Le Trou (1964)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Lack of good storyline.

Just perfect...

Good concept, poorly executed.

This film is absolutely exceptional, from all points of view: story, actors, director, cinematography, everything. If you like movies with action in prisons, this is the best of all. And the most realistic (the script is inspired by a true story). Although static, because all the action is taking place in a prison cell, the film has great tension and is watching with the soul to the mouth. Michel Constantin and Philippe Leroy in their best roles. Great, great film!

Le Trou (The hole)by french director Jacques Becquer is a masterpiece like few others. Becquer is one of those guys who has the ability to tell you a story and make you feel part of it. That alone is far from being considered a "spark of genius" but it undoubtedly helps pave the way for a film such as Le Trou, a classic of the genre.It's the story of a group of inmates which are planning the escape of the prison. One day, a new one arrives and quickly is drawn into the plan. From that point on, this slow-paced film shows us the life in prison, quite different from what you'd expect after binging on American TV shows for years, and the psychological dimension of the life in prison. Every single detail of their plan is paid attention to. Rightly so because with every step forward they get closer and closer to the world outside the barred windows while, at the same time, keeps us interested in the film as it seems there's always something going on.Towards the end of the movie there's a couple of scenes that after so much build up make the plot "explode" but I won't be spoiling them here. I highly recommend you watch the film. You won't regret it.

How could anyone sit and watch a movie at the edge of their seats for the whole running time of the movie without the slightest clue as to what might happen next and flicking few beads of sweat after tense scenes? Well, i just did.This movie is by far the most thrilling movie i've ever seen. The plot is simple- four men plan to escape from a prison. How they execute their plan is what enthralled me. They are lead by Roland, an expert in forging keys, digging burrows, listen to the unheard, and is the chief planner of the escape route having through knowledge of the map of the prison. They safely conceal the burrow they dig under their room with stacks of cardboard and with every passing day they explore the unexplored routes through the uninhabited regions of the prison and all the men share the workload equally. The final frontier between emancipation and incarceration is a concrete wall that would lead them to the sewer which goes a couple of lanes past the prison. The dig an alternate route which is 10-foot long and after days of strenuous work they finally breach it. When they feel the next night is the opportune time to break-free, they are caught on time by a cordon of cops and are sent to solitary cells thanks to the information drawn from their new inmate Claude, who takes the bait laid by the Warden and blots out the clandestine plan of his new roommates.A movie that deserves the appreciation of all the movie critics and cinephiles in the world.

"Le Trou" begins with a new cell mate being moved to a new cell in the prison. Apparently they were doing some work in his cell and he and his cell mates were all split up and moved to new quarters. However, the guys already occupying the room have a secret--they've got a reasonably complicated escape plan. At first, they are apprehensive to let him in on the deal but soon realize that they are stuck with him and cannot proceed unless he, too, is part of their plan. The rest of the film consists of a meticulous and slow depiction of their tunnel. If you like heist films that show long and detailed plots, then this one is for you.Is this 'the greatest French film'? Probably not. But I could certainly see why Jean Pierre Melville would adore this movie, as its style is so close to his I might have believed he directed it--had I not known that it was actually directed by Jacques Becker. Like so many Melville films, this one excels in the realism department. And, like Melville, it's about crooks--and the film really focuses on them almost at the exclusion of all else. Now this sort of film does have one inherent problem--if you want to see a film where you can like the characters, then you'll have a hard time with this one. That's because the protagonists are all guys doing time in prison--so they are not exactly angels! As for me, I respected the film more than I liked the film. Simply put, I have seen several other prison films I have enjoyed more. Still, it's well worth seeing---particularly if you like French films, neo-realism (as the actors were real people--including some of the guys involved in the REAL escape about which this film is made) or prison flicks, then you'll most likely enjoy this film.