Film: The Escapist
Cast includes: Brian Cox (The Bourne Supremacy), Damian Lewis (The Forsyte Saga), Joseph Fiennes (Enemy at the Gate), Seu Jorge (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), Liam Cunningham (Prime Suspect 6), Dominic Cooper (The History Boys), Steven Mackintosh (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)
Genre: Gritty drama
In brief: There’s no spoon-feeding in this dark, gritty prison escape movie, and every scene has meaning. When it opens, we see that we’re following two timelines… the actual prison break and the preparation for the break. When Frank, a lifer, gets a letter telling him that his daughter has a serious drug problem, he starts thinking. When he asks Brodie, “The air vents in the dryers… do they connect to the sewers?” he sets a plan into motion. The route is complex, and when Frank and Brodie discuss the plan using domino pieces to plot the twists and turns, we get a visual picture of the escape route. Unfortunately, Tony, a psychotic drug addict, also gets the picture and threatens to blow the whistle.
This prison is a seriously nasty place, which is illustrated by several gruesome and scary events. When Frank’s new cellmate, Lacey, is attacked by Tony, Frank is jolted into caring what happens to this gentle, quiet young man. In fact, Frank realizes that Lacey reminds him of his own child. At the last minute, Frank adds “the boy” to the group. The escape plan calls for the group of 5 to work their way through a series of underground tunnels and reach Charing Cross subway station before power is turned on for the early morning trains. So there’s not only the danger from the guards who will be chasing them, but there’s the danger of the electrified tracks if they don’t move fast enough.
Prison movies don’t generally take us to cheerful places, but this one is especially dark. The plot development, music and editing keep us constantly on edge. With an amazing cast, this film is has garnered much critical acclaim. As an independent, it’s likely to go under the radar screen for many moviegoers. Yet this independent has none of the “funkiness” we’re used to seeing in an independent. For those who enjoy this kind of movie, The Escapist is first-rate and can compete with the best of them.
2 popped kernels
Popped kernels for an interesting story, good acting.
