Saturday Night At The Movies

Pure escapism

By Dennis Hartley















Shakespeare in gloves: Joseph Fiennes fights dirty.



I always screen prison dramas with a bit of trepidation. While there have been quite a few outstanding ones produced over the years, it’s a movie genre that has become a bit hoary. What more could they possibly do with it? I sometimes amuse myself by ticking off my mental checklist of prison drama clichés as I watch. I played this little game while screening The Escapist, the feature film debut for British writer-director Rupert Wyatt:

Shiv in the kidneys? Check.

Suffocation by pillow? Check.

Shower rape scene? Check.

Brutal fistfight (with wagering) while guards look the other way? Check.

Someone takes a nasty tumble from the upper cell block level? Check.

Cat-calls and wolf-whistles for the “new meat” as they get checked in? Check.

Drug vending via library cart? Check.

And of course, a daring, seemingly impossible escape plan? Check.

Just as I was thinking that I had The Escapist sussed and proceeded to settle myself in to brace for another intense (if somewhat predictable) British prison drama along the lines of Scum, McVicar or The Criminal, I soon found myself sitting up a little straighter. Then, before I knew it, I was literally on the edge of my seat, breathlessly caught up in an exciting and compelling story that is capped off by an unexpectedly mind-blowing finale.

The story is set in a London facility that vibes vintage Wormwood Scrubs (in actuality, Dublin’s darkly atmospheric Kilmainham Jail). Brian Cox stars as an aging, life-tired convict named Frank Perry, who is doing life without parole. When he learns that his daughter has fallen gravely ill as a result of her struggle with drug addiction, he devises an escape plan that involves literally worming one’s way through the city’s hellish labyrinth of underground infrastructure to freedom. He enlists a team of four disparate personalities (played to the hilt by Dominic Cooper, Seu Jorge, Liam Cunningham and Joseph Fiennes)-who are bonded together by a fierce desire to escape their bleak milieu.

The storyline is relatively simple, but it’s really all about the journey (in this case, both literally and figuratively). The attention grabber in Wyatt’s screenplay (co-written with Daniel Hardy) is the flashback/flash forward construct; it’s an oft-used narrative trick that can be distracting or gimmicky in the wrong hands, but it’s very effective here. As the escape itself unfolds, the events leading up to it are revealed to us in a very deliberate, Chinese puzzle-box fashion. With this device, the filmmakers cleverly build up the dramatic tension on two distinct fronts, and by the time they intersect, you’ll have to remind yourself to breathe. What’s killing me here is that I can’t reveal the classic crime thriller that this most closely recalls-as that would be tantamount to a major spoiler!

The actors are all superb, particularly Liam Cunningham and the Scottish-born Cox, who I think is frequently underrated. He’s one of those highly skilled, “all purpose” character actors whose name may escape you, but you definitely know him when you see him. He worked extensively in British television from the early 70s thru the mid-80s, but didn’t register a blip with U.S. audiences until his memorable turn as (the original!) Hannibal Lecktor in Michael Mann’s 1986 cult thriller, Manhunter. I have to admit, I didn’t recognize Joseph Fiennes until the credits rolled; I guess he is more of a chameleon than I had previously thought. Damian Lewis is quite good as the prison kingpin, and Steven MacKintosh gives an edgy performance as his dangerous, perpetually tweaked brother.

I think Wyatt will be a director to watch. I can tell that he is a filmmaker who has studied the masters. There are echoes of Carol Reed, particularly in a sequence that takes the escapees through the London sewers; the highly expressionistic use of chiaroscuro lighting is obviously homage to The Third Man. He’s not overly flashy, and perhaps most refreshingly, does not appear to be trying to remake Reservoir Dogs (like so many first-time out directors are these days). There’s no escaping one fact: this is a terrific film.

Note: The Escapist is in limited release in theatres, but is also currently available on IFC pay-per-view (although after watching it at home, I wish I had opted for the big screen.)

OK, here’s the plan: The Great Escape, Brute Force, Cool Hand Luke, The Defiant Ones, The Sugarland Express, Escape From Alcatraz, The Fugitive, U.S. Marshals, Down by Law, Runaway Train, A Man Escaped, Papillon, Midnight Express, The Bridge on the River Kwai, 48 Hours, Take the Money and Run, Raising Arizona, His Girl Friday, Escape from New York, Caged Heat, Bandits (1997), Oz (HBO series).