Papillon (DVD)

Papillon (1973) starring Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman. Sentenced to a French penal colony, convicts scheme to escape. Chief among the schemers is Papillon (McQueen), who thinks of little else. (Papillon is French for "butterfly," and Papillon has a large butterfly tattooed on his chest.) The film seems a bit dated, and its extreme length (2 hours, 30 minutes) detracts from its impact, but still entertaining for long stretches. Grade: B-