Victory

Rating:
Summary: Simply Spectacular
Review: I didn't know about this movie, but I bought it based on the Amazon customers' positive reviews. This movie will NOT disappoint.

As you get closer and closer to the climax - a soccer match between a ragged bunch of POWs and an elite German national team - you already sense it's going to be something spectacular.

And then the match...the POWs down by 4 goals in front a now quiet and dejected crowd...it is at this point the movie truly lives up to its tagline..."now is the time for heroes"

Get ready for an emotional and stunning fight back.

Rating:
Summary: A Cult Classic
Review: I first watch this back in 82' when i was 8 years old. Have seen it every now and then on the telly, but i must say, it's a real classic. I don't understand Stallone's critics, i thought he had real chemistry with Michael Caine and must be one of the most underrated actors ever. And everytime i hear the fantastic soundtrack, and see the players coming out for the 2nd half, it never fails to bring back odd tear to the eye. Absolutely moving. A must see for all males and football fans.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: I remember the time when I watched this one of a kind movie in the pictures. Whole summer flew past as we play acted the whole thing over and over again with all my friends. If you like football (soccer) you have to have it just to keep and play it for your grandchildren.

Rating:
Summary: Just Great!!!!!!!
Review: It is just a great movie, it is my favorite one!!!! You guessed correctly, I am a real soccer fan.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie
Review: Just excellent for soccer fans!!!!! It is a little bit fantastic (you all know what I mean), but very very fun to watch. You will enjoy it very much. I think is a should have for socer fans!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: World's greatest WWII soccer picture.
Review: Okay... so it's the world's only WWII soccer picture. Still, I have to admit, I love this movie. I'm not the world's biggest soccer fan, but I love WWII films, and this one manages to be a very good WWII POW escape movie. It helps that it has some really fine actors, a gifted director, and a first rate musical score. Unfortunately, the crowd/escape scene at the end of the movie kind of dates the film. When you look closely at the people running around on the soccer field, trying to conceal the players and help their escape, you can see too many of them whose hairstyles and clothes mark them out as being from the late 70s/early 80s period, rather than the 1940s. Still, that's a minor quibble. What could have hurt the film far more is the rather implausible plot. But it's handled well enough by the script writer and director that you can easily manage to suspend disbelief, and sit back and enjoy the movie.

Oh, I must correct a misapprehension by a previous reviewer. Hatch, Sylvester Stallone's character, IS American, not Canadian. He's referred to a few times as a "Yank" by other POWs, and by Michael Caine (who tells him heatedly at one point not to play "that bloody American style" when he's trying to make the team. Stallone defensively says: "You play English I play American", which would be a strange thing for a Canadian to say. Von Steiner, played by the great Max von Sydow, twice refers to him as "the American". And when the senior British officer in the camp asks Hatch if he's American, he replies: "mm hmm, enlisted Canadian army '38, transferred commandos." So Hatch is an American, he's just one who, like the AVG and Eagle Squadron pilots, joined a foreign force because he wanted to get into the fight. I suppose it's no surprise that an American picture wouldn't be made without an American character to play the hero.

In any case, no matter whether the hero is American or not, this is a very enjoyable picture. Now if only they'd release a widescreen version.

Rating:
Summary: Athleticism!
Review: Soccer is an incredible sport! Sylvester Stallone is a goalie for the United States team and plays the Germany team. The ultimate soccer game in the history of mankind. Michael Caine leads a bunch of WWII soldiers and gathers the courage to be victorious! I was offended that they took Pele out of the game so fast. He was powerful! Of course, the movie is slow and builds up to the most striking soccer game of the universe! Stallone jumps in slow motion and hits his head on the ground. Painless to an immortal! Plenty of slow motion to capture the essence of soccer and the energy it takes to kick a ball into a goal! Stallone saves the day by blocking a shot and then a player kicks a ball up so he can nail it with his head to score a victory! What athleticism it took to deliver such an emotional display of sportsmanship! Sylvester Stallone can play any sport and kick tons of sternage!

Rating:
Summary: "Classico!"
Review: Some that comes out of the football soccer world, does not always display the best of mankind, but maybe that is because, the sport is so universal. This movie, puts forward (no pun intended) Football's best foot; and they don't make them like this very often. A feelgood movie in a manner, that some other Stallone movies are; namely Rocky.

I can't add, hardly anything to the excellent reviews I have read here, but feel, it does need to be mentioned, there exists a historical precedence for this movie; I am not totally knowledgeable of this myself, save that a Ukrainian team, with some of the nations top stars, defeated the German Luftwaffe team during World War II. Please search out this information for yourself; the fate of the Ukrainian team, was not fortunate however. In this vein, early in the movie, we see, Caine, requesting some Eastern Europeans to play for the All-Star team, who are currently prisoners under the Nazis, when that request is granted, we see, these prisoners, suffer from both malnutrition and poor treatment from their captors.

As for Stallone, hey, an Italian American, is going to probably know soccer-football, as if it were in his blood, like his countrymen, from Italy; so, knowing this, Stallone does fair enough, even as "the" Yank; it is in the Englishmen's blood, and we get inspired performances from Michael Caine and the others. Pele is magnificent, a pleasure to watch. One German officer, a former top player for his country demonstrates some un-Nazi-like good sportsmanship in all this; and in fact, is the one who grants, the Eastern European players, I mention above, to be granted status in regards to playing for the Allied All-Star game.

Just a re-edit note, I do need to rewatch this film, noting one reviewer, cites Stallone plays a Canadian in this movie and thus, fights by the side of the English in battle. It would be nice to ascertain this fact, but to the movie overall, I don't think, it affects this review. Canada having a rich soccer history, with appearances in the World Cup, this would be a curious point.

Rating:
Summary: A good Stallone movie.
Review: Sure a good Stallone movie sounds like an oxymoron, but the storyline keeps you in your seat. The glory of competition is not captured as well in any other sports movie. This is a must see for any soccer (football) fan. Victory: Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, Pele', and scores of international players before the sport went mainstream.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Film Ever ! 6 stars !
Review: The Greatest Film Ever ! 6 stars !