Worth Getting if You Don't Already Own It
Summary
I was hoping this was going to be a 4K upgrade of all 3 Escape Plan films however, it’s just the Blu-rays put into a steelbook; if you don’t already own them then is worthwhile addition, but the special features aren’t new and I’d have definitely preferred a 4K set instead.
I received the new Walmart Exclusive Steelbook of the Escape Plan trilogy the other day, so I thought I would update my older reviews of them for this new package.
Escape Plan (2013)
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: Escape Plan was quite an event for action fans as it had Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone sharing the screen where they both get to play genuinely interesting characters.
The story centers around Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) who knows how to infiltrate a prison — and bust out of one. His latest job leads to a double-cross, leaving him stuck in a high-tech facility with the worst that society has to offer. Luckily for Ray, he meets Emil Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), an inmate who secretly helps him hatch a plot to win his freedom. Only sadistic warden Hobbes (Jim Caviezel) stands in the way of the two men successfully making it out alive.
I think it remains one of the better movies of either action star both in the twilight of their careers as it delivers everything you could want from an Arnie/Sly team up. We get one-liners, fist fights, an engaging story and an explosive finale filled with shoot-outs and brutal kills. I love the moment when Arnie turns in slow motion with the gun and you know he’s about to unleash absolute carnage and it just transports me right back to the 80’s.
The villains are especially memorable here with Jim Caviezel playing the warden Hobbs and Vinnie Jones as his even nastier henchman Drake who takes great pleasure in making Breslin’s life Hell. Then we have the always great Vincent D’Onofrio as the two-faced Lester Clark and then Sam Neill as the potential ally Dr. Kyrie.
The performances all round are solid with Arnie nearly stealing the show; it’s cool to hear him speak in his native tongue as well which we rarely get to see in his movies. He and Sly have such great on-screen chemistry I wish that in their prime they made some kind of buddy movie as that could have been classic.
Escape Plan is well paced for the most part although the movie is at its best when both Arnold and Sly are sharing the screen together.
Overall, Escape Plan proves that Arnold and Sly still had what it takes to be the best action stars in the business. It’s packed with plenty of action, classic one-liners (“you hit like a vegetarian!”) and decent performances making it a hugely entertaining action movie.
Escape Plan 2: Hades (2018)
Plot: Ray Breslin manages an elite team of security specialists trained in the art of breaking people out of the world’s most impenetrable prisons. When his trusted operative, Shu Ren, is kidnapped and disappears inside the most elaborate prison ever built, Ray assembles an elite team to assist in the rescue.
Review: The main selling point of the first Escape Plan was the teaming up of Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger; something we’d all been wanting to see since their heyday in the 80s. It mostly delivered the action goods so when a sequel was announced rumour had it Arnold was set to return and we’d get more action nirvana. Sadly, Arnie is nowhere to be seen in Escape Plan 2: Hades and is instead replaced with Dave Bautista who strangely only has about one brief action scene, but is otherwise underutilized.
Stallone is also more of a supporting character with Xiaoming Huang taking the lead as Shu Ren. He isn’t all that interesting a character so we never really build up any rapport with him and frankly we spend most of the movie counting down until Sly is back on screen. Stallone still has a sizeable enough role, but he is more of a mentor only really getting in on the action in the second half, however the final fight scene is a little too brief.
Aside from that Hades has plenty of action with fight scenes every few minutes as inmates are forced to battle in “The Zoo” where the winner gets to spend time in “The Sanctuary” and the loser… doesn’t.
There is a little bit of shaky cam during some of the fights and also CG blood/explosions which is always an immediate turn off, but considering this is straight to DVD fare there are still some imaginative visuals.
This is a bit more sci-fi than its predecessor with medical droids and lasers making a more futuristic environment which may leave some scratching their heads but I just rolled with it and enjoyed it for what it was.
My favourite aspect was the music score from The Newton Brothers which was clearly influenced by Blade Runner 2049 and worked really well with the visuals.
