Movie

Le Trou

1960 · 132 min

A patient, claustrophobic procedural that turns digging and waiting into almost unbearable suspense, ending on a quietly devastating note.

Tagline: Poor Gaspard...
Overview: Four prison inmates have been hatching a plan to literally dig out of jail when another prisoner, Claude Gaspard, is moved into their cell. They take a risk and share their plan with the newcomer. Over the course of three days, the prisoners and friends break through the concrete floor using a bed post and begin to make their way through the sewer system – yet their escape is anything but assured.

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How it feels

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Tone: tensestrength 3 of 3
bleakstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: loyalty
betrayal
isolation
survival
freedom
Places: prison
Era: period
Audience: adult
Form: single location
procedural
true story
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	4
Horror	2
Humour	1
Realism	9
Romance	1
Tension	9
Darkness	7
Complexity	6
Emotional weight	8

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Le Deuxième Souffle

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The Shawshank Redemption

1994

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The Great Escape

1963

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Le Cercle Rouge

1970

A cool, methodical crime film that builds quiet tension through sparse dialogue and meticulous detail, ending in inevitable tragedy.

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1969

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TV series

Prison Break

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Casque d'Or

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Movie

Pacto de Fuga

2020

A tense, slow-burning procedural that immerses you in the claustrophobic, high-stakes effort of a real prison break.

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Where to watch in the UK

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Studiocanal Presents Amazon Channel

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Details

Genres: drama, thriller, crime
Directed by: Jacques Becker
Written by: Jean Aurel, José Giovanni, Jacques Becker
Starring: Michel Constantin, Jean Keraudy, Philippe Leroy, Raymond Meunier, Marc Michel, Jean-Paul Coquelin, André Bervil, Eddy Rasimi
Music: Philippe Arthuys
Cinematography: Ghislain Cloquet
Runtime: 132 min
Country: France, Italy
Languages: French

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Le Trou

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