Good, could've been made a bit more subtly though.

'Night Crossing', which portrays the true story of a hot air balloon escape from East Germany, is an interesting and well acted production. However, it doesn't do anything to throw you off the scent.

Predictability isn't always a negative, but it is one for this film in my opinion. Whether it be through knowledge of the event, reading the opening credits (where they acknowledge the families) or just general direction of the story - it's easy to see where it's going, as such the pacing is very slow; at least across the first and middle acts.

With that noted, things do end brightly thanks to the feel-good nature of the finale and the satisfactory cast. John Hurt (Peter) is the best of the bunch, while the few around him add to proceedings well. Günter Meisner, Mr. Slugworth himself, also makes an appearance. On the cast, it is kinda odd that some characters have British accents and some have German - you'd think the filmmakers would've picked one or the other.

I don't have any recollection of knowing about this true event before watching this, which is a surprise given I know about other stories regarding this topic. Either way, it's a solid film.

Effective acting and a real life happening are the highlights of "Night Crossing," a 1982 film starring John Hurt, Jane Alexander, Beau Bridges, Glynis O'Connor, and Doug McKeon. Directed by Delbert Mann.

This story is based on the true story of two families, the Wetzels and the Strelzyks who live in East Berlin and badly want to escape to the west. They decide to give it a go in a hot air balloon.

This means lying about why they want the material and being very careful while making it. The first attempt, with just the Wetzels, fails, and they are terrified of being captured as they sneak through the woods to their car.

Peter Strelzyk (Hurt) is devastated but decides that he can't give up. The Wetzels decide to join them.

The scenes with the hot air balloon in the sky are beautiful, and the performances by the group of pros are very strong. The end is powerful.

What an inspiring story -- when you want to do something badly enough, you don't give up. A poster said he uses it for one of his classes - it's a great lesson, as the Berlin Wall is long gone and young people don't know about it. A sad moment in history.

I think that this film has become an important record of the most horrifying aspect of the East German regime - the imprisonment of its people by what the regime called its anti-fascist protective wall. It is a document of desperation and courage not to be missed. I would however like to comment on the actual location of this escape. It did not happen in or around Berlin as supposed by some respondents and was nothing to do directly with the Berlin Wall. The escape balloon was flown over the Iron Curtain which not only divided Germany but it divided the whole of Europe at that time. The balloon took off from Pössneck, 170 miles south-west of Berlin in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and flew 14 miles to Naila in Bavaria and freedom in West Germany. The opening of the Iron Curtain in Hungary in 1989 preceded the fall of the Berlin Wall later that year. Whilst the balloon flight created entertaining suspense cinema, it should remain as a monument to those who lost their lives whilst attempting to escape from East Berlin, other parts of the GDR or other Soviet-controlled states.