Leigh Ann Rassler
No Escape
Release Date: August 26, 2015
Running Time: 1 hour and 43 minutes
Rated R
Grade: B
Directed By: John Erick Dowdle
Written By: John Erick & Drew Dowdle
Starring:
Owen Wilson as Jack Dwyer
Lake Bell as Annie Dwyer
Sterling Jerins as Lucy Dwyer
Claire Gear as Beeze Dwyer
Sahajak Boonthanakit as Kenny Rogers
Thanawut Kasro as Samnang
Chatchawai Kamonsakpitak as Prak
and Pierce Brosnan as Hammond
“Ten years ago, I could not have pictured myself dragging my family to the other side of the world to start over.”
Jack and Annie Dwyer relocated from Texas to a Southeast Asia city as an opportunity for Jack to work for an overseas water company named Cardiff. They are given a ride to their hotel by a mysterious British gentleman, Hammond, and a man who goes by the name of Kenny Rogers. As they begin to settle into the hotel with their two young daughters, they notice that the phone and TV are not working. When Jack wanders away from the hotel to find a newspaper, he sees a riot start between the government and the people of the city. Bewildered as to why a civil war has erupted in the city, Jack notices that the rioters are executing Americans and anyone who helps them. With the assistance of Hammond, Jack and Annie test their limits as they desperately attempt to get their children to safety.
A nation in revolt…Innocent civilians caught in the middle…How far would you go to survive?
No Escape is an intense international thriller that will make you think twice about where and when you go on vacation. Director Dowdle delivers a powerful drama with action, suspense and a bit of humor. Most of the film was dark as you can imagine when you find yourself in the middle of a coup. The overall theme of the film is about perseverance and the will to survive. It was a tad slow in a few scenes, but the rest of the film made up for it. The terror that Jack, Annie and their daughters experienced was palpable. It reminded me of natural disaster film The Impossible (2012) which was about another family facing a different type of crisis. Owen Wilson proved that he is a versatile actor in a role that most would say he is not suited for. He used the humor he is recognized for at appropriate times with his on-screen daughters to lighten the mood. No Escape just might give you the courage and determination needed to survive when faced with a crisis or a break from the summer heat. Whatever your reason, make plans to see this film before it escapes from the big screen.
You’re alive Jack. Just get your family the hell out of here.
The Brothers Dowdle, known for Quarantine and As Above, So Below, are no strangers making to realistic drama/thriller films. With their usual style, No Escape is an incredibly tense action/thriller that only pauses long enough to make the audience truly care about what happens to them. The gritty and ultra genuine performances from the cast combined with the daunting soundtrack kept me on the edge of the seat. This is Owen Wilson’s first non-comedic role since Behind Enemy Lines in 2001 and he slides right into character like a pro. Pierce Brosnan’s charisma lights up every scene that he is in like the 4th of July. The story’s precipice of anti- American capitalism is hurriedly explained midway through the film by Brosnan, but the rest of the story still kept me guessing on whether or not the family would actually escape that nightmare that they found themselves in. If you are in the mood for an escape from the ordinary films that are out now, than run into the theater to see this one! ~Movie Buffette
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