Customer Reviews

No Escape

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What is it with guys like Ray Liotta and Lance Henriksen? They are great character actors, but once they take the lead, their films seem to be forgotten or ridiculed. "No Escape" is a particularly interesting flick considering that both Liotta and Henriksen appear in it. Not to mention Ernie Hudson and Stuart Wilson, who are two other top-notch actors who seem to be stuck in ruts.

This film didn't get much recognition in its day. I caught it at the movies years ago and loved it. Sure, it borrows from flicks like "Escape From New York" and I even see a little "Island of Dr. Moreau" in there, but it is an excellent film on its own merit. It has a stock story of a man who has committed a crime in order to right a wrong. He is banished to an island prison where no one escapes. On this island there are two factions: Insiders and Outsiders. One group is peaceful and lives in a semi-Utopian society whereas the other lives primarily under the rule of one man, Wilson. Henriksen plays the "Father," who quietly leads the Insiders. When Robbins, played by Liotta, falls into the game, he is sought out by Wilson's Marek, but ends up with the Insiders.

Naturally, Liotta decides he has to escape the island to prove his case and to seek out freedom. What follows is raid after raid and the eventual final battle, full of deception and action. But don't let this simplistic and borrowed tale deceive you. This is a fun film to watch and the primary characters are solidly developed.

Ernie Hudson heads up a strong supporting cast that features Kevin Dillon as a hard-luck innocent and Michael Lerner takes a nasty turn as the Warden. You'll recognize Hudson from "Ghostbusters I & II." He played Winston. Dillon was in the remake of "The Blob" and Lerner played the mayor of NYC in "Godzilla" with Matthew Broderick. There are other recognizable faces in the crowd as well.

If you're looking for a solid film with good production and a wonderful plot(though not very original), you're sure to enjoy "No Escape." Check it out and add it to your Ray Liotta library. He's an oft-overlooked actor who deserves better accolades.

No Escape liberally borrows a number of different plot elements from 1981's Escape from New York. An Island prison set in the near future where none can escape from and the prisoners have fallen under the leadership of powerful, tribal-like warlords. Escape from New York did it better and Manhattan Island makes for a much more interesting prison than a delsolate jungle island. But that's not to say "No Escape" isn't good. It is, it's just not totally original.

Ray Liotta plays Robbins, a soldier who shoots his commanding officer after a botched attack kills hundreds of innocent villagers. Robbins is sent to the Island prison called Absolom, where no one has ever escaped from. The Island is comprised of two warring factions: The Outsiders who are a savage, tribal group led by a ruthless warlord named Marek (Stuart Wilson), and the Insiders, a more peaceful, communal group led by the zen-like "Father" (Lance Henricksen).

Robbins is captured by the Outsiders and is tested by Marek in a death match with another member. Robbins dispatches him quickly, impressing Marek who offers Robbins a "position on his staff". Robbins wants no part and escapes, eventually being taken in by the insiders. The insiders have built a community where they farm, raise livestock, and have built simple machines like windmills, looms, and stills. They constantly have to fight off raids from The Outsiders and can use a man like Robbins.

There are several battle scenes as the Outsiders raid the Insiders wooden fortress, meanwhile the warden of the prison played by Michael Lerner keeps a close eye on things, especially Robbins through satellites, and other hi-tech means.

No Escape is a solid if unoriginal action/sci-fi flick. The characters are pretty two-dimensional. Lerner is the ruthless Warden, Ernie Hudson is Hawkins, the head of security for the Insiders, Kevin Dillon is Casey, the young prisoner who gets attached to Robbins, and Kevin J. O'Connor is the conniving supply man Stephano. The movie is derivitive of so many others but is well made and fun. Good escapist action.

No Escape seems to bear a similar resemblance in story or plot to another sci-fi futuristic prison movie entitled Fortress (starring Christopher Lambert). However, Fortress was an underground system and No Escape involves,for the most part, an island filled with banished hardcore prisoners from another corporation owned system. Yet, in Fortress the Mentel corporation also runs the show.

