ONE AWAY

US, 1980, 83 minutes, Colour.
Elke Sommer, Bradford Dillman, Dean Stockwell, Patrick Mower.
Directed by Sidney Hayers.

One Away is a prison escape story set in South Africa. It has an international cast and English director Sidney Hayers of many television episodes e.g. The Avengers and of thrillers like Deadly Strangers). The film focuses on three gypsy brothers played by Bradford Dillman, Dean Stockwell and Patrick Mower. They are helped by a German refugee, Elke Sommer. The film shows the contrived accident in the prison, the escape, the plan of the brothers with the German refugees to rescue the prisoner. The police are in pursuit. The film works quite well as a prison escape story.

1. Entertaining drama?

2. South African settings, colour photography, action sequences? musical score?

3. The title and the focus on the theme? Prisoners? Escapees? Pursuit? Plans to rescue prisoners?

4. Reuben as the central focus: the oldest brother, his style, the bike sales yard, his reaction to Elsa, accepting her? The visit of the policeman - and his underestimating the police? The plan, the contact with Pete? The signs? The assembly, the bikes, the truck? Meeting with Olwyn? Timing, collecting Tan, the bike chase, the police roadblocks? The switches of plans? Reuben and the pressure on Pete? Pete and his antagonism? Olwyn and her anger? His falling in love with Elsa, her giving up? The bike stunts? His watching the helicopter? His decision to change clothes with Tam - and get a lighter sentence? His fierce gypsy background? His arguments about the gypsy way of life? His final message to Elsa that he would become a house dweller?

5. 11am in prison, the flashbacks to the killing? The puzzle about Olwyn (and her behaviour with Pete)? His waiting under the landfall? The escape, struggling through the forest? His leg injury? Using his wits? His memories of the directions from his fellow prisoners? The rendezvous with Reuben? The bike-ride? The pursuit, the decoys? His falling off the bike and its being burnt? His running through the woods, the pursuit, the dogs, his killing of the pursuer dog? Eluding
the police? The helicopter? Reuben changing clothes with him, his escape? Portrait of a prisoner on the run?

6. Pete and his settling down, his wife, working in the factory? His reluctance to participate? Thinking it would fail? His participation? Nerves? Decoy for the police? His arrival at Olwyn's? The sexual encounter? His lift, return home, the reaction of his wife, her turning him in to the police, his slapping her?

7. Elsa and her skills, plan, antagonism towards Reuben? Discussing the background of refugees, of gypsies? The plan, falling in love with Reuben? Her wanting to give up? Get to the boat? Reuben's final plan, her helping Tan escape?

8. The police, their shrewdness? The pursuit, the roadblocks? The trackers, the helicopter? The authorities in the prison and the landslide?

9. The flashbacks to the prisoners, characters, advice to Tan?

10. The intrinsic interest of an escape story, audience sympathies, the plan? Justice and the police?