Papillon review – Only masochists need apply

It’s inevitable to draw comparisons with the 1973 classic with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, who brought proper star power to the powerful story of Papillon’s imprisonment on Devil’s Island in French Guiana and his escape.

Danish director Michael Noer orchestrates this remake but unfortunately it doesn’t possess the same impact of the original. I can never comprehend why some cinema classics have to be remade – and this is a case and point.

Charlie Hunnam takes on the McQueen role of Charrière, a safecracker nicknamed Papillon (“butterfly” in French), both for the distinctive tattoo on his chest and for his ability to fly off when the going gets tough.

However, after pulling a job in 1931 in Paris, Charrière is eager to leave the criminal world behind for the good life with his girlfriend, Nenette (Eve Hewson). But he gets framed for a mob killing and dispatched to a hell he could never have envisioned.

On this doomed island he befriends the runty Louis Dega (Mr. Robot’s Rami Malek), a counterfeiter with cash literally stuffed up his butt. The money is enough to bribe guards but not enough to save him from prison predators – that’s where Papi comes in.

He offers to act as a bodyguard in exchange for Louis funding his eventual escape. Papi’s efforts soon raise the ire of the sadistic Warden Barrot (a mesmerising Yorick Van Wageningen), who, after one of Papi’s failed attempts to break free, has him thrown into solitary confinement for a lengthy spell.

This version is visually impressive, with all the rain, mud and bone-crunching action. If you are a glutton for punishment and derive pleasure from watching examples of extreme masochism, this is the movie for you.

Score: ★★☆☆☆

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