Ray Liotta is convincing as the main character with a "non-criminal" past who committed an act out of despair which lands him in a futuristic/hight-tech security facility for life. Then, he's banished out of this system for committing another act. The true punishment is survival of the fittest on a mysterious island caught in turmoil between two tribes (the CBS t.v. series "Survivor" has nothing over these guys)! The bad side,known as the Outsiders, and the good side (term loosely used since they are also hardcore criminals). The Outsiders are led by actor Stuart Wilson; he's a comedically nasty, yet obnoxiously gracious and witty villain. Lance Henricksen plays "Father" to the civilized clan. Without getting into too much detail of the summary, suffice it to say that Liotta's character wants off the island bad... The most impressive premise of the movie is that it all takes place on earth on an island which is a stark contrast to most films of this nature taking place in outerspace or some ridiculously named and imaginary planet. While the film may be a bit too long for some, it never stalls. Also,the dvd features are very entertaining and amusing with the animated graphics. Pay attention to the robotic vocoder/synthesizer reading the actors' filmographies and bios (this was an unexpected treat since most dvds w/bios force the viewer to read the tiny words unless the viewer hits zoom). Color, sound, and picture quality are all super sharp;not a bad flick for a great bargain price through most retailers. The cast of characters were well chosen for the parts ! And, no, it is not too gimmicky or high tech enough to lose the viewer...

This is an action adventure that pays much homage to all the other action adventure films that came before it. And there lies its problem. This is a futuristic tale of a Marine officer sentenced to life in a maximum security prison (actually ending up on an island with warring "tribes" of convicts) for murdering his commander. Of course you get the obligatory evil warden, along with the obligatory "really-bad bad guys" and the "not-so-bad bad guys" (straight out of the Mad Max ROAD WARRIOR movie). Not to stop there, you also get the obligatory hero with a guilty conscience, along with a young man who is in awe of our hero, and we can't leave out the obligatory traitor in the midst. I'd also be remiss for not mentioning the obligatory father figure who leads the "not-so-bad guys", and of course there is always the tough, second in command, but gee whiz, who's counting.

The really sad thing about all this is, the movie turned out to be pretty darn good in spite of itself. Ray Liotta plays the exiled Captain, and his performance is very intense and believable. Stewart Wilson plays Marek, the leader of the "really-bad bad guys" and has some of the best comic dialogue and one-liners in the film (ala Alan Rickman of DIE HARD fame). Those two performances are memorable, but alas, it's just not enough to carry the film for its full length. The actions scenes also vary. Some are appropriately intense and done well enough, but some are just...well...obligatory.

Between 1 and 10, I give "No Escape" a solid 5. Had the script writers dared to be a little different, this could have been a very entertaining movie. As it turned out, it was just okay. Enough to fill in a dull afternoon or a sleepless evening, but in the end, you may feel as I did. Cheated.

I like this movie it's great, entertaining,action pack and at times humorous. Would recommend. I think Ray Liotta was good in this movie as well

On the surface, this looks like an overly violent, dumb and seedy movie because it features nothing but hardened criminals plus the normal sadistic warden Hollywood always shows in all modern-day films.

But....it turns out the story isn't as sordid as it looks and the violence, although plentiful, is somehow not overdone. Also, the chief villain " Walter Marek" (Stuart Wilson) is a man with a good sense of humor. The comedic relief he brings is a real plus to the story. By the way, Wilson doesn't look like Mel Gibson but his voice sure sounds similar.

Profanity isn't as much as you'd except in a tough film like this and - in a real oddity - Lance Henriksen is the nicest guy in the movie! He never utters a bad or angry word. If you know the characters Henriksen usually plays, you know this is a rarity. Ray Liotta, Michael Lerner and Ernie Hudson also star, so it's a decent cast.

You could do a lot worse looking for two hours of "escapist" fare.

I had rented this years ago but I couldn't pass up the price here so I bought a copy and it was well worth it. I had forgot how good it is at keeping your attention. Ray Liotta, Lance Henrikson, and the rest the cast do a fine job. Fans of movies like "Escape from New York" and "The Soldier" should enjoy it the most. When a soldier is convicted of killing his superior officer we are in the dark as to why at first and the Island prison he is dropped off on is more like "Lord of the Flies" or inhabitants escaped from "The Road Warrior" than normal people. His only concern is getting off this rock and if it means fighting a whole army of these dregs he will do it. Good quality DVD with ample replayability.

This is a movie to watch just for kicks. It possesses no Oscar merit, but it definately fills that warm spot in a B-movie man's soul. One must admit Lance Henrikson is definately one sci-fi/fantasy/thriller acter who is just plain interesting to observe. I just have one disturbing question about originality. Why steal the classic arena scene from Spartacus? Were we that desperate for something that demands great merit? All in all, a fun watch.

This move was entertaining. Liotta was great and the villian was one of the best I have seen. He should do more movies as a villian. Great script and diologue. To the other reviewers, you should feel sorry for the prisoners. They are human and desirve to be treated with some dignity.

I think no escape was the best movie I have ever seen.I think that Ray Liotta did an exceptional job.I give this movie thousands of stars,because I think this movie was the best ever made.I especially like the part where the head outsider said,"An hour in the pool with Ralph"and then Robbins threw his spear into Ralph!That was so cool!Watch this movie!