MOVIE REVIEW – NO ESCAPE

A HARROWING JOURNEY THROUGH THIRD WORLD HELL

Movie Review – “No Escape”

Review by Ray Schillaci

A typical American family is transferred over to a third world country for business purposes in Southeast Asia, and the first sign of trouble, aside from the cable and internet not working, is a very weird vibe from the locals that something is brewing. Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson) has been sent over to work for his new water treatment employer, Cardiff, and he has obviously filled his family with one too many promises regarding the move, none that seem to be fulfilled. But that’s the least of Jack’s worries when he suddenly discovers during a morning stroll that he and his family have been placed in the middle of a war zone with revolutionaries ready and willing to beat and kill all tourists.

John Erick Dowdle’s, “No Escape” is jarringly real with its documentary-style camera work. The opening alone is unsettling, but what follows after the first ten minutes is near heart-stopping with a very matter-of-fact murder spree that is spread throughout the small area. There is danger at every turn, jarring violence and in the midst of it all an unfortunate American family that we can relate to. Dowdle, and his brother Drew Dowdle, establish very early on that this family represents the typical American family that is involved in globetrotting to whatever third world country they are designated to due to the “world economy”. They do not come out and say that, but it’s definitely alluded to.

This family would much rather make their home in the states where they are far more comfortable and safer, but finances have dictated their lives as well as the lives in this poor, war-torn country. The Dowdle Brothers are not just content to give us an escape (or attempted escape) story, they carefully lay out the groundwork of the beginnings of a revolution and how it escalates with money and power. The one fresh breath of air in this near breathtaking suspense tale is Pierce Brosnan’s character, Hammond.

With the first introduction of Brosnan’s Hammond, we almost forget who this actor is. Brosnan is more rugged and roguish than he has ever been before. He represents the man that never settles down, and always seems to be in places most people would prefer to stay away from. In the beginning, he’s an enigma that is hard to trust, even though he insists that he can aid Dwyer’s family from all the pitfalls of first entering the kind of country that welcomes their tourists, only to take advantage of them. A difficult state of mind, given that the natives of the land have felt taken advantage of for years by those who have visited them.

Owen Wilson and Lake Bell are very likable and believable as the struggling Dwyer couple with two small children and the story would be so much different had it just been about Wilson’s character or the married couple. Neither Wilson or Bell’s character ever turn into stock action characters. They make mistakes, have real fears, and deal with their children the best way they can under the harshest of conditions. The children are just as real. They have no qualms about making it known they just want to go back home. They genuinely fear everything happening around them and they tend to freeze up in terror as most children would. They even have to go to the bathroom at the worst possible times and yeah, that does happen in real life.

By adding the children to the mix, and playing out their individual personalties and quirks, director Dowdle knows very well that they are the linchpin of this story. Their safety is tantamount to the tale. Whatever Wilson or Bell go through cannot equal the terror these children are being subjected to, and that in itself is affecting their parents.

Some may scoff at this, and insist it’s an easy way to mount tension. In most cases I could agree, but John Erick Dowdle’s execution of this story is so tight that I cannot see him over-using the children as a mere tool, like a jump/scare in a horror film, and this film is horrifying and gripping in its portrayal of chaos ripping the fabric of a civilization.

Also, there may be an argument among critics and audiences alike over the portrayal of the Southeast Asian people during these hyper-sensitive “politically correct” times. Some may claim that the Dowdle brothers are promoting a xenophobic atmosphere, creating a one-dimensional evil. I believe that’s an over-simplification by those easily offended, and counter to the way the film is shot. Dowdle gives us the view through his lead characters’ eyes, and it is extremely effective.

“No Escape” brings to mind the same uncomfortable feeling we had with the very memorable ‘Midnight Express”. Both films give us a sense of claustrophobia, and being at a loss when one is taken to a place where its people and environment are not only unfriendly, but possibly dangerous as well. Very few complained about the way “Midnight Express” portrayed Middle Eastern people when the film came out. But in these highly sensitive times, some have easily chastised the Dowdle brothers for their story, but in this critic’s view that’s unwarranted.

“No Escape” is a smart and harrowing journey through a third world hell. It’s a gut puncher that leaves you exhausted by the time you get out of the theater. But make no mistake, this is no mindless action film. Director Dowdle and company skillfully play to our emotions and fears while delivering a thought-provoking piece of cinema that stays with us long after the lights in the movie house come up. And we can be thankful that experienced it in our friendly, neighborhood multiplex while there are others who have had similar fates to The Dwyers in real life.

Directed by: John Erick Dowdle
Release Date: August 26, 2015
Run Time: 103 Minutes
Country: USA
Rated: R
Distributor: The Weinstein Company/STX