Product Description

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 using the game as a means of escape from the camp.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10261 in DVD
• Brand: Team Marketing
• Released on: 1998-02-24
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 117 minutes

Amazon.com
Fans of The Great Escape and The Longest Yard will cheer venerable director John Huston's rousing 1981 adventure that pits Allied prisoners of war against their German captors in a soccer match. Michael Caine, who starred in Huston's The Man Who Would Be King, heads an international all-star cast as true-Brit John Colby, a former soccer champion, who heads the rag-tag squad. Max Von Sydow costars as the humane German officer who proposes the match, improbably staged for maximum propaganda impact in a stadium in Paris. As the Allied team, which includes real-life soccer legends Pele and Bobby Moore, practices, the officers' only goal is an audacious half-time escape. Sylvester Stallone is somewhat out of his league as the American determined to join the team. As an actor, Pele may not be on the same playing field as his Oscar-winning costars, but he is thrilling to watch as he executes some awesome, game-winning kicks. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

Best 5 Dollars I ever spent!!!
If you can find this film, it is a chance to see Sly Stallone at his finest moment!!! With a line like "Hi, I'm Hatch, the team trainer," how can one deny the brilliance of Stallone? The movie takes place in Nazi occupied WWII Germany at a prison camp where somehow Pele (African American) was overlooked by the Gestapo guards who failed to exterminate him (Thank God, I love you Pele!!!). Michael Caine is in charge of picking a group of Allied P.O.W.'s to play an Aryan All Star team in a football (soccer) match. All the Nazi footballers are from the various European elite leagues and in order to have a fair match, Michael Caine arranges for prisoner's from other camps to join his aquad, thus saving the lives of a few people destined for death or worse. The real winner in this film is Sly. Superior acting and a strong phsyical presence, "Hatch" proves to be the pivotal character in this film. Pele also shows his mad skills in this football classic.

Terrific movie
"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.

The Greatest Soccer Film Ever
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.