It works better for the movie to assume that McQueen playing Papillon is an innocent man falsely accused ala The Fugitive but was the real life Papillon innocent? I read his book it must be 30 years ago and he always claimed he was innocent but did he ever prove his innocence and clear his name? What is the general consensus, did he kill the pimp or not?
shareThe answer seems uncertain. Henry Charierre (1906-1973) always protested his innocence in that killing, and in 2005, a 104-year old convicted killer named Charlles Brunier claimed he was the real Papillon - Brunier had a butterly tatoo and had been in that penal colony during the 1930's. But at this point, who can say for sure?
shareHe always claimed to be innocent of that particular crime, and that he'd been set up. However he was a criminal of some sort, as he mentions near the end of the book that he couldn't have been set up so easily if he hadn't already been known to police.
shareHe was inoccent. The lawyer Fu**ed him!
Sorry, wrong movie!!
"You're a big man, but you're in bad shape. With me it's a full time job. Now behave yourself."
I think it can be trusted that he states he did not kill the pimp. Because he does state that he killed the Arab in the prison. So he is not trying to paint himself as a saint. Also he reflects in the book that if he was never a criminal he would have never been set up for the murder of the pimp, in other words, he did admit he was a rotten apple. He was guilty of many things but not that murder.
shareLet's summarize:
- He cracked safes.
- He killed an Arab turnkey.
- He attacked an other turnkey with boiling water.
- He escaped from prison three times.
- He was a dirty pedophiliac and impregnated a 12-year-old girl.
Conclusion:
He deserved his punishment
and he would even deserve a death sentence according to the present U.S. laws.
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O.k., so in this case it seems to be legitimate self defence.
But what about the other abominable crimes of that bastard named Papillon ?
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My first thought was "whats wrong with killing a pimp?"..he should have gotton a medal. Don't pimps deal in the human flesh trade? So a person does hard time for ridding the world of a pimp..??? Seems like a unreal analogy to be believed. Guess the French are funny about their pimpers. 0__O
"We pruned the hedges of many small villages" (the three amigos)