No Escape

[prettyxcool]

Saw this tonight at Islington Vue. Made to wait in a queue until 6.20pm before being let in, on account of the screen not being ready, although I had to prompt them that the film was due to start at 6.30pm, that they actually phoned to check and it turns out it was ready! I hate being let in late, as I would not have enough time to eat my sandwiches etc before the film started, as I do not like eating and watching at the same time.

The film is definitely intense, cannot deny that, but it was also horrific. I found it quite harrowing, and hard to watch. However, it also feels more like a disaster movie, will they make it, will they not? A bit predictable, especially Pierce Brosnan's character, but very convincing performances by Owen Wilson, Lake Bell and the two little girls. 6/10

[vonlance]

I saw you berating the attendant ;p

I thought it was a good film, actors were convincing and Pierce was Bond again for a while!

7.5/10

[alythonian]

Edinburgh was pretty quiet last night, guess plenty going on in the city with the Festival still on?

This wasn't what I was expecting but it grew on me as it went on. Owen Wilson is not a typical action man so he really was believable as a Dad fighting to save his family.

Pierce Brisnan was a bit wasted and I think they could and should have made better use of him.

Plenty plot holes and gaps and made up ness, but that's all part of Hollywood!

If was fast paced and gripping enough.

7.5/10 from me.

[biggins]

I really enjoyed this gripping film probably because my two granddaughters are about the same age so I could relate to how I would feel if the family were mine. Heart stopping moments especially when they had the "leap of faith" on the roof.
Pierce Brosnan looked more like Matthew Kelly in some scenes. Yes it had flaws but a fast moving film which didn't disappoint. 8/10

[prettyxcool]

I really enjoyed this gripping film probably because my two granddaughters are about the same age so I could relate to how I would feel if the family were mine. Heart stopping moments especially when they had the "leap of faith" on the roof.
Pierce Brosnan looked more like Matthew Kelly in some scenes. Yes it had flaws but a fast moving film which didn't disappoint. 8/10

Yes he did, didn't he, made me laugh! Kept thinking of Stars in Your Eyes and "What are you going to be tonight?"

I saw you berating the attendant ;p

Were you behind me in the queue and we started chatting? If you see me again, do say "hi". I can intro you to other FMUKERs We normally sit towards the back, although, if it is an Q&A, I tend to veer more towards the front!

[kevinknapman]

No Escape, which follows an American family trying to survive in an unnamed Asian country after a violent coup, is another entry in that rather dubious unofficial sub-genre that focuses on the plight of privileged white Westerners in a disaster-struck third world country while barely acknowledging the locals caught up in the same situation (see also The Impossible).
In its favour it barely pauses for breath long enough for you to dwell on that imbalance too much as John Erick Dowdle delivers a gripping and tense thriller for the most part.
That oddly turns out to be both its main flaw and its biggest virtue. As it is almost constantly on the move, the weaknesses are easier to overlook. Unsurprisingly when it does briefly pause for breath it is noticably less assured. The downside of this relentless pace is that the local natives are either one dimensional bloodthirsty killing machines (and at one point, potential rapists) or faceless corpses. There's no interest in their side of the story.
A late speech by Pierce Brosnan's character that tries to paint Western capitalist companies as the bad guys and the violent locals as parents similar to the central characters also just trying to protect their own children, is both too little too late and not entirely convincing.
If you can overlook all that (and plenty will) and judge it on its merits as a thriller, then it's a little harder to dismiss.
The set pieces and confrontations are expertly executed, the kind of scenes that terms like 'nail-biting' and 'holding your breath' were coined for. Years working on horror films like Quarantine and So Above, So Below that threw characters into similar if more fantastical situations, serves Dowdle well here in terms of atmosphere and maintaining a constant state of fear and dread. Though while one dimensional monsters can work in that genre, here it's a little more troublesome.

Atypical Hollywood casting turns out to be surprisingly effective as well. Both Owen Wilson and Lake Bell are better known for their more comedic roles, which makes their transformation into desperate characters willing to do whatever they can to protect their family all the more interesting. In contrast Pierce Brosnan gets a role with more humour than you'd expect as a shady Cockney who comes to the aid of the family on more than one occasion. He's clearly enjoying the chance to play a larger than life character and the film picks up a little whenever he's on screen chewing up the scenery. Sadly that isn't nearly enough.

Morally dubious with a fair few plotholes and contrivances, No Escape is nonetheless a competent and efficient thriller that does exactly what it sets out to do and does it well. Some will find it easier to overlook the slightly nasty taste it leaves in the mouth afterwards more than others however.

[vonlance]

I saw you berating the attendant ;p

Were you behind me in the queue and we started chatting? If you see me again, do say "hi". I can intro you to other FMUKERs We normally sit towards the back, although, if it is an Q&A, I tend to veer more towards the front! [/quote]

I'll be sure to say hello, from a distance :)

[Beate]

LOL, she isn't normally scary!

[ejwrank]

Good Grief -- prettyxcool is as sweet as they come! Now if you meet me vonlance and you are on your phone once the film starts, then you will see scary!

[Beate]

No, ejwrank, you are firm and polite. Unfortunately that still often results in abuse from the ill-mannered phone worshippers!