The Escapist

all i can say is "Wow!" this film took me totally be surprise. I found it for a tenner in my local Blockbuster, and i was inspired. It is proof that us british film makers, are capable of producing compelling stories, great action and high class performances in a blend that hollywood has trouble doing.

Indeed, it infuriates me that an excellent piece of work like this should go straight to video, whereas utter trash like Jackass the movie gets a full cinematic release worldwide.

This film brings hope to all of us independant film makers, that it doesn't take a huge budget to make a good film, and also reminds us that the primary reason people should make films is to entertain, not make money.

a Solid 9 out of 10

and i do mean drama.this is not an action packed movie.the emphasis is definitely on the drama.it's all about the trouble a man goes to to get revenge on a guy who killed his wife.it takes quite awhile to get there,and when it does,it's almost not worth it,at least in my opinion.i don't mind if a movie takes awhile to get to the payoff,except in this movie,there isn't really a payoff.i sorta wondered to myself if it was worth all the trouble the guy went through.but the movie is at least watchable.plus,there is a bit of character development and there's some pretty good acting.plus,it's not as if the movie is drop dead boring or anything.i just expected more.if you're an action junkie,you should look elsewhere for your fix.you won't find it here.when all is said and done,i think The Escapist is worth a 6/10.

Jonny Lee Miller plays Denis, a rich pilot with a pretty pregnant wife, Valerie (Paloma Baeza) whose life is turned upside down when a thief breaks into their humble home and maliciously shoots Valerie and leaves Dennis to cope with the lasting sadness of her murder. Denis is not satisfied when Valerie's killer, notorious thief Ricky Barnes (Andy Serkis), is thrown into an Alcatraz style prison for 20 years. For Denis, this sentence isn't enough; as he achingly muses, if he were given the option of visiting his wife for 2 hours once a week, a month or even once a year, that would be better than what he has now… nothing. He cannot get past his need for revenge; not even his baby girl, delivered by C-section, can coax him out of this fog. And so he devises a plan to get himself thrown into the same high-security prison as Barnes, and get his revenge.

Revenge is the central theme of this fantastic film, written by Nick Perry and directed by Gillies MacKinnon. It isn't always an edge-of-your-seat drama, more it is an intrinsic look into the creation, hungering and devouring need for revenge…. The high-stakes drama comes in the last half hour or so, when Denis's plan is tangible as he gets thrown into Barnes's prison. The film doesn't try to show that light exists at the end of the tunnel, or that every cloud has a silver lining. Denis's thirst for reprisal is depressing; he has such tunnel-vision that not even his baby girl and the hint of a fresh start can coax him out of his ebb. And the really sad thing is that as we watch Denis strive toward his realized vengeance, we as the viewer know that what comes after he succeeds is not going to be pretty… he will be left with nothing, no life, nothing to drive him, just the realization of all that he has lost. So while rooting for Denis to get payback on the evil Ricky Barnes, there is also a devastating knowledge that things will only get worse from here on in.

Johnny Lee Miller is a relatively unknown actor who never made good on his break-out performance in the film "Trainspotting"; if he is known at all, it is as Angelina Jolie's first ex-husband whom she constantly says she regrets divorcing. Miller doesn't always captivate and command the screen, but he is adequate in this lead role as a tough, driven lover whose sadness is really eating him alive. The real star in this film is the wicked Andy Serkis, best known for his role as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films and as the monkey in another Jackson film "King Kong". Surprise, surprise; Serkins can actually act sans the tight-blue lycra and CGI wires – his brilliance is measured by his loathsomeness – and trust me, it's always at breaking point!

Great little straight to video gem that would go totally unnoticed if it wasn't always on cable television.

The skilled pilot Denis Hopkins (John Lee Miller) loves with his pregnant wife Valerie (Paloma Baeza) and has a comfortable lifestyle. When the gang of criminals leaded by the sadistic Ricky Barnes (Andy Serkis) breaks in his seaside house, he offers whatever the criminals want to protect his beloved wife but the evil Ricky kills Valerie. The baby is saved, and later the murderer is arrested and sent to the maximum security prison of Sullen Voe. Denis moved by the purpose of revenging the death of Valerie, gives Amy and his house to his sister-in-law Christine (Jodhi May). Then Denis breaks a police car and is arrested, but he does not reveal his true name and is called John "What" by the prisoners and guards. Denis successively escapes, forcing his transference to Sullen Voe. When he reaches his objective, Ricky schedules a confrontation, but things do not happen the way Denis expected.

"The Escapist" is a great thriller following the saying "Eye for an Eye". Laws with the soft sentence of twenty years for a brutal murder like the sadistic Ricky Barnes does in the movie will only change when societies proactively react, like for example, the character of Denis Hopkins does in the movie killing the criminal. Unfortunately the rushed flawed conclusion forgets the fate of the secondary characters of Christine, Ron and Ricky Barnes's son that could be easily associated to Denis, disclosing his true identity. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Escapista" ("The Escapist")

What can I say?! This film is under rated and the actors and actresses deserve all the credit in the world for a truly entertaining performance. Hats off to Johnny Lee Miller and Andy Serkis; they blew me away. This film has it all; comedy, (Johnny's face in the plane!), drama (his wife), and the bit with Vin is truly heart wrenching. I really felt for Johnny's character and how much he NEEDS revenge, amazing! This is a film for young adults/adults. Due to the sometimes graphic nature of the images shown I wouldn't recommend this for children of 12 or under.