Escape at Dannemora

My Rating : 8/10

I'm hooked. I found myself being sucked into this simmering prison break drama right off the bat and am really looking forward to this 7-hour movie unfold every week.

Great camera work, well-thought out storyline and interesting characters. Benicio Del Toro has always been an acting tour de force and this might end up being his best work yet. Impressive performances from Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano who have transformed themselves superbly for their roles. The real surprise for me and many others would be the directing chops of Ben Stiller. Props for giving this an honest treatment, choosing great filmmaking locations (shots of Dannemora, the prison, Malone, Plattsburgh, even the manhole that the prisoners escaped to, are all the actual locations) and the use of music adds a really nice touch to this prison break drama.

Looking forward to the next episodes and of course a thrilling series finale! My favourite moment so far is Benicio Del Toro's ferocious guttural warning to Patricia Arquette's character in Ep 3 - DON'T TELL ANYBOOOOODDDYYYYYY. Rewind and Rewatch x 10000000.

Couldnt turn it off. What a cast, it would have been wasted in a 2hr movie. Great characterization, supreme acting by all, with excellent cinematography and a perfect meandering soundtrack to match the mood. Thank you Ben Stiller for an exceptional piece of art.

Just a while ago I finished the first episode at the world premiere of "Escape At Dannemora." It's very interesting. Ben Stiller does a really great job directing a serious drama with comedic effects about two inmates and a female prison guard. The episode I saw, which is a great introduction to the series, is beautifully shot and well acted, and well written. Patricia Arquette is really good in this, Benicio del Toro is such a great character and Paul Dano is such a fascinating character it's overwhelming of how damn good it is. It's an 8/10 because it has some pacing issues and makes the episode very centered on one character, which I guess is alright. I find it hard to believe that it is a 7-episode-series because it could be a feature film on its own, but it will be interesting to see where they go with this show and how they extend the story. I do also think the audio is a bit muffled and the pacing has problems, but the music is great and the whole feel of the show is just so good. I can't wait for the show to premiere and for people to really enjoy this.

The story would have been much more riveting had it not been stretched into seven episodes. The tension factor was diluted by too much unnecessary fill. A shame, because it distracted from the excellent job done by the actors. When an hour-long episode feels like two, something's not right. An interesting story despite all that, but the "5" rating reflects all the time that was killed for no obvious dramatic effect.

In these times where raving reviews are just about everywhere, this is one of the solid few. Class A production all through. Reminds me of "The night of..". Very promising.