-Fox had been considering. Who it is for: anyone who likes Second World War escape films and action on a train. Who it is not for: anyone looking for plausibility. The plan depends on luck repeatedly, the Germans are drawn flat, and the first half hour in the camp is slow going.