The Escapist (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Cynthia S

  
  I just finished watching this movie, and I am amazed on how it turned out. It definitely went a direction that I didn't expect, and I really like that. Great bunch of actors. Very well put together. Definitely NOT boring, Good movie!

• Dean !

  
  A pretty good Prison escape action film. Brian Cox is a very good actor, simple story done quite well. Might not be for everyone. It has quite a few flashbacks from present to past, and is a bit slow at times. However it's good seeing how it all unravels.

• Anthony L

  
  Not a bad escape film. I'm not a big fan of Damian Lewis or Steven Mackintosh, and I really think they let this film down. Apart from those two, the cast is very good and Cox is brilliant as the lead. I'm not sure about the ending or the structure of the film but it is… More
  Not a bad escape film. I'm not a big fan of Damian Lewis or Steven Mackintosh, and I really think they let this film down. Apart from those two, the cast is very good and Cox is brilliant as the lead. I'm not sure about the ending or the structure of the film but it is original and that's important in a film of this genre!

• Lady D

  
  Brian Cox, Steven Mackintosh and Liam Cunningham are just a few talents who star in this British prison Drama. Set at a fairly slow pace, yet a high standard of acting that keeps your interest throughout. The flashbacks keep your mind focussed on the story at hand and this allows… More
  Brian Cox, Steven Mackintosh and Liam Cunningham are just a few talents who star in this British prison Drama. Set at a fairly slow pace, yet a high standard of acting that keeps your interest throughout. The flashbacks keep your mind focussed on the story at hand and this allows for a chance to get to know the characters individually. There was an element here which I feel was risky and brave, in that some of the Actors cast for the roles of the characters were in some senses, out of their usual comfort zones, particularly in the case of Damien Lewis, who seems an unlikely choice to play the King of the prison and yet all the characters worked really well and it was a risk which paid off. I would love to think that this one will be widely enjoyed and that, I will have to wait and see.

• Gordon A

  
  Grimy prison break drama with a host of british thesps chewing the scenary. Original flash back construction disguises the twist well but the baddie characters were overplayed caricatures.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]In "The Escapist," in jail Frank Perry(Brian Cox) has just received the first letter from his family in fourteen years and it is not good news. His daughter, now 21, is a drug addict and has overdosed twice. Frank wants to break out to set matters… More
  [font=Century Gothic]In "The Escapist," in jail Frank Perry(Brian Cox) has just received the first letter from his family in fourteen years and it is not good news. His daughter, now 21, is a drug addict and has overdosed twice. Frank wants to break out to set matters straight. Thinking he has found a way, he also enlists the help of Lenny Drake(Joseph Fiennes), a master thief, and his friend Brodie(Liam Cunningham) who knows the underground like the back of his hand. Complicating matters is Frank's new cellmate Lacey(Dominic Cooper).[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]If you've seen one jail break/violent prison movie where the guards stand by and watch while the prisoners run things, then it is safe to say you've probably seen them all. The other cliche of relevance is if a prisoner's crime is not mentioned then one should not ask. We know Lenny is a thief but what about Frank? Well he's got a brain but he's not white collar, so I would guess armed robbery. [/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]And there is little to separate "The Escapist" from the pack but luckily it is enough. First off, there is a superb cast, especially Brian Cox in the lead and Damian Lewis exuding menace while saying very little. Second, there are some scenes stylishly shot in the escape(shown in flashforwards), which left me wondering if more of that would have helped the movie. And there is a trick ending which arguably does nothing to alter the course of events, adding a bit to the ample spiritual symbolism already on display.[/font]

• Jeffrey M

  
  A very well executed, original, and ambitious prison drama, full of great performances all around, especially from the criminally underrated Brian Cox. The prison atmosphere is captured well, dark, gritty, and depressing; the film did a great job conveying a sense of realism. The… More
  A very well executed, original, and ambitious prison drama, full of great performances all around, especially from the criminally underrated Brian Cox. The prison atmosphere is captured well, dark, gritty, and depressing; the film did a great job conveying a sense of realism. The filmmakers do perhaps become too self indulgent at the end, but the middle 2/3 are so strong, that the ending is more of an interesting misfire than something that really takes away, significantly, from the film. Above all, it's tense throughout, smart, and done well. 4/5 Stars

• Luke T

  
  The Escapist. Prison-break flick, but with a twist. Even though I'm just partial to prison movies, I was hoping this would have something to set it apart from all the others. To be brief: Yup. This is a cheerful Yup, cheerful because The Escapist decided to slap father time… More
  The Escapist. Prison-break flick, but with a twist. Even though I'm just partial to prison movies, I was hoping this would have something to set it apart from all the others. To be brief: Yup. This is a cheerful Yup, cheerful because The Escapist decided to slap father time across the face and follow the story of the actual escape simultaneously with its setup. To not give anything away, I'll just say this method of storytelling fits perfectly with, well, the story. Brian Cox was awesome (is it me or is he in every movie ever?), and hey who knew he'd ever actually use his Scottish accent on camera. The cast overall was impressive and it was chilling to see Winters (Band of Bros all the way!!!) as a creeper jail warden The score is also very distinct and fit well, in fact a great way to describe The Escapist is that everything simply 'fits'. I was very afraid to be left unsatisfied (*Donnie Darko ending reaction face here*), but ultimately the payoff, in my opinion, worked tremendously. Why 80%? Because a top-notch cast, mixed with a well-defined musical, cinematographic, and editing style make for an overall compelling prison escape movie. Some minor funks, no major flaws. Extra: Prison movies... they are so awesome! I must recommend a French film called &quot;Un Prophète&quot;, this is possibly the greatest prison movie I've seen, and yes I've seen both The Great Escape and The Shawshank Redemption. I also love The Green Mile and American History X. Any recommendations? <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank"target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/#!/luke_turley">Did you find this mildly amusing? Follow me on Twitter!</a>

• Lesley N

  
  Prison escape drama. The twist was great!

