Movies…with a little bit of obscure culture and sports mixed in
“A soldier convicted for murdering his commanding officer is dumped and left to die on a prison island inhabited by two camps of convicts.” Director: Martin CampbellWriters: Richard Herley, Michael […]
“A soldier convicted for murdering his commanding officer is dumped and left to die on a prison island inhabited by two camps of convicts.”
Director: Martin Campbell
Writers: Richard Herley, Michael Gaylin, Joel Gross
Staring: Ray Liotta, Lance Henriksen, Stuart Wilson, Kevin Dillon, Kevin J. O’Connor, Don Henderson
Release Date: April 29, 1994
IMDB
No Escape (1994) is an action/science-fiction story that features a small but recognizable cast and a young and talented director behind the camera. Moving at a quick, sometimes jumpy pace, No Escape keeps moving forward despite its faults and the end result is a simple, easily watchable, viewing experience.
Robbins (Ray Liotta) is a stellar soldier but his unblemished resume is forever stained when he is sentenced to prison for the assassination of a general officer. In the futuristic year of 2022, Robbins is shipped off to space to rot in a commercial prison where no one is typically heard from ever again.
Robbins finds himself in a very unique position when the CEO of the prison drops him off in “The Absolom”, seemingly to die. However, Robbins didn’t hear a bell. The quiet, sassy and supremely confident killing machine makes his way through the untamed wilderness and finds a tribe of hungry killing machines under the leadership of Marek (Stuart Wilson). Robbins finds a way to infuriate Marek and his cohorts, so now he is on the run from the law and fellow con men.
Sanctuary turns out to be a quaint wooden fortified village under the leadership of a man called The Father (Lance Henriksen). Robbins rehabs his battle wounds within this relatively normal farming community and while there he learns that The Warden (Michael Lerner) tends to leave anything outside his concrete walls alone. That means that Marek’s men and The Father’s followers are “free”, in a limited sense. Robbins doesn’t see himself as part of either tribe, but is forced to make a moral choice when Marek decides it’s time to expand his territory.
No Escape is a great example of balancing entertainment with technical appreciation. Strictly from a plot structure and character arc stand point, No Escape is like swiss cheese. It is tasty, but there are plenty of holes to poke your fingers through. But from an action and attention-grabbing standpoint, this mid 1990s forgotten romp is worth the watch for genre fans.
Martin Campbell directed No Escape and the well regarded action director begins his career with this better than it ought to be adventure. While the dynamism and comedy of the action is not as magnetic as his future projects, there are memorable scenes sprinkled in.
The best moments from No Escape come when Marek is on the screen. Portrayed by Stuart Wilson, this leader of the rabid forest dwellers is having a fucking blast feasting on the chaos he sows. Marek thrives as a tyrant of madmen, and his comedic timing pairs kinetically with his pension for violence.
The important thing about Marek is that he has a relationship with the prison and the Warden (Michael Lerner). It is the one piece of connective tissue that links the confrontation of the tribes to the initial premise of the movie. If you think No Escape is a prison escape movie, then you are in for a surprise. Don’t fall for the trailer. It is lying to you.
You know what isn’t lying to you? Your eyes. Yes, everyone in this movie is recognizable. Liotta is the draw, but don’t forget about Lance Henriksen. Playing the part of The Father, Henriksen is immediately recognizable as Bishop from Aliens (1986). Working down the line we have Stuart Wilson who teamed up with Campbell again in 1998 for The Mask Of Zorro. A year after Antonio Banderas was scarring bad guys with swords, there was the all-time summer blockbuster classic The Mummy (1999). Staying on the right side of the river, Kevin J. O’Connor double dips with the part of Stephano in No Escape, and Beni in The Mummy.
You want more faces? How about a super-duper young Kevin Dillon? Star Wars fans will recognize the face of Don Henderson, who defied Darth Vader as General Taggi. Lastly, and probably more recognizable, there is Ghostbuster Ernie Hudson playing the part of Hawkins. No Escape takes place 10 years after Ghostbusters (1984), but no one will ever forget Hudson’s efforts as Winston.
All those names and faces are what makes No Escape more fun than it has any right to be. You are watching this movie with a ton of recognizable talent, but they are all performing at their C-level. Well, most. Stuart Wilson is giving A+ stuff. For a movie like No Escape, this floor of passable is more than enough to keep you engaged in a silly territorial dispute on a prison planet.
One does not need to put on their thinking cap when watching No Escape. Screenwriters Michael Gaylin, Joel Gross, and novel author Richard Herley throw in various unnecessary and unfulfilled plot points. There is family tension unnecessarily inserted and undercover scientific experiments for escape prove to be nothing more than macguffins. But who cares? Come the very abrupt ending of the movie, No Escape may leave your mind right away but it won’t leave you feeling disappointed.
As of late June, No Escape was streaming (with commercials) on Amazon Prime.
STANKO RATING: C+
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