The One That Got Away

This adventure, based on the remarkable true story of German WW2 fighter pilot Franz von Werra, was directed by Golden Globe winner Roy Ward Baker and stars German actor Hardy Kruger in the title role – himself a prisoner of war back in 1945.

When fighter pilot Lieutenant von Werra is shot down over enemy territory and captured by British soldiers, he is determined to escape back to the Fatherland, no matter how difficult the plan might be. Already upon interrogation it becomes clear that von Werra possesses an optimism and confidence that almost borders on arrogance. We just know that sooner or later, he will succeed in his plan (in case the film’s title is not giveaway enough…). In fact, the audacious young man wagers with RAF interrogator Captain Bell (Michael Goodliffe) at the POW reception centre that he will succeed in escaping within several months.

Von Werra is then sent to Grizedale Hall POW camp in Lancashire, and sure enough he attempts his first escape during a guarded outing in the countryside. Despite his fellow prisoners shielding and helping him during a moment when the guards aren’t watching, von Werra is captured after a massive manhunt. His spirits are not dampened when he is sent to a more secure POW camp, this time in Derbyshire. No sooner has he arrived then he immediately sets out putting his next plan into action, and this time with four other and equally keen prisoners. When the situation gets a little sticky and the other four pair up, von Werra continues alone and manages to come up trumps outside the camp. Continuing his journey, he is about to embark on his most audacious escape plan yet: impersonating a Dutch pilot and claiming that his bomber has crashed during a highly secret mission, he phones the nearest airfield and tricks RAF duty officer Hucknall (Alec McCowen) into sending a car and picking him up from the station. Some individuals have already gotten suspicious but get even more suspicious when von Werra behaves rather oddly and evades answering their questions by claiming he is on a ‘secret mission’. Nonetheless by means of bluff he manages to get someone to show him how the engine of a Hawker Hurricane plane works, it goes without saying that his aim is to steal the plane. Just as he gets into the cockpit and ready to take off, he is caught and arrested again.

This time round it’s going to be a bit more difficult, von Werra and other POWs are not only sent to yet another POW camp but are to be shipped to Canada. During the train ride across the frozen country, our hero is soon up to his old tricks again and manages to escape through the train’s window just as the train is rolling along at a slow speed towards Ontario. Fighting the elements and braving hunger and exhaustion, he manages to cross an almost solid frozen St. Lawrence River and arrives in New York in the then politically neutral USA. Having lost a lot of weight but not his sense of humour, von Werra sends a postcard from NY to RAF interrogator Captain Bell, informing him that he lost his bet. The postcard shows a photo of the Statue Of Liberty, and even Bell can’t help but smiling about it all.
Claiming political asylum, von Werra then crosses the border into Mexico, venturing further through South America followed by Spain, reaching Berlin in April 1941.

Hardy Krüger, with his distinct teutonic looks, obviously is ideal casting in the part of von Werra, though sometimes his antics are delivered in a manner that’s almost too bold and optimistic. The support cast are equally strong, and the re-telling of the story is on a fast pace that never lets up the excitement, although one must wonder whether the real von Werra was the same audacious ‘nothing will stand in my way’ daredevil as portrayed by Krüger.

The One That Got Away, part of the ‘British Film Collection’, is available in Blu-ray and DVD format with the following SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Original theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• Instant play facility