Rupert Wyatt’s prison break thriller The Escapist manages to get your head spinning, though this has more to do with the tightly framed shots of Wyatt and cinematographer Philipp Blaubach than a wildly spiralling plot structure. Utilising many close ups and emphasising the confined spaces of the prison environs, these two do an excellent job of giving the prison setting a very claustrophobic feel which helps to maintain a level of tension that would be admired in much better films. The narrative structure of film compounds this feeling, switching between the escape in progress and the lead up to it, and lends a nice sense of pace and urgency to the picture.
The Escapist follows prison lifer Frank Perry (a rare lead role for perennial supporting actor Brian Cox – Rob Roy, The Bourne Identity/Supremacy) who has not heard from his wife and child for at least the last 12 years. Quietly existing in this semi-life, one day he unexpectedly gets a reply (his first) to one of the letters he regularly sends to his estranged family informing him that his (now) 21 year old daughter (he hasn’t seen her since she was 7) is a drug addict who’s on a sure path to an early death – her heart having stopped twice due to drug overdoses. This news prompts Frank to want to see her before either of them escape their mortal coil and he becomes the titular escapist, organising a crew of prisoners to attempt a breakout on a short timeframe. He enlists the help of long-time friend Brodie (Liam Cunningham – The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse, The Wind That Shakes the Barley) who has knowledge of the prison’s interior structure; a convicted thief with anger management problems, Lenny Drake (slightly over-played by Joseph Fiennes – Stealing Beauty, Shakespeare in Love); and dreadlock sporting ‘chemist’, Viv Batista (Seu Jorge – City of God, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). As you might expect, all does not go quite as planned for this motley bunch as they scheme their way to freedom.
Performances, with the odd exception, are quite creditable, constrained as they are within the stereotyped characters they are given. Like any good thriller, the plot weaves about a bit, which could be seen as inventive or cheesy depending on your mood, or point of view. Prison Break it certainly is not, getting its fingers a little more dirty, and presenting a plot with far more believable twists than the TV show it might partially resemble. Trading heavily on most of the prison movie clichés – the raping of the new young prisoner, shifty assassinations with prison-made ‘shivs’, the prisoner-boss who controls the flow of goods and services on the inside as well as having some of the guards on the take – The Escapist is not bringing anything new to the genre, however Wyatt & co. do manage to achieve moments of depth and beauty that stand out and lift the film enough to make it worthy viewing experience.
The Escapist’s biggest problem is the director’s tendency towards over-exposition. For example: there is a scene where Frank gets a surprise visit from his estranged wife where she doesn’t actually speak to him but it is clear what she is trying to communicate. Wyatt can’t help but add an unnecessary explanatory add-on. This and other similar aspects (including a frequently heavy handed soundtrack) gets a little trying, but perhaps with a few more films under his hat the director may learn to have little more faith in his audience and a little less in the formulaic ‘rules’ of mainstream cinema. This said The Escapist is still both a clever and entertaining movie. The director explores such themes as friendship, loyalty and betrayal, the ultimate waste of the criminal life. If thrillers or prison films appeal then this will definitely be a satisfying watch for you.
NB: Adapted from a review first published at The Lumière Reader as part of their 2008 New Zealand International Film Festival coverage.
Reviewed by: Jacob Powell Rating: R16 – Violence & content that may disturb Duration: 99 mins Genre: Prison-break Thriller Director: Rupert Wyatt (2008) Actors: Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Damian Lewis, Steven Mackintosh, Liam Cunningham, and Dominic Cooper. Country: UK Release Date: 14 May 2009
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