Verdict
Summary
Sly & Arnie prove that when they are at their best, nobody does it better; Escape Plan has a genuinely good story, well developed characters and most importantly, kick-ass action.
Plot: When a structural-security authority finds himself set up and incarcerated in the world’s most secret and secure prison, he has to use his skills to escape with help from the inside.
Review: So the day has finally come and I got to see Arnie and Sly on the big screen again; I feel transported back to the 80’s and seeing them together on screen made the kid in me giddy with excitement.
Did the movie live up to expectations? I’d say a resounding Hell Yes! Arnold Schwarzenegger steals every scene he is in and has all the best lines; unlike The Expendables 2 though, there are no cheesy self-reverential one-liners.
Escape Plan is arguably the smartest movie both Arnie and Sly have ever done with a well thought out story and surprisingly developed characters. It did remind me of several other movies like Stallone’s Lock Up and the TV Show Prison Break but it had enough freshness to keep me glued from beginning to end.
Jim Caviezel wins the award for best bad guy of the year though; he’s a sadistic bastard in this and you will hate him as soon as he comes on screen. Sam Neill has a small but pivotal role and I would have liked to have seen more of him but we all know who the real stars of the movie are and it belongs to them.
Sly is as likable as always and both he and Arnie are so larger than life that they just eat up the screen. When Arnie made his appearance for the first time, the audience cheered and during the finale… well I won’t say, but it’s classic Arnie.
Vinnie Jones plays a bad guy (for a change) and he’s as good as always, but it’s hardly a stretch for him as he rarely plays any other kind of role. He has a great fight with Stallone though which is thoroughly satisfying.
The plot managed to be unpredictable for the most part and there were a few twists and turns that I genuinely didn’t see coming. It got extremely tense in places and you’ll be rooting for Sly and Arnie just like the good old days.
The last 20 minutes it goes into 80s action movie mode and I had a huge smile on my face all the way. The film also manages to have a little dig at Rendition which caused a huge stink around the time of George Bush’s administration. It doesn’t explore it in huge depth but it does give you something to think about.
Overall, after all these years Sly & Arnie prove that when they are at their best, nobody does it better; Escape Plan has a genuinely good story, well developed characters and most importantly, kick-ass action. Hugely entertaining.
