NO ESCAPE
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1994 James Berardinelli
Rating (0 to 10): 6.0
Date Released: 4/29/93 Running Length: 1:59 Rated: R (Violence, gore, language)
Starring: Ray Liotta, Lance Henriksen, Stuart Wilson, Kevin Dillon, Ernie Hudson, Michael Lerner Director: Martin Campbell Producer: Gail Anne Hurd Screenplay: Michael Gaylin and Joel Gross based on THE PENAL COLONY by Richard Herley Music: Graeme Revell Released by Savoy Pictures
The science fiction/action arena is littered with entries of varying quality, from the pulse pounding excitement of ALIENS to the plodding and ill-conceived SPLIT SECOND. NO ESCAPE, the latest offering from mega-producer Gail Anne Hurd, falls somewhere in between.
Set in the year 2022, when the prison system has become big business, NO ESCAPE opens with the incarceration of Captain J. T. Robbins (Ray Liotta) in Leviticus, a maximum security prison for unredeemable offenders. The Warden (Michael Lerner) is a sadist who delights in fiendishly vicious punishments and sends his worst prisoners to the escape-proof island of Absalom, where savagery is the norm and survival the sole objective. It doesn't take long before Robbins, a man who steadfastly refuses to take orders or acknowledge authority, offends the Warden enough to warrant a one-way journey to Absalom.
If elements of NO ESCAPE sound vaguely familiar to those of last year's FORTRESS, don't be disturbed. This movie is far more watchable.
Most of the script, which is based on Richard Herley's THE PENAL COLONY, is reasonably intelligent--or at least it doesn't astound with its lack of intelligence. The biggest plot problem is the existence of Absalom. It's never made clear exactly what the prison island's purpose is, or how it was established. Not that this is the only "detail" glossed over by NO ESCAPE.
Of course, many of the explanations could have been snipped from the final print. It's clear that the editors went to work on NO ESCAPE. Even at a two hour running length, it has all the marks of a pruning job. In most cases, especially the action sequences, this has been expertly done, but it's apparent that a fair amount of what was committed to film didn't make it to the screen version.
The first half hour is reminiscent of a futuristic THE FUGITIVE in that it doesn't give the viewer much opportunity to catch his or her breath. During the final three-quarters of NO ESCAPE, bursts of action occur, but nothing--not even the climactic battle--rivals the opening for generating tension.
Ray Liotta might seem an odd choice for an action hero. After all, he doesn't have Schwarzenegger's biceps, Stallone's monosyllabic speech patterns, Van Damme's accent, or Lundgren's woodenness. In fact, Liotta is an actor--and a pretty good one at that. Nevertheless, despite this apparent "disadvantage", he's reasonably convincing. I think it's the steely eyes and no-nonsense expression. It certainly isn't the few obligatory (and lame) one-liners he's forced to utter.
Development of Captain Robbins' character is spotty, and the movie arguably might have been better had he remained ambiguous. Before we know his background, he's fierce and intimidating. Learning the truth serves to diminish him.
The supporting actors, as is often the case, vary from good to bad. Lance Henriksen, who is making a career appearing in these sorts of films, is merely adequate, as is Ernie Hudson as a mirthless head-of-security. Michael Lerner is miscast as the nasty Warden--his sneer isn't good enough. Far better is Stuart Wilson, who steals far too many scenes from Liotta and everyone else, as the deliciously evil Satan of Absalom, Merak. The worst performance belongs to Kevin Dillon, whose whiny, poorly-realized Casey should have been excised from the screenplay.
Filmed in Australia, NO ESCAPE boasts gorgeous scenery, and it's easy to accept Absalom as a lush hell. The special effects are believable, although not plentiful. And those members of the audience who don't like rats will have to close their eyes during one very creepy scene.
NO ESCAPE is effective, but not superlative. The more you think about it, the less it holds together, but this is not a motion picture designed to withstand careful scrutiny. Put simply, NO ESCAPE is meant to be an escape and, as such, it meets all the necessary requirements.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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