Hello Everyone! Hope you all are doing amazing.
I watched Escape Plan (2013) recently and didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did.
So I had heard about this movie before but never got around to watching it and the biggest reason I was interested was the cast. We have Sylvester Stallone and, Arnold Schwarzenegger together in a prison escape movie. They are in the same film. I mean, how can you not be curious about that?
So I finally decided to give it a watch, and it turned out to be a pretty entertaining action thriller.
It is not a movie that is trying to reinvent cinema or give you an extremely deep story, but it is mainly here to entertain you, and honestly sometimes that is exactly what I want from a movie.
I'm gonna keep this review totally spoiler free so if you haven't seen it yet don't worry I won't mention any major twists or how the movie ends.
The idea of the movie is interesting.
Sylvester Stallone plays Ray Breslin, a man who has a unusual job. His specialty is testing prisons. He will lock himself inside different prisons. He then will try to escape them. He will try to figure out how.
And, honestly, that sounds like a pretty terrible job to me.
So you willingly get yourself sent to prison just so you can figure out how to get out.
Ray is good at what he does, he studies prison design, watches guard behavior, looks for weaknesses and understands how the system works.
Things change when he is sent to a prison that is unlike anything he has dealt with before.
And, this is where the movie really starts getting interesting.
The prison itself is probably one of the best parts of Escape Plan.
So it is not just a normal prison but one designed to make escaping extremely difficult, and Ray has to use everything he knows to figure out where he is and, how the place works.
I really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the prison.
At the beginning, you're trying to understand the situation along with Ray.
Where is he?
Why did they take him there.
Who is in charge of the place?
He has no way out.
Those questions kept my interest.
The movie doesn't give you all the answers at once which makes the first part sorta enjoyable because you watch Ray observe his surroundings and, try to figure things out.
It's less about simply punching guards in addition to breaking through doors and more about using intelligence.
That's what sets Escape Plan apart from action movies.
The main character is not escaping because he is the strongest person in the building.
He's escaping because he's studying everything around him.
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Then Arnold Schwarzenegger enters the scene.
Arnold plays Emil Rottmayer, a fellow prisoner who matters to Ray's journey.
Seeing Stallone and Schwarzenegger sharing the screen is probably the biggest attraction of the movie, also thankfully, their pairing works pretty well.
Their personalities differ enough that they do not feel like two versions of the same character.
Stallone's character is more focused and analytical, and Arnold brings confidence, humor and attitude to his role.
Their conversations stand out in the movie.
So there is action movie dialogue here and sometimes it's serious and, sometimes it's funny and you can feel the movie saying yep these two action stars are finally together.
I didn't mind it.
It adds personality to what could have been a serious movie.
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The action itself is solid.
The film has fights, chases, and shootouts.
Like I mentioned before, the movie doesn't rely only on action.
Much of the tension comes from Ray trying to understand the prison.
Sometimes the most interesting scenes are simply him walking around, observing something or talking to another prisoner.
You know that something is not right, but you are waiting to see what happens next.
I liked that.
The movie balances action in addition to mystery.
When the action happens, you get what you expect from a Stallone , Schwarzenegger movie.
Big punches.
Big guns.
Explosions.
And, some very angry looking men.
It is not exactly subtle, but that is part of the fun.
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The prison design was another thing I liked.
It feels almost like a puzzle.
Ray has to figure out the rules before he can figure out how to break them.
There are cameras everywhere, routines are strict, movement is heavily controlled, and, there is very little privacy.
That gives a constant feeling of being watched.
Even when nothing is happening, there is the feeling that Ray could get caught doing something he isn't supposed to.
The movie became more suspenseful than I expected.
The setting is also quite claustrophobic.
Much of the movie occurs in the prison, so you feel there is no escape.
Which is obviously exactly what the movie wants you to feel.
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The supporting cast is also good.
There are several prisoners and guards who add different personalities to the prison environment.
Jim Caviezel plays Willard Hobbes, the warden, a character who feels in control of the situation.
He's the kind of character you immediately don't trust.
There are other prisoners who each have different personalities and, roles within the story.
I won't go into too much detail about them because discovering these characters is part of the fun.
The movie makes the prison feel like a small society.
There are rules.
There are alliances.
There are people you can trust.
You should not trust some people.
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Escape Plan isn't perfect.
The story can be a bit predictable sometimes.
There are moments where you have to accept the logic of the movie and go with it.
Some dialogue is definitely very "2010s action movie."
If you want something very realistic, this movie is not suitable.
But I didn't care about most of that.
I watched Escape Plan without expecting a documentary about prison security.
I wanted to see Stallone and Schwarzenegger try to escape from an almost impossible prison.
And, the movie delivers that.
Sometimes you do not need to overthink things.
Sit down, get some snacks and enjoy the ride.
The timing of the movie works.
The prison mystery and characters develop fully, but the story moves quickly.
Once Ray is inside the prison, I was constantly curious about what his next move would be.
I also found myself trying to guess how he would escape.
That's probably one of the best things about the movie.
It makes you participate a little.
You watch someone try to escape.
You try to escape with him.
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I enjoyed that Escape Plan knows what kind of movie it is.
It's a classic action thriller with two legendary action stars.
It has got a cool premise.
It has a dangerous prison.
It's got mystery.
It has got fights.
It's got explosions.
And, there's enough humor to stop things from getting too serious.
Could the story have been deeper?
Sure.
The characters could have been further developed.
Definitely.
The action could have been more realistic.
Probably.
But I still had a good time watching it.
For me, that's what counts.
After finishing Escape Plan, I can say that I would recommend it if you are looking for an action movie.
It is worth watching if you are a fan of Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger.
People click on this movie to see them work together and, their chemistry does not disappoint.
It's not one of the greatest action movies ever made, &, I wouldn't put it in the same category as some of the legendary classics from Stallone and, Arnold.
But it does not need to be.
It's a prison escape thriller that maintains your interest and provides what you expect.
Sometimes that works.
Anyway thats it for this post. Please do give your reviews in the comments section below. I would really appreciate it :)
I'll be back with another one soon. So do follow me if you want to stay updated. Till then, Stay Happy and Stay Hydrated.
Rating: 85/100
