Overview
An American soldier must rally his fellow prisoners to escape the horrors of war.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- suspenseful
- kinetic
- adventurous
- classic war film night
- action adventure marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a sharply directed, well-cast, and exciting Second World War escape adventure with strong Italian locations and action set-pieces.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The prisoners' escape develops into an audacious attempt to commandeer a train and reach safety through Italy.
American Colonel Ryan must win the support of mainly British prisoners while clashing with Major Fincham.
The film progresses from a POW camp escape to German pursuit and a climactic train dash across Italy.
Critics specifically praised the use of the actual Italian setting alongside hard-hitting action direction.
Films like Von Ryan's Express, and why
The Great Escape
shared world war ii setting, prisoner escape premise, military leadership conflict, and tense action-adventure momentum
Stalag 17
shared world war ii prison escape structure, ensemble soldiers, and escalating suspense
The Train
shared wartime train operation, military peril, and propulsive action-thriller staging
Escape to Athena
shared world war ii adventure tone, divided military loyalties, and dangerous escape across occupied territory
Movie Details
- Director
- Mark Robson
- Release Date
- 1965-06-23
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (254)
Cast
- Frank Sinatra
- Trevor Howard
- Raffaella Carrà
- Brad Dexter
- Sergio Fantoni
- John Leyton
- Edward Mulhare
- Wolfgang Preiss
- James Brolin
- John van Dreelen
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Von Ryan's Express about?
- An American colonel must unite hostile British POWs and lead a daring train escape through German-controlled Italy.
- What is Von Ryan's Express like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Von Ryan's Express as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Von Ryan's Express violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Von Ryan's Express as moderate.
- What did critics think of Von Ryan's Express?
- Critics broadly regard it as a sharply directed, well-cast, and exciting Second World War escape adventure with strong Italian locations and action set-pieces.
- Which films are like Von Ryan's Express?
- Films with a similar feel include The Great Escape, Stalag 17, The Train, and Escape to Athena.
- How long is Von Ryan's Express?
- Von Ryan's Express runs 117 minutes.
- Where can I watch Von Ryan's Express?
- In United States, Von Ryan's Express streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
