Escape Plan (R)
14/03/14 21:20 Filed in: 2013
Starring: Sylvester Stallone
October 2013
This review was originally tweeted in Real-time from the back row of a movie theater and appears @BackRoweReviews. Though efforts were made to tease rather than ruin this movie’s memorable lines and moments, some spoilers may exist in the following evaluation. The original tweets appear in black, while follow-up comments appear in red. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. All ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!
Don’t know why, but I always spell his name wrong…should read Sly and Schwarz. With many apologies to the former Governator, who will undoubtedly hunt me down and make me pay for such a transgression.
Sly’s deconstruction of his breakout. Nifty sequence.
But is it too much like a magician revealing how he did a trick?
Chip is extracted...Houdini is on his own.
M.C. Escher must’ve designed this prison.
Sly meets the “favor man.”
A macho meet-cute.
“You hit like a vegetarian.” Ha!
A new challenge for the breakout artist. A cover story created.
The prison doctor has a familiar bearing. I think he was an archaeologist in a former life.
Lots of wipes now to speed the story along.
Very smart since there isn’t much story here to begin with.
Plan B. How long can you hold your breath?
Final analysis: far better than I thought it was going to be. Still a bit B tier, but entertaining.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 stars. A headier brand of action movie which suits the aging stars. A decent flick.
I have to admit, this movie was far better than I thought it was going to be. A movie headlined by two aging 80s action stars is an amusing stunt from a marketing perspective, but from the vantage of a ticket-buying spectator, the film seemed less than promising. Surprisingly, the serviceable story maintains interest throughout and the actors aren’t as wooden as would be expected. Though Sly walks around with a perpetual stinger in his neck and Schwarz doesn’t look half the man he used to be, both actors have fun with their parts and it’s that good-natured ribbing between the two “manly man” leads that carries the film—their chemistry is undeniable and such synergy propels the movie through improbable plot twists to its harrowing climax. All in all, this is a satisfying popcorn action picture that will tide you over until the next Expendables movie.