Escape Plan (Mikael Håfström)

[TGM]

ESCAPE PLAN

Director: Mikael Håfström

imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1211956/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTk3OTcxMTEyNl5BMl5BanBnXk FtZTcwMDQ4MjQ2OQ@@._V1._SX640_ SY948_.jpg

[Sxottlan]

Very mild yay. Can't really dislike it. Stallone and Schwarzenegger are genuinely the best part of the movie.

Had to chuckle at Stallone's character, who, beside his job as professional "jail Houdini" is also a former lawyer and prosecutor. He's also able to intuit the engine systems of a super tanker and is a crack shot. But then he can't see the obvious twist coming about the Schwarzenegger character.

I did like the Faran Tahir character. It was kind of bold to have a Muslim character go out in a blaze of glory and be the good guy. Naturally, the film hedged its bets by making him an opium dealer instead of some jihadist. Still, his appeal to the warden to get outside was well done ("I want my god to see me!") and his use of the makeshift sextant touched off memories of learning about famed Islamic explorer Ibn Battuta in college.

Otherwise, a drab production. Louisiana standing in for Colorado. C'mon. Very bland cinematography. The commercials ruined any twist about the superjail's location. Basically expanding the jail subplot from Face/Off into a feature length film.

Amy Ryan! Sam Neill?! Where have they been?

[number8]

Sam Neill had been busy starring in a JJ Abrams show no one watched.

[Winston*]

He's the antagonist in BBC show Peaky Blinders, which is very good.

[TGM]

Yeah, I thought this was pretty damn fun. And Schwarzenegger especially was a blast!

[wigwam]

Show business's Escape Plan for Vinnie Jones is gonna need a re-think!

[Dukefrukem]

This was fun, but they didn't need the whole twist for this to be as fun as it was. They could have just made a Prison Break like movie without all the deception and the "ah ha" at the end. What was especially unnecessary was Sly's boss turning on him, all for money? Is that really all you need in movies these days to be a bad guy?

[Stay Puft]

Yeah, this was dumb, but also a lot of fun. Sly and Arnie were great together, and it has a surprisingly strong supporting cast.

I'll admit, though, the only reason I was interested was Jesus. I remember seeing trailers for this but I don't remember seeing or hearing anything about Jim being in it until commercials featuring him prominently starting popping up during POI broadcasts. I was kinda over Sly and especially Arnie at that point, but anyways glad to be sorta wrong about that and find myself having a good time with this.

[Morris Schæffer]

That moment at the end, when Arnie detaches the Chopper's machine gun, and starts firing in glorious slow-motion was incredibly badass, in a way the Expendables movies just haven't managed.