True Crime Drama Remake Needs To Find Its Fans

Papillon came out quietly to mixed reviews. Charlie Hunnam had already become a huge success, thanks to Sons of Anarchy, and Rami Malek was about to blow the world’s mind in the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Papillon was a quiet, sleeper Bleecker Street film that flew mostly under the radar. 

Papillon tells the story of Henri “Papillon” Charriere, a real-life convict and prisoner of the brutal French penal colony on the island of French Guiana in South America — Devil’s Island. The film takes us back to when Henri was a successful, safecracker.

Unfortunately, and despite having a solid alibi, he’s arrested and convicted of murder. He’s sent to Devil’s Island, ostensibly to never be heard from again. 

The real struggle of Papillon begins when, on the prison ship headed to South America from France, Henri meets a nerdy rich man named Louis Dega. Dega has been sentenced to prison for making counterfeit money, and he expects things to come easily for him. He has a beautiful wife he believes will wait for him, and he approaches prison like a light sentence.

Henri, however, understands that Louis will be targeted for his money, and he offers to protect him in exchange for Louis’ help funding Henri’s escape. Louis laughs at Henri and declines. 

That night, Louis is awakened while lying on the floor of the ship, surrounded by other prisoners. He listens on in terror as a fellow wealthy inmate is sliced open in order to retrieve the money he swallowed.

The next morning, Louis agrees to Henri’s deal, and the two quickly become allies. Louis’ money funds their escape plans, and Henri’s wit and muscle keep them alive. Papillon gives us an extended look at the brutality of this prison colony. 

In Papillon, from their arrival on Devil’s Island, the warden makes it clear that anyone attempting to escape will be harshly punished, but Henri persists. The first attempt is almost accidental as Henri and Louis are ordered to carry away the body of a fellow prisoner who has been guillotined for trying to escape.

While there, Louis fails to hold up his end of the job, becoming ill, and Henri is forced to defend him against a guard. Of course, Henri is captured and sentenced to solitary confinement, where he remains for a year. 

Each successive escape attempt increases the brutality and violence of Papillon. Not only are Louis and Henri subjected to torture and abuse, but we also see various injustices meted out to the other prisoners. Obviously, Henri eventually leaves the prison in order to tell his harrowing tale, but the details of just how he accomplishes this and what happens to Louis are what make this movie great. 

REVIEW SCORE

While I’ve come to see Rami Malek as kind of the same character in every film (not that that’s a bad thing), Charlie Hunnam shines in each role he takes on, and Papillon is no exception. This movie is so good that I think it really suffers from constant comparisons to the original, which is unfair. It may also be what accounts for a huge disparity between critics (52 percent positive) and audiences (71 percent positive) on Rotten Tomatoes. 

In any event, it’s worth renting Papillon wherever you rent your movies. And don’t forget to tell everyone who will listen how good it is. Maybe we can get it streaming on Netflix or Hulu, so no one has to go through video on demand? The film certainly deserves to be seen and seen again.

You can find Papillon through video on demand only (for now) through Amazon Prime Video.