The Escapist stars
Brian Cox in the lead role of Frank Perry, a convict serving a life sentence in
a London prison. Frank keeps his head down and doesn’t cause any trouble.
However, he unexpectedly receives the first letter for a very long time, informing him
that his daughter is near death after suffering a drug overdose. This bad news
makes him realise he needs to see his daughter again to make peace with her, so
he decides to break out and devises a plan of escape.
Frank brings a number of the other inmates in on his plan.
First he goes to Brodie (Liam Cunningham, who is brilliant as usual) who seems
to be his closest friend in prison. Brodie’s knowledge of the underground
tunnels comes in handy when planning their escape route. Edgy boxer and former
thief Lenny Drake (Joseph Fiennes), new boy Lacey (Dominic Cooper) and Batista
(Seu Jorge), who concocts and deals drugs in the prison, are also brought
on-board.
Unfortunately, another convict called Tony (Steven
Mackintosh) discovers what they are up to and threatens to tell his brother,
the menacing Rizza (Damian Lewis), who rules the prison while the guards look
the other way. The group need to find a way to keep Tony quiet if they want to
make it out to freedom.
Brian Cox is solid and sympathetic as The Escapist’s emotional core and his fellow inmates are played by
a talented supporting cast. The action inside the claustrophobic London prison
switches between the events before and during the breakout. The scenes showing
the escape set up questions for the viewer to ponder, which are answered
throughout the course of the film in the interspersed flashbacks. The rush of
the breakout mixes well with the anxious planning stages. The film uses a very
effective past-and-present structure and good editing, and it adds a great
final plot twist. Benjamin Wallfisch’s excellent score helps to heighten the moments
of tension with its intensity and sense of urgency.
The Escapist was
directed by Rupert Wyatt, a British talent who followed this debut feature with
Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Wyatt
also co-wrote the film with Daniel Hardy and has said that the structure of the
film’s plot was inspired by a well-known short story written in the 19th
century: American author Ambrose Bierce’s An
Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Frank Perry is shown reading this story and
he shows it to Rizza near the end of the film. It is set during the American
Civil War and also features an irregular time sequence and a twist ending.
The Escapist is a thrilling
and clever prison drama with an innovative plot structure. Add to that a range
of interesting characters, an impressive cast and engaging music, and you have
a refreshingly enjoyable escape film.
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