Le tombeau

I did not expect that I'd like two over-the-hill action stars trying their hand at yet another action movie. Surprisingly, I liked it.

Sylvester Stallone played Ray Breslin, a guy who professionally breaks out of prisons to show their weaknesses to the prison officials. It's a heckuva way to earn a living, but it was lucrative. I certainly couldn't do it. He's still in prison at the end of the day.

He accepted a deal to attempt to break out of a new international prison that was off the grid and off-record. This was a prison that would be used to house the world's worst criminals. The federal government offered him $5M to attempt to break out of this prison. Unlike all the other prisons, Breslin and his team-- Abigail (Amy Ryan), Hush (50 Cent), and Lester Clark (Vincent D'Onofrio)-- didn't know where this prison was. In fact, they had next to no information about it. That wasn't a deal breaker because Breslin still had an extraction code and he was chipped for locating. Well, they removed his chip when they rounded him up, and his extraction code was useless in the prison.

He met a man named Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in the prison right away. Rottmayer curiously gravitated to Breslin which is something that doesn't easily happen behind bars. It would be the two of them versus the warden, Hobbes (Jim Caviezel), from then on out. They would need each other, a lot of cunning, and a lot of luck to escape the state-of-the-art escape-proof prison.

If there was one thing that I didn't really care for was Breslin's all-encompassing knowledge. He admitted that he was a lawyer before which takes a fair amount of knowledge and practice, but where did he learn astronomy, nautics, ship controls, ship layouts, metallurgy, morse code, and a lot of other things. He had the knowledge of ten guys plus physical fitness. I only forgave this exaggerated resume because I liked the movie. It was technical, it appealed to one's belief in justice and fairness, it was heist-movie like in the scheming, and there was just enough action. Oh yeah, it was pretty funny too. Arnie was gifted some good lines.

To be honest, if I didn't like Sly and Arnie, two guys who were THE action stars of my youth, I don't think I would've liked this movie as much. They had just enough clout to pull it off even though they were very much past their prime.

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Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) is a renowned specialist in prison breaking in high-security facilities. He owns a company with his partner Lester Clark (Vincent D'Onofrio) and he works with his coworkers and friends Abigail (Amy Ryan) and Hush (50 Cent). Breslin follows three basic rules to escape: to know the layout; observe the routine; and get internal or external support to the getaway. Then he delivers a report with the flaws in the system to his client.

Breslin and his team are visited by the CIA agent Jessica Miller (Caitriona Balfe) that offers five-million dollars to him to test a state-of-art facility. Breslin accepts the challenge but soon he learns that he was double-crossed. The cruel prison ward Hobbes (Jim Caviezel) gives special attention to Breslin, following the instructions of his client and uses his right arm Drake (Vinnie Jones) to break Breslin. But the inmate Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) gets close to Breslin and helps him to find a way to escape and find who betrayed him. Will they be well succeeded in their intent?

"Escape Plan" is a full of action movie with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a great cast. The plot has the usual flaws but entertains a lot using the themes prison, betrayal and revenge that are always attractive. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Rota de Fuga" ("Escape Route")

Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) is an escape expert. He is hired to be put into prisons and escape. Abigail (Amy Ryan) and Hush (50 Cent) are his team and Lester Clark (Vincent D'Onofrio) gets them the job. The CIA comes calling to test a privately-run secret prison for the worst of the worst. When he's taken, his team lose track of him. The prison warden Hobbes (Jim Caviezel) refuses to let him go even though he gives the evacuation code. Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is one of the prisoners who helps Breslin but they're on their own.

I really love the first half of this movie. Sylvester Stallone really grew on me. The team and the jobs are interesting. Everything is going well. It makes sense why Hobbes wouldn't release Breslin at first. The first problem comes in the form of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Immediately, I am afraid of cheesy 80s action camp coming. For awhile, Arnold did his job and the story moves on. He did his best, and got a few jokes in. I actually prefer not to have the joking around. The sense of cheesy camp is always near and that's what the jokes are. Then the movie goes full on cheese. It's like a time warp into an old Arnold action movie when he takes the big machine gun.

There is also the problem of why some of these prisoners aren't just killed off. Why would a drug cartel care to keep Javed alive? No idea. Why not just torture Victor Manheim out of Rottmayer? No idea. Why wouldn't Hobbes kill Breslin once he finds out who he really is? No idea. There was somebody else (spoilers) who should want him dead. What happened?

It is so disappointing that this is not a better movie. It starts off so well but it's an obvious mistake to team up with Arnold doing serious action. That era is over and the guys are old. It may work in a jokey way in the Expendables franchise. This should be much better.

No doubt that movie is entertaining, 8/10, fast, no slow time. Humour, jokes, a few reference to older movie. This movie is with both main actor, not a Sly movie with a cameo of Arnold, its both of them all the time. It's good and funny. The plot is intelligent, I liked it. It's not a remake of any kind, of course you know the end or you can predict some of the turnouts. But, overall it is fun and intelligent. The ending is rushed a bit, turns out like a bit of a sort of "Expendable" style of movie, but not as much. No sex, or any kind of romance in that movie, or super chicks making you want to jump at the screen, it's a typical American movie, blood, guns & some violence, but no chick.

Having grown up with the action movies of Stallone and Schwarzenegger, to name but a few, during my childhood and youth, then it is always refreshing to see these iconic action stars on the screen.

Initially, I had some reservations about "Escape Plan", especially since this is the third prison movie of Stallone's, and the synopsis for this movie didn't really promise something great.

But I am glad that I saw it, because "Escape Plan" delivered the goods. This is a great action/thriller in every sense, and if you grew up with Stallone and Schwarzenegger's movies, then you definitely do not want to miss out on this one.

The storyline, shortly summarized, is about Ray Breslin (played by Stallone) who goes undercover in secure prison facilities in order to test their security measures and prove that they are indeed not inescapable. Taking on a new job, Breslin finds himself in over his head in a very strange facility, where he has to team up with Rottmayer (played by Schwarzenegger) if he is to break free of captivity.

The action sequences are great, as they always are with these guys. But what also made the movie so great, was the plot line and the revealing of what was really going on with the prison facility. That was a twist of events that I found really good.

There are some great names to the cast list, aside from Stallone and Schwarzenegger, such as Sam Neill, Vinnie Jones and Vincent D'Onofrio. Personally I can't claim to find any enjoyment in hip hop star 50 cents as an actor, and he is not one I would put my money on. But luckily his role is a minor one.

"Escape Plan" is definitely a man's movie, full of action, testosterone (although not up to par with "Expendables), and an interesting and well executed storyline. The movie is definitely well worth a watch if you enjoy action and thrillers.