No Escape

It was quite a likeable thing that passed through the cinemas only in foreign countries and very quickly. We don't really learn much about why it all happened, so we don't have a broader view, but the depicted survival story of an American family amidst the hell of civil war is atmospheric and suitably unvarnished, plus surprisingly technically proficient. I enjoyed Pierce Brosnan in the typical role he does best (ex-military) and no beating around the bush. Owen Wilson acts as if his life depended on it. Again, a very topical subject. (06/11/2016)

It's a bit of a buzzkill when a film invites you out to a bar with a drunken old free spirit with a gun and a boring family man, then as the partner for your ensuing vacation chooses the latter. Because as soon as genocide is unleashed, we realize that this time we won't just be watching the protagonists deal with their various predicaments, but each situation will have a prologue where everyone will be yelling at each other that no way in hell and then all right fine, and of course an epilogue, where after each situation everyone will still have to pat each other down and ask if they're okay. And Dowdle doesn't offers no rationalizations for it, because he's making a genre film, not a raw realistic drama about a horrific conflict somewhere far away, but simply a thrilling spectacle with all the flaws and crutches that go along with it. And which features nothing but the walking mausoleum Pierce Brosnan referencing not only his most important film role, but also his legendary singing performance in Mamma Mia! Here the truth is actually preferable. (02/20/2018)

I surprisingly liked this a lot. It focuses a lot on family, and in this regard, it's simple yet believable. Moreover, what Wilson's character is willing and capable of doing to save her loved ones truly impressed me. Pierce Brosnan deserved more screen time, but it didn't turn into a macho thriller. (11/03/2015)

A standard apocalyptic episode of the Walking Dead; just with the Asians instead of zombies. This impression is, after all, amplified by the television setting and the appalling slowdowns. Not to mention the cast of the whole family. Wilson as a "fuddy-duddy next door, who is forced by circumstances to find his macho side for the good of his family" is not good enough. Lake Bell is so insipid that even mediocre pencil pushers become famous celebrities compared to him, not to mention "annoying and even more annoying daughters". It´s even more disappointing, because purely in terms of genre, the gradation is really good, and some scenes are packed with adrenaline so much that you will be sitting on the edge of your chair. (01/16/2018)

What’s great about No Escape is that it absolutely realistically portrays a situation that could occur at any time now in any shaky country, and it wouldn’t even have to be in Asia. You simply go there once in good will and all of the sudden you are public enemy number one without really knowing why. And what’s really cool about this film is that it’s trying to suggest why such a coup had occurred and how USA-led globalization affects the rest of the world. Obviously, nothing will change through a movie like this, but sometimes it’s good to watch a movie like this and think about the world for a while. On top of that, I was really surprised by Owen Wilson, who after a pretty long while made another appearance in a serious movie and convinced me once again of what a good actor he is. (10/18/2016)