Directed by John Erick Dowdle
Written by John Erick Dowdle & Drew Dowdle
Cast: Owen Wilson, Lake Bell, Pierce Brosnan, Sterling Jerins, Claire Geare, Sahajak Boonthanakit
Soundtrack: Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders
I had a lot of questions about this movie going into it.
Would I be able to take Owen Wilson seriously?
Would the two little girls hold their own, or would they break the fourth wall?
Quite simply, would this be a legitimate action thriller, or an unintentional comedy fest (a la Taken 2)?
For the most part, No Escape exceeded my expectations.
The latest work from brothers John Erick and Drew Dowdle (Quarantine; As Above, So Below), No Escape is a harrowing couple of days in the life of Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson), who moves his family from the good old U.S.A. to Unnamed South East Asian Country on the very day of a violent coup (No Escape was shot in Thailand, but most of the context clues point the setting to Cambodia; the movie has since been banned in both countries). Struggling to survive a city exploding with violence, Jack is faced with almost every terrible choice imaginable in an effort to save himself, his wife, and his two young daughters.
I have to hand it to Owen Wilson. He’s a little bit of his usual comedic self towards the beginning, but once the hammer drops and his character is in straight-up survival mode, he gives a very good performance; same for Lake Bell and the two little girls. I had little trouble believing this was a family trying to make it through an incredible life-and-death situation.
That said, I do have a few minor critiques of No Escape. For one thing, sometimes the visual style tries to get a little too cool for its own good, but this is far from a constant annoyance. Also, there’s a moment where the politics behind the coup are explained, which I don’t necessarily have a problem with, but the timing of it kind of interrupts the flow of the “survive” narrative; I guess it was supposed to be a twist, but I would have preferred it come closer to the beginning of the film, or not included at all. Lastly, there are some plot-related believability issues, especially in regards to Pierce Brosnan’s character, but, hey, it’s a movie, and it works for the most part; I’m not going to hammer it for that.
On the whole, No Escape was the most intense moviegoing experience I’ve had since I saw Roar (which is a movie about people surrounded by real lions). It’s not a work of art on the same level as say, Nightcrawler, but in this case I appreciated the simplicity of the story. I commend the Dowdle brothers for not only making such an effective and gripping film, but for maintaining a hard edge. This movie should be R-rated and it is. Kudos.
If you can handle the intensity, I’d say No Escape is definitely worth your time.
Rating: ★★★★☆