---
title: "A Man Escaped: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-man-escaped/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/a-man-escaped"
critics_score: 87
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# A Man Escaped (1956): what the critics said

Critics' score 87 from 8 reviews: 6 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics respond enthusiastically to A Man Escaped, with praise concentrated on Bresson’s restraint, the claustrophobic setting and the use of sound to build tension. The reviews repeatedly emphasise the attention to practical ingenuity and endurance, finding the escape story compelling without conventional embellishment. Several also see a spiritual dimension in its treatment of imprisonment and human reliance. Slant Magazine specifically credits the sound design with making that less tangible dimension felt.

The apparent spread needs a qualification: the six positive reviews offer clear endorsements, while the two entries classified as mixed have no verifiable verdict or detailed criticism available. There is therefore no documented cluster of reservations to set against the praise. Among the accessible responses, differences concern emphasis rather than approval: some focus on the mechanics of escape and the sounds of incarceration, others on religious meaning or the emotional force of Mozart’s music.

## Radio Times — Adrian Turner

Rating ★★★★★. 

Turner calls the film a great classic of European art cinema. He praises Bresson’s hypnotic, restrained approach and its influence on later prison films.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-nre0km/a-man-escaped/)

## Slant Magazine — Jaime N. Christley

Rating 4/4. 17 January 2012. 

The critic regards the film as an exceptional, quintessential Bresson work that rises beyond its straightforward escape story. They single out its uncanny sound design for helping convey the story’s intangible spiritual dimension.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/a-man-escaped-6010/)

## Time Out — David Fear

Rating 5/5. 17 January 2012. 

Time Out gives the film its top rating, indicating a strongly positive verdict. The available description singles out its tale of steel bars and iron will.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-man-escaped)

## Empire — David Parkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 June 2006. 

Parkinson regards the film as a compelling, masterful work and a pinnacle of French cinema. He especially praises Bresson’s claustrophobic setting and masterly use of the sounds of incarceration.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/man-escaped-review/)

## Evening Standard

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. 

The critic presents the film as an extraordinary, spiritually resonant study of endurance, ingenuity and redemption. They single out its austere sound-driven tension and the final escape, where the prisoners’ mutual reliance gives the story its religious meaning.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/a-man-escaped-7433968.html)

## The New Yorker — David Denby

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2006. 

Denby calls the film the greatest prison-break movie and finds its ending elating. He singles out the meticulous, resourceful escape and the way Mozart’s music intensifies its emotional force.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/10/23/a-breakout-role)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. The review’s specific praise or criticism is likewise unavailable.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-a-man-escaped-1956)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 1957. 

The accessible page provides no critic's verdict or specific praise or complaint. The URL indicates a screen review, but its text cannot be checked.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1957/08/27/archives/screen-man-escaped-baronet-shows-new-import-from-france.html)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/a-man-escaped.md