possible spoilerspoorly conceive propaganda flick unite a classic cast to produce a truly bad egg in which they share virtually no scene . to say that the story be muddle would be to give it too much credit i do not think it really have a story . at one point and the action be show on screen be a flashback inside a flashback inside of another flashback . what with all the jump around from story to story and it hard to imagine that any audience could keep all this straight . with the unbelievable confusion go on in the intersecting plot ( which basically center on a group of prisoner try to escape from a colonial penal institution so they can fight for france yes and bogey play a frenchman in this one and believe it or not ) it not surprise that no drama or interest be create by the film action . we already know who will live and die because it a flashback and so there no suspense either . in a novel twist and lorre turn out not to be a weirdo or a bad guy or a coward . when bogey character breathe his final breath and we can only sigh in relief . this movie be a rip off and it wasn not even really a movie and and the audience only get to see a little bit of any of the star .