Directed by : John Erick Dowdle
Written by : John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle
Starring : Owen Wilson, Lake Bell, Sterling Jerins, Claire Geare, Pierce Brosnan
Release Date : August 26, 2015
There's a lot of fears and anxieties that are present in "No Escape." Being in a foreign and unfamiliar land. Not being able to speak or read the local language. Being in a country where a sudden coup d'etat has erupted. Needing to protect your family from people that are hunting you down to kill you. All that combined is definitely a horrific situation to be in, and this film successfully lets its audience feel the terror of it all.
Going from one dangerous situation to another, the film moves at an energetic pace. It only slows things down just enough to catch your breath until it ramps up the intensity once again, like a certain escape attempt across two buildings which kept me on the edge of my seat. It was easy for me to have that sense of hopelessness for this family, and I only wanted to see these characters make it out in one piece.
Thankfully for the characters, there's a lot of coincidences and conveniences that happens for their benefit, which keeps the theme and tone of this movie just below the horror category of films by not going darker than it honestly could. Those deus ex machina plot devices are admittedly a bit disappointing as it took me out of my suspension of disbelief on how realistically believable the danger of the coup presented.
When watching "No Escape" it's easy to compare it to a zombie apocalypse movie, with it's sense of desperation and how the antagonists are just so unrelenting. That experience is the reason to see this movie. You just have to ignore some of the flaws in the story telling.
lovedit ENJOYED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible
