No Escape

A good story, well told is how I would describe this above-average American thriller that actually manages a certain level of intensity and momentum, two qualities I always look out for in my movies. It's a simple action thriller with a focus on movement and escape, as an American family visiting an unnamed south-east Asian country find themselves caught up in a coup and must literally flee for their lives.

The reason NO ESCAPE is so effective is because the storyline is a believable one. There's a decent sense of realism built up from the outset and just enough time given to develop the characters before throwing them into the deep end. I admit I was a bit nonplussed about the casting of Owen Wilson, but he was acceptable as the lead just as he was in the non-comedy BEHIND ENEMY LINES all those years ago. The rest of the cast have little to work with, but Pierce Brosnan brings a wry humour as the British tourist the family hook up with at their hotel.

The thriller sequences set in and around the hotel are by far the best bit of this film; they're edge of the seat stuff, with great cinematography to boost the action. After this point, the film drops down a notch and is never quite as thrilling; plus, I always dislike action set at night, because you can never see properly what's going on. Still, the hotel scenes alone are enough to make this a worthwhile watch.

I thought Owen Wilson was excellent in this movie. It was very suspenseful and really did keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Pretty graphic I must say, which is the only reason I did not give it a 9 or 10, but well written with an excellent plot. Going in I was a little apprehensive as to how good Owen Wilson was going to be in an "action" movie but he did not disappoint. A tad unbelievable given his build and stature as to what he was able to do from a physical standpoint in the movie but still kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. All in all I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who likes action and suspense.

I really enjoyed the movie and don't get the low reviews. Someone said it was racist brown vs white. Asians aren't brown. There's no racism in the movie. This is a story about an American family who is trying to survive a coup. Very simple concept but executed beautifully.

It's pretty much intense from 15 mins until the ending. I was on the edge of my seat hoping they made it. Owen Wilson shines in this movie. Kids though annoying did a good job. This isn't a thought provoking movie. It's a movie where you will love it if you love simple action movies.

Also not sure why the roof throwing scene gets cropped on. Seems reasonable to me Stuck on roof with bad guys with guns and can't go down jump across to the other building.

This movie did make me scared to go to another country.. reminds you to appreciate the freedoms and stability American has.

I walked into this movie with very low expectations and I was tired. This movie stars Owen Wilson in an Action/Thriller...not a comedy. That's not saying his comedies are that great, either. But this film wow-ed me. I literally said, "wow" out loud in the theater.

The start of the movie was very captivating. Enough action was in before the titles even came on, then unexpected humor. Kenny Rogers even showed up (not really, but you'll see what I mean)! Overall, Owen Wilson and his family are placed in extremely difficult situations to which it seems that there is little to no escape. The plot alone deserves at least a 4.5 of 5 stars. Coupled with the 5 star acting of not only Wilson, but the children! These kids were absolutely astounding and very convincing! Even Pierce Brosnan was a wonderful addition to the movie, with his excellent comedic timing. I will say that the comedy's placement messed with me because the movie was that stressful. Perhaps the only issue I had was the ending. It just could have been better writing. Direction and acting get 5 stars from me, and the soundtrack about a 4 for its excellent suspense addition. I did not expect this movie to be great, but I had trouble getting to sleep afterwards because I was so stressed out! This movie deserves at least a 4.5 of 5 stars! I would pay to see this movie!

NOTE: I've skirted around some of the key thrilling episodes that occur within the film, but I feel I've talked about them without actually giving anything away. I don't think this review requires a spoiler alert!

I watched this having heard absolutely nothing about it, and having not even heard of it. I caught the picture of the cover art, and it seemed like it was Wilson and Brosnan, so thought I'd take a look.

Right from the off - it had the feel of something everso slightly different from the normal action film fodder. I won't ruin the surprise beginning, and then it cuts to the Wilson based family heading into this unnamed Asian country for a job-move.

From almost upon arrival and for the rest of the film, it's something of a thrill ride. I found myself particularly enthralled when Bell was trapped in their hotel room at the beginning of events - something about the acting and the filming really conveyed real fear and this totally hooked me in. It was clear that this was going to be a decent film from this moment on. It has a slightly "handicam" film-making quality about it, but in this instance, it absolutely adds to the feel imho.

From the hotel rooftop to the adjacent, again, it conveyed real fear. Would you do that with your family? Shocking from a parents point of view, but believable in that you'd have no choice. From a parental perspective - totally shocking and enthralling. My wife happened to walk into the room just at this point, and she was definitely mentally scarred by what she saw!

And there it goes on - for me, the only real slight let-downs in the movie are when Brosnan re-finds the family which in such a scenario really isn't likely to have happened, and indeed what Bell does whilst they are hiding in the old man's garden. I don't feel that a mother, protecting her children would have done that.

Apart from these small elements of storyline which probably allowed a little too much implausibility, along with just how much difficulty with the local rebels Wilson's character was realistically likely to overcome and deal with, particularly towards the end of the film - even with full adrenalin running were the only small faults.

Still, having said all that - I'll be watching this again soon. It was quite a thrill ride and most certainly not wholesome family entertainment. There's some really quite surprisingly graphic scenes of violence, which totally suited the film, but definitely not for young eyes.