Michael Caine has suggested that his latest film, The Great Escaper, could be his last. “I sort of am retired,” he says.
In a not entirely surprising piece of news, venerable actor Michael Caine has indicated in an interview with The Telegraph that his latest film, The Great Escaper, is likely to be his last. What’s worth noting – and quite charming – is the characteristically blunt way he related the decision.
“I am bloody 90 now, and I can’t walk properly,” he said, recalling his need for a walking stick during the filming of his upcoming drama.
Due for release next month, The Great Escaper tells the true story of superannuated war veteran Bernard Jordan (played by Caine, naturally) who staged a daring escape attempt from his care home in order to attend the 70th anniversary commemoration of the Normandy Landings. Glenda Jackson – who sadly died in June this year after filming had completed – also stars.
“I was so happy to do it,” Caine told The Telegraph (via The Hollywood Reporter). “I just loved the character of Bernie. I thought he was incredible, and it’s so beautifully written.”
Assuming the movie – directed by Oliver Parker and written by William Ivory – is indeed Caine’s last, then it brings down the curtain on a long and varied career in film and television. His 1960s output alone – which included Alfie, The Ipcress File and The Italian Job – was remarkable in itself. But he’s continued to put in charismatic, reliably watchable performances in every decade that’s followed, from Get Carter in the 1970s via Educating Rita in the 1980s to his work with Christopher Nolan in the 21st century.
Even in a period where the films themselves let him down, such as 1978’s The Swarm (“We’ve been fighting a losing battle against the insects for 15 years!”) or 1987’s Jaws The Revenge, his work still stood out.
“I’ve had the best possible life I could have thought of,” Caine said in the interview linked above. “The best possible wife, and the best possible family.”
The Great Escaper is out in UK cinemas on 6th October.
Read more: The 1970s films of Michael Caine | The Swarm
