The Escape

This short is a return to the very famous driver series of short films. These were made to market the BMW – featuring as very short adverts on television but fuller short films on the internet. The Escape returns to that with a plot seeing the driver transporting some form of clone with a heavy private military security escort.

As someone who watches a lot of short films, there is something good about seeing brands entering this space. It adds legitimacy for the casual viewer, and brings people into the habit of watching 8-9 minute long stories on the internet. So to see BMW putting their money and product back into it is encouraging – it is just a shame that the film itself is not. There is a lot of money here; it has names in front of the camera and behind it, and all of it looks expensive and very slick. But this is all it is. The vague plot has no hook, and the enigmatic style works against the film – keeping the viewer out emotionally, so the action has no weight.

It is a shame, because I wanted it to have the drama and intensity that the budget was more than able to support, but it doesn't deliver on that front, leaving the rest just looking expensive and glossy but without anything of more substance than that.

A cool little short film, The Escape is easily the greatest commercial I've ever seen. Imagine if The Transporter (2002) was way shorter, had less action and no Jason Statham, but did have Clive Owen and Jon Bernthal. BMW should be proud.

Clive Owen does his best Jason Statham, channeling Frank Martin from the Transporter films. This role really suits Owen, and further proves that he would've been a great James Bond had they cast him some years ago. He's a good protagonist, mysterious and intriguing, and is complimented by Jon Bernthal, who is good as the villain. Bernthal plays his usual grizzled tough guy role to a T, and it works. Dakota Fanning and Vera Farmiga are both here, which was surprising. The performances are good overall, especially considering that this is just an extended advertisement. It's a very stacked cast for what seems like such a small production.

There's a bit of cool action, in the form of a long car chase, and there are some slick crashes and explosions. The stunts are tight, and the budget actually looked pretty big for something like this. Neill Blomkamp directed this, which isn't surprising when you see the action scenes. He brought us District 9 (2009), Elysium (2013), and Humandroid (2015), and clearly has an eye for action scene structure and execution.

Definitely worth a watch, as it's such a minimal time investment anyway. Can't really be compared to a normal full-length theatrical film, but still great in its own right. This is the only time I've ever actually wanted a car after watching a commercial.