Family FavoritePG

Papillon

The greatest adventure of escape!

1973 • 151 min • Crime · Drama

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Synopsis

A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.

Our family guide

Best from age 14

Movie Knight Score

2158 reviews

100 Reviewers · 6 · 69%
78 Audience · 2152 · 31%

Based on a true story, this film follows Henri "Papillon" Charrière, a man wrongly convicted of murder, as he endures brutal French penal colonies and repeatedly attempts to escape his unjust imprisonment. His journey is one of resilience and unwavering determination to regain freedom.

Violence & peril: 6/10
Language: 2/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 3/10
Romance & sensuality: 1/10
Scary moments: 5/10

Heads up

Scenes of brutal prison life
Some graphic depictions of violence
Themes of injustice and desperation
Depicts historical colonial-solitary confinement and its effects

What it models well

Resilience in the face of adversity
Endurance and determination
Hope and the will to survive
Loyalty and friendship

Talk about it after

The justice system and wrongful convictions
The harsh realities of prison life
The value of friendship in hard times
What makes someone truly free?

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Papillon. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

Where to watch

Country

Free

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Top billed cast

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner • Crew: Lorenzo Semple Jr., Dalton Trumbo

Trailers & clips

Reviewer notes

Recommended
**A classic film with a remarkable story and great actors.** This is a work that almost everyone remembers if the theme is films about the prison environment.…
Filipe Manuel Neto, TMDB Community

Recommended
Steve McQueen is superb as unlucky safe-cracker Henri "Papillon" Charrière, an innocent man convicted of murder and sentenced to imprisonment in the French penal colony at French Guiana. Once there, he learns quickly to appreciate the sheer brutality of a prison where any semblance of decency and humanity has been long abandoned.…
CinemaSerf, TMDB Community

Recommended
_**The living hell of a penal colony in equatorial South America during the 30s**_ Henri Charrière’s account of his experiences from 1933-1945 involving the penal colony of Cayenne in French Guiana, South America, are chronicled, including solitary confinement, escape attempts, dwelling with Goajira Indians (in northeastern Columbia) and living on Devil's Island.…
Wuchak, TMDB Community

Recommended
Although present for much of the filming, author Henri Charriere didn't live to see the release of PAPILLON (1973), which was based on his allegedly autobiographical novel. The veracity of what he recounts has been questioned virtually since the books' release in 1969, and the film takes further liberties, leaving one to wonder if this adventure picture is more fiction than fact.…
adorablepanic, TMDB Community

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers
Grim and authentic telling of Henri "Papillon" Charrière's time at Devil's Island. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner (Planet Of The Apes/Patton), Papillon is adapted for the screen by Dalton Trumbo & Lorenzo Semple Jr. from notorious French felon Henri "Papillon" Charrière's own novel. It stars Steve McQueen (Papillon) & Dustin Hoffman (Louis Dega), is primarily shot in Jamaica & Spain with Fred J.…
John Chard, TMDB Community