Quentin Tarantino has described John Sturges’s 1963 film The Great Escape as his favourite war film and “one of the most entertaining movies ever made”, saying it influenced his aim for Inglourious Basterds. The article notes that the film is now available to stream free on Pluto TV, highlighting its lasting appeal as an accessible, suspenseful Second World War classic.

The Great Escape dramatises the mass breakout of prisoners from a German POW camp, adapting a real event while adding fictional and Americanised elements, most notably Steve McQueen’s Captain Virgil Hilts and his motorcycle stunts. Despite its near three-hour running time, the film is praised for its pace, grimness and attention to operational detail; its ensemble also includes James Coburn, Charles Bronson and Donald Pleasence. The prisoners’ plan centres on three tunnels, named “Tom”, “Dick” and “Harry”, intended to provide alternatives if one is discovered.