• Alec B

  
  The "twist" made me so angry, it was ridiculous and the worst possible way to end the story. I was mostly mad because the rest of the film was so dark and gritty. It seemed to be one of the better prison break movies and Brian Cox's performance is a thing of subtle… More
  The "twist" made me so angry, it was ridiculous and the worst possible way to end the story. I was mostly mad because the rest of the film was so dark and gritty. It seemed to be one of the better prison break movies and Brian Cox's performance is a thing of subtle beauty. It's also part of the indie wave of films from the UK that are low budget down and dirty stories that are usually enjoyable. The ending didn't totally ruin it for me, but I wanted more realism.

• Jonny C

  
  Good Prison movie. When an inmate finds out his estranged daughter falls ill, he is determined he make peace with her before it's too late. The story was shown in flashbacks and it worked really well. I like how each character was given just enough screen time, as it added real… More
  Good Prison movie. When an inmate finds out his estranged daughter falls ill, he is determined he make peace with her before it's too late. The story was shown in flashbacks and it worked really well. I like how each character was given just enough screen time, as it added real depth to the story. The cast was made up off familiar British actors, who's gritty performances made it all the more believable.

• Sarah P

  
  I couldn't really get into this one. I'm not sure why, but I was extremely bored...

• Marcus W

  
  So close! This film is brilliantly done. You see the prison break from the start and then throughout the film in stages - ala Nolan. The editting is fantastic as is the acting. I was loving every second of it until...the last ten minutes. It chucks in a twist that may be clever but… More
  So close! This film is brilliantly done. You see the prison break from the start and then throughout the film in stages - ala Nolan. The editting is fantastic as is the acting. I was loving every second of it until...the last ten minutes. It chucks in a twist that may be clever but ends the film on a downer. It's brilliantly made for a low-budget English movie and thoroughly enjoyable, but damn it, why couldn't it have had a more positive ending? Still worth a watch.

• deb .

  
  <b>"Our imagination protects us..."</b> This slow paced jailbreak film isn't for everybody, especially those looking for thrills and a lot of action. It is filled with scenes flashing back from the planning of the escape to the actual escape. Good… More
  <b>"Our imagination protects us..."</b> This slow paced jailbreak film isn't for everybody, especially those looking for thrills and a lot of action. It is filled with scenes flashing back from the planning of the escape to the actual escape. Good performances by Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Liam Cunningham and Steven Mackintosh. It had an intelligent ending and that impressed me.

• ken j

  
  The Escapist is the story of Frank Perry a convict who is 12 years into a life sentence when he gets a letter telling him his only daughter has fallen ill now things have changed for Frank besides just doing his time he must find a way out to make peace with his daughter. He puts… More
  The Escapist is the story of Frank Perry a convict who is 12 years into a life sentence when he gets a letter telling him his only daughter has fallen ill now things have changed for Frank besides just doing his time he must find a way out to make peace with his daughter. He puts together what he believes is the perfect escape plan and decides to recruit a band of convicts all who have a mutual dislike for one another but are united in there desire to escape from this dark horrible prison inside the tunnels and sewers of underground london, Really great prison escape film with a pretty good twist of a ending that should be seen Brian Cox is perfect as the convict willing to take a chance just to make things right with his daughter and escape the hell hole that he is in very much worth a watch.

• David S

  
  A cleverly made film with an emotional punch twist at the end. Can't believe they shot this in only 25 days! This doesn't have the hollywood gloss of 'Shawshank' but it has a realism that film doesn't have. The acting is all solid (Cooper redeems himself after… More
  A cleverly made film with an emotional punch twist at the end. Can't believe they shot this in only 25 days! This doesn't have the hollywood gloss of 'Shawshank' but it has a realism that film doesn't have. The acting is all solid (Cooper redeems himself after 'Mamma Mia' and Fiennes is better than he's been in years) but this is Cox's picture and he is brilliant. His monologue to Lewis at the end is heartbreaking as you know it can only lead to one conclusion. Wyatt has a great style. Will be interesting to see what he does next.

• hawk l

  
  Two timeline streams interlace in a masterful and unique way, to an incredible and emotional climax. Powerful performance from Brian Cox.

• Andrew P

  
  I the right frameset the escapist is a good movie, a poor mans prison break if you will, it plays along like any other heist movie, and thats fun conciddering the lack of the genre recently. The moment that makes this movie stand out for me at least was the end. The twist is so… More
  I the right frameset the escapist is a good movie, a poor mans prison break if you will, it plays along like any other heist movie, and thats fun conciddering the lack of the genre recently. The moment that makes this movie stand out for me at least was the end. The twist is so fantast, so brilliant that it brings tears to the eyes. Acting is fine, direction is fine...blah...blah...blah.

Read all 18 featured audience ratings