Dvd
The Escapist
Frank (Brian Cox) is a lifer - an old man in jail for life; a concept that he’s okay with… until now. He gets a letter informing him that his much loved daughter is critically ill after an overdose. Frank's got to see her, and plots a jail break.
He recruits Drake (Joseph Fiennes), Brodie (Liam Cunningham) and Viv (Seu Jorge) for a daring escape. But can they pull it off under the nose of vengeful top con Rizza (Lewis)?
Starring Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Damian Lewis, Steven Mackintosh, Liam Cunningham, Dominic Cooper, Seu Jorge
Directed by Rupert Wyatt (feature debut)
Written by Daniel Hardy, Rupert Wyatt
Thriller, Crime | 1hr 39mins | Rated (R16) | contains violence & contant that may disturb | Origin: UK, Ireland | Official Site »
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Flicks review
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4
The institution at the center of this film is a decaying old-school prison with heavy keys and paint flaking off the bars, and seemingly run by the ginger mafia. There’s no bullet-proof glass or high-tech surveillance here, just the same elements and familiar archetypes that made The Shawshank Redemption and even The Great Escape, well, great.
Part-funded by the Irish lottery board, this production is far from a blockbuster – and the classy cast revels in a chance to play characters rather than market-tested cutouts. Brian Cox is especially good as the heart of the film in playing a grim and long-dormant lifer who is only stung into action by family tragedy. Joseph Fiennes, Liam Cunningham, Seu Jorge round out the other plotters while Dominic Cooper is perfect as fresh meat for the prison grinder.
Debut director Rupert Wyatt uses a cut-up style that blends the prisoners’ plotting with the escape itself. The resulting kinetic mash-up keeps the story crackling along and reveals just enough to heighten tension but also to keep surprises coming. And there’s no bigger surprise than the satisfying ending that owes more to metaphysics than wooden horses.
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The people's reviews
2 reviews
Press Reviews
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Dominion Post (Graeme Tuckett)
4
This is a highly recommended thriller.
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Empire (UK)
4
At last, a British crime movie that’s as good as its pitch sounds: Brian Cox trying to break out of prison. Do you need to know any more to want to see it?
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Hollywood Reporter
All of this mayhem keeps us watching, but it would be hard to describe the experience as pleasurable.
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Los Angeles Times
It makes for an unexpectedly welcome form of dramatic escape: the character study breaking free from a hoary old movie genre.
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New York Times
Shapes a standard prison-break drama into a metaphysical study of freedom and reparation.
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NZ Herald (Peter Calder)
2
Grim and brutal prison drama's massive twist feels like a cop-out.
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Otago Daily Times (Mark Orton)
3
Not for all tastes, but if you ever wished that Guy Ritchie could re-capture his initial potential, The Escapist is a good fix.
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Total Film (UK)
3
Opening with a close-up of Brian Cox’s wonderfully craggy face and Leonard Cohen’s ‘The Partisan’ on the soundtrack, prison movie The Escapist promises much... It doesn’t quite deliver on that set-up, but deserves kudos for ambition and intensity.
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TV3 (Kate Rodger)
4
Lusciously shot, and economical in the edit, i found by the closing credits I had rather enjoyed The Escapist.
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