This is the moving and nuanced true story of 90-year-old Bernard Jordan (Michael Caine), who in 2014 slipped away from his British retirement facility to attend the 70th anniversary ceremonies of the D-Day landings in France. (The “escaper” of the title is the film’s sole overstep. It was hardly an asylum.)
On his way he meets with a variety of fellow veterans, each of course with a story. His interaction with a group of Germans there for the same reason is particularly enlightening. An added reason for catching this one is the final performance of Glenda Jackson, still bringing the fire at 87. She died in 2023.
Now, there are some people among the multiplex crowd for whom this plain and melancholy film about some old people may be too slow. Irrelevant even. I can’t express how sad this makes me. This is one of those films that, if you can summon the patience, will make you a better person.
Note: this reviewer happened to be driving through Normandy a week or so before the events of this film. A Welshman on the car ferry from England told me over a glass of wine to visit the cemeteries at Omaha Beach. “You’ll cry,” he said. I doubted this, as filmmakers are constantly trying with little success to move this crusty critic. I think it was while reading fourth or fifth eulogy of these citizen soldiers that the tears came. (96 min)
