Von Ryan's Express

From the Editors

When U.S. combat pilot Col. Joseph Ryan (Frank Sinatra) is captured by Nazis, he does what it takes to survive prison camp, including, by all appearances, befriend the enemy. Hence, his prison mates give Ryan the insulting nickname ?Von Ryan.? But in time, Ryan takes over from the commanding British officer (Trevor Howard) and masterminds commandeering a train to Switzerland ? with the Nazis in hot pursuit. It?s all blazing action, hair-raising chases and spectacular Italian scenery in this Oscar® nominated* adventure that will blast you full speed ahead until its nail-biting finale!
Description

Customer Response

Mr Sinatra's best WWII film
I feel nothing compares to a great story that has been done well and this is one of those examples. Yes I may be a huge Sinatra fan but seeing is believing when I speak of great performances. Sure some of the air war sequences were a little cheezey but special effects have come a long way since this movie was created.

To finalize if you love WWII films this has to be one of your collection. I feel confident in saying this is one of my top ten picks of that era. Right up there with "The Great Escape" and "The Train".

Von Ryan's Express
Von Ryan's Express is a classical world war two movie.It stars Frank Sinatra.This happens to be one of my favorites.Which focuses on the support given by the Italians to the Germans.Its one of the few that does this.You will not be disappointed with this classic.I would choose this one if you like Frank or just wish to see some really cool trains..

Skippin' video
It appears that the DVD is damaged since it locks up and/or skips portions of the movie in several places. I put my DVDs in jewel cases and I threw away the DVD case; if I hadn't, I would have returned this product.

Suitable for Children?
Synopsis
Colonel Ryan (Frank Sinatra) leads a daring escape attempt across Italy. His men hate him, he faces constant opposition from a British Major (Trevor Howard), and from the German soldiers that are only a few steps behind him. This thrilling chase film is an exciting cross of The Great Escape and The Train.

Sexual Content
Early on in the film, Ryan orders his soldiers to undress and burn their uniforms so that they will receive the new ones promised them by an Italian officer (we see a far out view from behind, and a few close-ups from the front above the waist). Later, when Ryan captures the train, it is discovered that a German officer's mistress is on board. We see her in a slightly low-cut nightgown. Later, she tries to seduce Ryan (mild, and children probably won't notice this). He resists and leaves her angered.
Violence
Many shootings and explosions. Some blood is visible in the aftermath, but none during the actual scenes. Several German soldiers are strangled (mild) and a few POW's are seen caught on fire (also mild). Several main characters are killed and (SPOILER WARNING) a woman is shot in the back to prevent her from escaping.
Language
Scattered D-words, H-words, and a few B-words. Surprising for the time, but mild by today's standards.
Morales
Characters drink, smoke, and curse. Killing innocent people is suggested in order to save the POW's escape attempt. A main character shoots a woman in the back. One of the main characters is a Catholic priest. He is shown in a positive light, and not to be a fake, however the other characters often make jokes as his expense.
Conclusion
Moderately exciting war film that falls short of The Great Escape, but is still far superior to most films of the genre. Frank Sinatra gives a decent performance, but it is hard to picture the middle-aged actor as a "hot-shot flyboy". The real excitement comes from the film's final action scene with planes chasing the train through mountain passes, in a scene that loses little in terms of modern special effects. The ending is slightly surprising and fairly downbeat, but overall this is a good film for fans of old war movies. Depends on your family whether the kids get to see it or not.

Von Ryan's Express
I believe that this movie is one of the best screen performances Frank Sinatra has ever given, the screen play is also excellent, this movie has been under rated in my opinion as many of Sinatra's movies are. It's a good action flick with very good performances, Trevor Howard is also a very good actor.

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