PAPILLON Review – Charlie Hunnam’s Hiney Steals the Show
PAPILLON Review — A new but not so fresh take on an old classic
Taking on the roles of Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) and Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) play condemned criminals in the somber, slow-paced period-piece Papillion. (Papillion is the French word for butterfly, which becomes a symbol of freedom and hope to the man who takes it as his nickname.)
Technically, it’s not a remake—the story is based on the true memoirs of Henri Charrière, a safecracker from the Parisian underworld who was framed for murder and condemned to life in the notorious French Guiana penal colony on Devil’s Island in 1931. Determined to regain his freedom, Papi formed an alliance with a scrawny and idiosyncratic counterfeiter called Louis Dega, who in exchange for protection, agreed to finance the great escape.
Hunnam and Malek are able actors, but they’re forced to flail their way through a screenplay featuring dialogue that’s clunky at best. But they do elicit some sympathy amid the horrors of the isolated poky through that old standby: emoting. Hunnam succeeds in showing Papi’s uncanny grit and determination but this is not his best role (he was excellent in The Lost City of Z). The chemistry between the two actors—believable as besties—is strong and they take care not to overplay the sentimentality. Overall, Hunnam’s considerable physical charms (always on display) wind up stealing the show.
With the exception of a strong beginning illustrating Papi’s life before incarceration and thereby imbuing him with motives to escape and return, this simplified Papillion consists of little more than constant action and cartoonish violence. Even though there is always something going on, the film feels far too long at its over two-hour runtime. Once he makes his inevitable escape, you’ll feel like you’ve been freed too!
2 hours 13 minutes
Rated R
If this Papillon review interests you and you want to see the film, find times and tickets at Fandango.com.
PAPILLON Review — A new but not so fresh take on an old classic
If this Papillon review interests you and you want to see the film, find times and tickets at Fandango.com.