At around 90 minutes long it’s well paced and never dull even if the main villain is a little predictable; you can figure it out pretty quick.
Overall, despite the lack of Arnold (and a smaller budget) Escape Plan 2: Hades is a very different beast from the first and many fans understandably dislike it, but it’s still a fun time with a few entertaining action scenes.
Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019)
Plot: After security expert Ray Breslin is hired to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a Hong Kong tech mogul from a formidable Latvian prison, Breslin’s girlfriend is also captured. Now he and his team, must pull off a deadly rescue mission to confront their sadistic foe and save the hostages, hidden in the depths of the prison complex, before time runs out.
Review: After the disappointing second entry in the Escape Plan series The Extractors is a vast improvement with one of the best casts of the year including Sylvester Stallone, Dave Bautista, Max Zhang, Daniel Bernhardt, 50 Cent, Jamie King, Devon Sawa and Russell Wong.
The Extractors feels very different from the second entry and removes the more sci-fi elements keeping things more grounded, but also strangely taking out the whole escaping from prison aspect. This time Ray Breslin (Stallone) and his crew are breaking into a prison to rescue his girl and the kidnapped daughter of a Hong Kong tech mogul.
Stallone thankfully has a bigger role this time around and although it is tenuous it is nice to see how the story connects to the first movie. Max Zhang is pretty much the main character which I have no issue with whatsoever as he has great screen presence and is rapidly becoming one of my favourite action stars. I was hoping that we would get to see Zhang and Bernhardt throwdown and it didn’t disappoint giving us the best fight scene of the movie. We can see all the action clearly and you can practically feel every punch and kick.
The first half doesn’t have all that much in the way of action mostly setting up the story and characters but it’s the last half hour that makes Extractors worth watching. Dave Bautista’s “down in front” moment had me cheering and by the end all I was thinking was “this should be an Expendables movie…”
Devon Sawa (Final Destination) is the main villain, but he isn’t particularly threatening, yet his motivation is understandable; his final showdown with Stallone is almost hilariously one sided as he gets his ass handed to him.
The story is less baffling this time around keeping things relatively straightforward which is the best way to do a movie like this. Everyone gets their moment to shine in terms of action; there are some imaginative R rated kills and a few surprising moments to keep things interesting, but you can’t help but feel that most of the budget went to Stallone’s salary. It lacks the glossy look of the first movie feeling lower in budget and you can’t help wishing Arnie would show up again.
Sadly, The Newton Brothers didn’t return to score The Extractors as the best thing about the second movie was the music so this time around it’s rather forgettable.
Overall, Escape Plan: The Extractors is a step up from the second entry with an awesome cast who all get to showcase their action skills and there are plenty of satisfyingly violent kills. Max Zhang steals the movie with his effortless cool and it’s great to see Daniel Bernhardt getting in on the action. This is a fitting end to the series and I feel like we don’t need a fourth entry.
Special Features:
Escape Plan
- Audio Commentary with Director Mikael Håfström and Writer Miles Chapman
- “Executing the Plan: The Making of Escape Plan” Featurette
- “Maximum Security: The Real-Life Tomb” Featurette
- “Clash of the Titans” Featurette
- Deleted Scenes
Escape Plan 2: Hades
- Making Escape Plan 2: Hades
- Building the Robot of Escape Plan 2: Hades
- Creating the Look of Escape Plan 2: Hades
- Extended Cast/Crew Interviews
- Trailer Gallery
Escape Plan: The Extractors
- Making Escape Plan: The Extractors
- Commentary with Director John Herzfeld and Actors Sylvester Stallone, Devon Sawa, and Daniel Bernhardt
- Trailer Gallery
If you already own the 3 movies then this likely isn’t worth an upgrade as there isn’t anything new in the special features, but what we do get is entertaining especially the commentary with Stallone, Sawa and Bernhardt in the third movie. The movies all look fine, but this would have been more interesting if it was a 4K upgrade. As it is it’s just the 3 Blu-rays, so like I said if you already own it then best save your money.