Directed by: Foto 2014
Now that the novelty of having Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger back on the big screen is starting to wear off, we have to start asking ourselves whether the aging action stars can still be something more than just a punchline. The Expendables may have proven that moviegoers were at least morbidly curious, but their recent respective solo films indicated that Stallone and Schwarzenegger may no longer have the clout to carry a film on their own. So now we find them co-headlining a movie together for the first time ever… but is it an inspired team-up or just a desperate last ditch effort to save their careers?
On the surface, Escape Plan may not seem like the ideal vehicle for two guys who built their careers on machine guns and explosions. Prison movies by definition are usually slow-moving character pieces, but this could have given them an opportunity to flex their dramatic muscles instead. Unfortunately, although both actors look adequately grizzled, there is very little in the way of drama or acting to be found in the movie. The good news is that there are actually a couple of gunfights and more ridiculous one-liners in the movie than you might expect.
Stallone plays Ray Breslin, a security expert who makes a living by being inserted into maximum security prisons so that he can pinpoint their weaknesses and attempt to escape. He is approached by the C.I.A. to take on their own top secret prison, codenamed The Tomb, which they believe to be escape-proof. Once inside, he learns that he has been set up and made a permanent inmate. With the help of fellow prisoner Emil Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger), he must find a way to do the impossible (ie. break out and exact his revenge).
From the very opening scene, which shows Stallone breaking out of a prison using wads of wet paper and wax from inside a milk carton, it’s pretty clear that this is not going to be a realistic or even remotely credible prison break movie. Screenwriters Miles Chapman (Road House 2: Last Call) and Jason Keller (Mirror Mirror) consistently glide over details and completely ignore logic, banking on the fact that you will not actually stop to think about what is happening. A fair assumption for a Stallone or Schwarzenegger movie, perhaps, but still somewhat disappointing.
Equally disappointing is the fact that most of the titular “escape plan” simply relies on asking favours of people or manipulating them in even more unbelievable ways. This might not have been as big of a deal if the movie was not purely plot-driven, but there is not much else going on in terms of character development or back story to make up for it. There are a couple of twists that may surprise you, but ultimately there are only two good reasons to watch this movie and their names are at the top of the poster.
Stallone and Schwarzenegger have developed a rapport with each other over the years and it serves them well here. The majority of the enjoyment comes from watching them bust each other’s balls, but the movie is mercifully light on meta-jokes about their age and previous films. Schwarzenegger gets most of the best lines and he has an endearing glint in his eye that helps smooth out the unintentional comedy as well. On the other hand, Stallone keeps things just serious enough that the movie doesn’t become a full-on parody.
Jim Caviezel provides a decent villain as the sadistic Warden Hobbes who also happens to collect butterflies in his spare time. Vinnie Jones is one of the few guards who usually isn’t wearing an anonymous black mask for some reason and Sam Neill even shows up as a sympathetic doctor. Sadly, Amy Ryan is pretty underused, but on the bright side, so is 50 Cent, who plays Stallone’s partner and “techno-thug.”
The thing that really saves the movie is that in the last half-hour it eventually becomes the action movie that we all wanted in the first place. There is some questionable CG and director Mikael Hafstrom (1408, The Rite) is not particularly skilled behind the camera, but it’s still relatively satisfying. Part throwback and part modern thriller, Escape Plan is far from genius, but if you know the layout, know the routine and you know Arnold and Sly, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll still find a way to make it out alive. — Sean
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