I always like a good thriller where it’s people being chased by other people. We have seen this plot done in a ton of movies, but despite how often it is done it is still one of my favorite sub-genres. There is just something really exciting and suspenseful about people trying to put space between them and hunters trying to kill or capture them. One of the best types of these movies was The Warriors (1979) which was loaded with silly ’70s culture influenced street gangs running all over New York and I loved every minute of it. So here we are with a somewhat similar but more realistic plot in the movie No Escape which kind of feels like it came out of nowhere. Although it has a generic title it is actually a good addition to this little thriller sub-genre that I enjoy.
The movie is about Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson) moving with his wife Annie Dwyer (Lake Bell) and two daughters to a poor eastern Asian country so that he can work for a company that is providing clean water. The last company he worked for went belly up and he felt this was the best opportunity he had. After a night of being their Dwyer goes out to find a newspaper due to the internet and cable having been out in the city since they arrived at the hotel the night before. On his way back he finds himself in the middle of a giant face off between riot police and a rebel army of civilians. He doesn’t realize that the night before a coup had taken place and the prime minister had been assassinated. He hurries back to his hotel to protect his family and figure out a way to keep them safe.
I’ve always found Owen Wilson as an actor interesting. He is someone who is in good enough shape to occasionally act in these more action roles even though it is obvious that comedy is what he does best. Here in this movie he uses his talent to come off as likable in comedies to make you relate to him. His character is trying to provide a secured life for his family and unfortunately by doing so he finds him and his family in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lake Bell gives a good performance as his wife and has some really solid moments in the film that keep her from just being a typical damsel in distress which she almost never really comes off as. The movie is smart in that it shows that it takes both parents to protect their daughters. Pierce Brosnan is also in the movie as an interesting character who stays at the same hotel at the family.
I can always tell that I’m watching a good thriller if I can put myself in the same situation as the characters and wonder what I would do. I felt that throughout this entire movie and really connected more with the characters in doing so. These types of thrillers are always fun because you never quite know what direction the characters will go in trying to just survive the horrible situation they are in. For the most part this movie doesn’t veer off in any crazy direction, but it does work in some political commentary which I fully agreed with. I like that it doesn’t hit you over the head too hard with the political stuff and overall it is pretty subtle.
After all was said and done and the credits rolled I honestly enjoyed the movie. It was pretty much everything I was hoping it would be from the trailer. It doesn’t go above and beyond what it is suppose to and I doubt the filmmakers were going for any Oscars even though it is right at the start of Oscar season. The movie was directed by John Erick Dowdle who is a veteran horror director having done movies like Quarantine (2008) and Devil (2010). After having seen this movie I’m very interested in seeing him try more suspenseful thrillers in the future.
Dave’s Rating- ★★★½(3½) out of ★★★★★(5)
