Fuga de Pretória

Had I seen the IMDB rating I might not have watched it but am pleased I did. This production kept me engaged throughout bringing dramatic tension even to bubblegum on the ens of a stick! Particularly if you knew the consequences awaiting the protagonists if they failed. Perhaps the appalling situation could have been more graphically set up but as a prison break movie it works well but not if you want the graphic violence that so many filmmakers resort to for tension. Ignore the negatives & watch it

In 1978, Tim Jenkin (Daniel Radcliffe) and Stephen Lee (Daniel Webber) are two white members of the ANC setting off harmless pamphlet bombs. They get arrested and imprisoned with other white political prisoners. They are agitating to escape but longtime respected political prisoner Denis Goldberg (Ian Hart) counsels against it. French prisoner Leonard Fontaine (Mark Leonard Winter) is not like Goldberg.

It needs more about their work and their struggle before prison. It also needs more after the escape. The prison and the escape is well done. It has a very good tick-tick of their escape plan. It has very good bones but the body around it is a little scrawny.

This is an intense tale of prison escape. It is psychologically intense, and makes you want to root for them. I am impressed by their knowledge, skills and determination.

Its a dramathriller from true life, the apharteid era of south africa, anc and white political supporters, going to prison for equal rights. while there theyre fed up with the prison system and tries to make a way to escape. how and when its done i shall not spoil.

but if your in for a session of silverscreen watching, accompanied with a lot of stretching, hyperventilating, stress and a whole lot of sweat then youre in for it in this flick. the acting are good, the filmographic efforts combined with excellent light and soundwork, together with a serious set of score make it all even better.

why not 10, well i think the makers portrays the prisoners environment a bit smoother and humane than it was in the true life, and i think the introduction to the maincast is a bit slow and weak. so its not a perfect film, even though the grumpy old man had a good time.a recommend.

It was the 1970s and apartheid was still being strictly enforced in S. Africa. A small band of anti-apartheid white men were working to change that and one way was to plant "bombs" on the streets that would shoot hundreds of leaflets into the air because it was illegal to openly campaign for the cause. The bombs didn't hurt anyone, still two of them were arrested and sent to a highly secure prison in Pretoria, one for 8 years the other for 12 years.

Daniel Radcliffe plays one of them, Tim Jenkin who was sentenced to 12 years and who wrote the book upon which this movie is based. Jenkin himself makes a short cameo appearance in the movie and discusses all this in an "extra" on the DVD.

So the title tells us the outcome, over about a 13 month period, the movie about how they did it is even more interesting than I had expected. The way each cell is are locked there is an inside door with bars and sandwiched to it is a solid steel door that opens to the hallway. Plus there are another dozen or so locked doors between the cell and freedom. Plus not all of them take the same key. Highly secure, realistically no way for a prisoner to escape ... or so they thought. Think keys made of wood.

I watched this at home on DVD from my public library, my wife started but it got too slow for her and she abandoned it. I find it a very good movie of a historically significant story, Radcliffe is very believable in the role as Jenkin.