Henri “Papillon” Charrière, a safecracker from the Parisian underworld, is wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal colony of French Guiana, where he forges a strong friendship with Louis Dega, a counterfeiter who needs his protection.
Acting
Hunnam's physical transformation—he actually looks starved.
Cinematography
Paradise as prison: lush, suffocating, inescapable.
Practical Effects
The coconut raft escape—practical effects that sell the madness.
Director
Michael Noer
Charlie Hunnam
Henri 'Papillon' Charrière
Rami Malek
Louis Dega
Christopher Fairbank
Jean Castili
Eve Hewson
Nennete
Michael Socha
Julot
Brian Vernel
Guittou
Nicholas Asbury
Commandant
Louisa Pili
Clara
Antonio de la Cruz
Tribouillard
Andre Flynn
Galgani
Yorick van Wageningen
Warden Barrot
Nikola Kent
Deputy Warden Brioulet
Mark Phelan
Sierra
Michael Adams
Bartiloni
Roland Møller
Celier
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Charlie Hunnam lost 40 pounds for the later prison scenes, eating only 250 calories daily.
The real Henri Charrière's memoir was partly debunked—he likely plagiarized other prisoners' stories, making this a film about myth-making as much as escape.
US
