
Papillon
Seen it?1973 | 151 min | Crime, Drama
Why it’s a Saturday Special
People are still talking about it, audiences rate it highly (7.8 out of 10) and it made about 4 times its budget. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime-drama fans. If you loved The Shawshank Redemption or Cool Hand Luke, start here.
- The mood
- Dark and gritty.
- The pace
- Unhurried and epic, at 2 hr 31 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
- It's long: 2 hr 31 min.
- Made in 1973: an older pace and style.
A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsSolid
72% on Rotten Tomatoes, 58 on Metacritic
- AudiencesStrong
7.8 out of 10
- AwardsBelow par
Nominated for 1 Oscar.
- Box office & staying powerStrong
$53 million worldwide on a $12 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactVery strong
About 334K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
More like this
The Shawshank RedemptionFriday Night FlickAnother critically acclaimed prison crime drama.
Cool Hand LukeFriday Night FlickAnother critically acclaimed prison crime drama.
The Green MileFriday Night FlickAnother much-loved prison crime drama.
Midnight ExpressFriday Night FlickAnother prison crime drama, and a Friday Night Flick.
BronsonSaturday SpecialAnother prison crime drama, and a Saturday Special.
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Cast & crew
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
- Steve McQueenHenri "Papillon" Charriere
- Dustin HoffmanLouis Dega
- Victor JoryIndian Chief
- Don GordonJulot
- Anthony ZerbeToussaint
- Robert DemanMaturette
- Woodrow ParfreyClusiot
- Bill MumyLariot
- George CoulourisDr. Chatal
- Ratna AssanZoraima