Film

The One That Got Away

Name: The One That Got Away
Genre: War, Drama
Released: 1957
Cast: Hardy Krüger, Colin Gordon, Michael Goodliffe, Terence Alexander, Jack Gwillim

A taut 1957 war drama following Franz von Werra, a German fighter pilot and the only Axis POW to escape a British camp and return home. It's a cat-and-mouse game of ingenuity against bureaucracy, told with dry British reserve and genuine suspense. For anyone who enjoys escape narratives that sidestep propaganda to ask what makes a man tick.

TMDb rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like quiet, cat-and-mouse psychological duels in which a prisoner's composure and a set of interrogators' patience are the real battlefield, and you're happy for the action to stay offstage.

Skip it if you want wartime films driven by set-piece combat or rousing spectacle; this one is mostly rooms, questions and silences, and its 111 minutes can feel long if the talk doesn't grip you.

What it asks of you: It asks for patience and close attention to faces and small verbal tells, with a steady, unhurried rhythm, and it rewards you more for listening than for waiting on big moments.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Great Escape1963

The gold standard of POW escape films. Ensemble cast, meticulous planning, genuine stakes, and enough heart to make you root for everyone involved. Infinitely rewatchable.

But At 172 minutes it demands patience, and the Hollywood gloss sits differently with modern audiences than the grittier 1957 approach.

Stalag 171953

A cynical, beautifully structured drama about suspicion and survival in a German POW camp. William Holden is extraordinary, and it moves like a thriller without losing the human weight.

But The tone is darker and more claustrophobic than most wartime dramas—there's less rousing heroism, more moral ambiguity.

The Colditz Story1955

Another British POW escape film from the same era, equally grounded and inventive. It shares The One That Got Away's understated style and genuine sense of place.

But Less star power and lower production values than later escape films; the pacing is slower by modern standards.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The One That Got Away

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Conversations with Friends2022

Both centre on protagonists who survive through persuasion and performance rather than force; both ask whether that's admirable or corrosive.

A miniseries about two people navigating deception, trust, and the stories we tell ourselves. Like von Werra, it's fundamentally about someone charming their way through circumstances, and about what happens when the mask slips.

But It's a contemporary Irish romance drama with explicit sex and no explosions. If you want escape narratives, not psychological intrigue, this will frustrate you.

The Bridge on the River Kwai1957

Released the same year, equally obsessed with duty, compromise, and the thin line between survival and collaboration. Lean's direction is flawless and the moral questions linger.

But The second half pivots toward action; if you want human drama throughout, it becomes something else entirely.

King Rat1965

A survival drama set in a Japanese POW camp that interrogates loyalty and the price of getting by. George Segal delivers a morally compromised protagonist you won't forget.

But It's bleak and refuses easy answers. Some viewers find the protagonist too unsympathetic to follow for two hours.

Danger UXB1979

A British TV series about bomb disposal during the Blitz. Same era, same cool-headed courage under pressure, immaculately researched and genuinely nail-biting.

But It's a television production from 1979, which shows in pacing and visual style. Also entirely British, which narrows the appeal.

The Password Is Courage1962

Dirk Bogarde in another escape film, this one about a British soldier in German camps. Lighter in tone than The One That Got Away but equally clever and quick-moving.

But The lighter tone undercuts some of the psychological depth; it sometimes feels like a romp rather than a drama.

Von Ryan's Express1965

Frank Sinatra leading Allied POWs on a train escape from Italy. Propulsive, clever, and a different flavour of escape narrative—more action, more spectacle.

But The genre trappings overtake character work; it's more adventure film than drama, which some will find shallow.

The McKenzie Break1970

A lesser-known escape film that earns its reputation. Taut, intelligent, with Brian Keith and Helmut Griem both excellent. Genuinely suspenseful.

But It's obscure for a reason—slighter and less resonant than the best in the genre. Feels dated in ways that matter.

Colditz1972

Same historical setting and milieu but a different medium allows deeper character study; it asks the same question about honour and survival over more time.

The British television series (not the film) spreads the POW camp across multiple episodes with richer character work and more time for schemes to breathe. Feels authentically claustrophobic and clever.

But It's a 1970s British TV series with the pacing that entails. The serialised format means slower payoffs than a two-hour film.

A Prophet2009

Both are stories of men using their wits and charisma to escape circumstances more powerful than themselves; both are fundamentally about the cost of winning through cunning rather than morality.

Tahar Rahim in a French prison drama where a young man builds power through intelligence and alliance rather than force. Utterly gripping, morally complex, and a masterclass in tension. Nothing like a war film but structurally identical.

But It's brutal and bleak; the world inside the prison offers no heroes. The subject matter (gang violence, sexual assault) is harder than wartime drama, and the ending offers no resolution, only survival.