In World War II, a group of Nazi officers come up with a propaganda event in which an all star Nazi team will play a team composed of Allied Prisoners of War in a Soccer (Football) game. The Prisoners agree, planning on us... more »ing the game as a means of escape from the camp.« less
Sharon F. (Shar) from AVON PARK, FL Reviewed on 7/31/2024...
What a great movie based on true events, even though it's older, it is still great. A very young Sly Stallone.
4 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.
K. K. (GAMER) Reviewed on 3/22/2020...
Inspired by True Events, the beginning was a bit slow but this was how movies of this time moved along. Once they got into the meat of this, it kept going and was really worth the watch! A must for Sly Stallone, Michael Caine, Pele, sports and soccer fans!
DIANE M. (bookaholic) from PARADISE, PA Reviewed on 10/17/2009...
This could have been a great movie--- Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine with John Huston directing. But I thought it was an unrealistic look at wartime prison camps. For one thing the housing looked brand new, they had several changes of freshly laundered clothes,had good food and were cleanly shaven and showered and the Germans for the most part treated them well. Not only that but it seemed that all the prisoners did all day was play soccer and the ones that weren't playing were freely given time to intermingle with the officers to figure out ways to escape. For that reason, it was a bit hard to get into the movie. For me, it was somewhat like Hogan's Heroes. They had all the items needed to fake passports including a homemade camera. They shared using a suit coat and white shirt to make the passports look legit. Now where do you suppose they got those? Other than that, the movie was good with exciting action scenes.
2 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.
Joven Q. Reviewed on 3/21/2009...
One of the best prisoners of war movie ! I did not see too much violence in this war movie except during the game just like a regular hockey game, very common and the disc is double sided widescreen and fullscreen ! I rate it an A + !
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
The Greatest Soccer Film Ever
Brad | 10/18/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Despite the obvious knocks on some of the acting, which really isn't bad, and the Hollywood style presentation style of the film, "Victory" is most certainly the greatest soccer film ever, and a real classic.An inspirational movie set in the late WWII era inside a POW camp, Max Von Sidow, a high-ranking Nazi commandeer, agrees to arrange a "football" match between the POW's and the German national team. This is a propaganda stunt, something which really isn't all that unrealistic considering the Nazi philosophy at the time.Sylvester Stallone is the star of the film, as the tough American who has an escape plan, but needs to be on the soccer team in order to carry it out. That is arranged through a classic scene in which the real goalkeeper's arm is broken purposely over two bed boards by Michael Cain, a co-star in the film. Cain, of course a Brit POW, is also in on the plan, along with the rest of the team.A story of human courage and triumph, the inspirational play of the POW football team and the once inconceivable possibility that they can actually win the match against the Nazi's, proves irresistable for the POW's.The contacts Stallone makes in his brief escape from the camp previously, sets up a half time breakout through the POW team's locker room. Of course when they arrive through the shattered floor of a huge tub via the underground sewer system, Stallone is the first to bail. But would the rest of the team? Will Stallone return to help defeat the Nazi's in a politically charged football match for the ages? You'll have to watch it to find out.Ultimately this is a great film, the soundtrack is absolutely perfect, the actors and non-actors alike are all very entertaining and the uniquely inspiring storyline makes it an American classic.Even if you are not a fan of football, this movie can be watched and enjoyed by people of any age. An underappreciated film, undeservingly so, but one that should be on every good American's list! I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys sheer entertainment as well as some great, memorable actors along with what could be the only up-close look at the great Pele. For a $13 DVD price, it is your duty to own this one."
Simply Spectacular
el statico | 03/17/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Terrific movie
el statico | 11/12/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Victory" has the patriotism and under-doggishness of "Rocky" and the locations and style of music (including almost as catchy theme music) of "The Great Escape." "Victory" seems to take much of its style from these two movies, and I would say that fans of either of these movies (especially "Rocky") will find this movie very enjoyable. Sure, it borders between plausible and fantastical, but it's a credit to the directing genius of the legendary John Huston that the tension is sustained and we buy into all of it, getting caught up in the story.Don't let the price of this DVD fool you; the video quality is phenomenal. Colors are very vibrant and blacks are pitch black. Buying this DVD (...), I was expecting mediocre-to-decent video quality and was blown away. (...) Perhaps the fact that it was directed by Huston prompted this... or maybe there's just a soccer fan at the WB digital labs. Anyways, I would definitely recommend the purchase of this DVD on the video quality alone. Nothing thrills me more with DVD than to watch a movie in 2.35:1 with a top-notch transfer."
Hatch! This game means a lot to us...you know that!
el statico | 03/30/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Even though the story is totally unrealistic, it really is one of my guilty pleasures in my DVD collection. I have to agree with many of the good points that have already been said (good soccer footage, great music score, etc). The one item that people get wrong is that Stallone's character is NOT and American, but rather a Canadian soldier, who during WWII would've fought alongside British troops.
It was a good idea also to let the actors carry the story (albeit, a little clunky at times) and limit the lines of the "real" players used in the film. This film should be in every serious soccer players dvd collection!"
The best version in terms of picture quality most have seen
K. Vazquez | riverside, ca United States | 01/05/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"THe movie itself from plot to actors' performance has already been reviewed throughly by other reviwers, but there is a lack of opinion asto actual quality of picture and sound of the DVD. Amazon.com's review of picture quality is pretty much a dead-on assestment of the situation. Not so much agreement on sound assestment. Very true that in scenes shot outside there's a very noticable problem with contrasting. It looks like two totally different movies when comparing outside and inside scenes more so than other movies. There's a bit of a problem with dark scenes also. There's hardly any pixelation worth noting. I would love to see what the theatrical release quality looked like since in the other two mediums I've seen it, broadcast TV and video release the quality doesn't look so great. This is DVD is pretty much the best qualityI've seen it. Once you compare Victory to other big budget Warner movies of the time you'll sense they didn't use the best camera at the time.
As for sound I don't really hear the hissing Amazon.com speaks of. For being Dolby Surrond 2.0 it sounds good since there is no icredible sound to begin with just dialogue. French track also sounds good."