Absolutely Fantastic

Absolutely brilliant

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Okay I know it's from 1994 but that is still not a reason to make No Escape look like it is a very good movie. It might have been entertaining in that time but I honestly think it didn't age well. The acting is not great at all, sometimes even ridiculous. For example how Lance Henriksen faints at the end is really bad acting. And there are a lot of passages like that. The story itself started promising but soon it's going downhill with impossible or ridiculous things happening on the deserted island. How the hell do they have car carcasses or even gasoline on an island that never saw a road before? It's just those little things that make it stupid. If you like movies in the style of Mad Max then you might enjoy this movie, even though Mad Max is thousand ways better.

If you took the outline plot and characters of 'The Road Warrior', situated them on the penal colony as portrayed in 'Papillon', and then filmed it in the vein of John McTiernan's 'Predator' then you basically get this as an end result. And you know what...? It bloody works!I first saw this film when it was released on a straight-to-video premise way back in 1994 as a Sunday night filler, and to be honest I couldn't remember much about it, except that it wasn't that bad, but nor was it memorable. Twenty years on, I managed to grab a copy of it again, and finally forced myself to sit through what I anticipated to be an excruciatingly painful event, as I'm just not a great fan of Ray Liotta or Kevin Dillon to say the least, and what with time being so cruel and all, I expected the cheesiest of cheese. How wrong I was! This gem appears to have magically grown better with time! So yeah it's a bit corny in parts, and the overall plot only SEEMS to be kinda predictable, but there's many an unexpected twist and turn to keep the story moving at an extremely entertaining pace, with some fantastic camera work reminiscent of 'Predator', and some great one-liners to boot.Knowing that this was pretty much a mash-up of previous classic movies didn't leave a sour taste at all, and I'd watch it again in an instant. Bloody good entertainment, surprisingly minimal on the profanities, (I think I heard only one quickly blurted F-word expletive from Marek throughout), and highly recommended for those 80's/90's action genre buffs.A generous and solid 8/10 for overall value and stamina.

You would probably find this film very cheesy, but also pretty darn fun. This is your typical mid-90's action B-film that lacks the brains, but certainly not the brawn. I enjoyed this film very much for what it is and I came away with a smile on my face. It's obvious that the actors were having fun and were giving it all they got. Yes, the special effects may not be the best, but I'm not complaining.Martin Campbell's film is set in the near future and we meet a former Marine named John Robbins who is sent to life imprisonment because he murdered his commanding officer. He is sent by the Warden to an island full of savages and now it's his goal to escape without being killed.The acting was pretty good for the kind of film it is. The actors were definitely having a fun time with the film. Ray Liotta is a great, underrated actor. I liked seeing some B-name stars like Lance Henriksen, Stuart Wilson, and Ernie Hudson. They really add to the campy, fun feel of the film.Overall, this is a good film that is good to watch on any weekend or when you're not in a serious film-watching mood. I would just shut my brains off and enjoy the film as it is, rather than picking it apart like people like to do. This is a fun film and that's all it is. It's full of crazy action, stunts, some mild humor, and some cool sci-fi. I rate this film 9/10.

It's 2022 and Captain John Robbins is convicted of murder and sent to a maximum security prison. Refusing to accept the brutal regime, Robbins rebels and promptly gets sent to a secret place where only the toughest can survive. Absolom, a jungle island inhabited by two groups, The Outsiders and The Insiders. Will John pick a side,? or will he merely go it alone, carrying his anger along the way?.Directed by Martin Campbell {Goldeneye/Casino Royale} and starring Ray Liotta {Robbins}, Lance Henriksen, Kevin Dillon, Ernie Hudson and Stuart Wilson. No Escape is adapted from the novel written by Richard Herley. Naturally it's all complete nonsense, and it for sure feels like a blending of all the other prison/sci-fi/apocalyptic films that have come our way over the years {think Mad Max in Alcatraz type thing}. But it has such an adventurous fun about it, the familiarity of it all is quickly forgotten. The cast appear to be having a great time, Liotta looks like, and acts like he's the hardest man on the planet, Henriksen is smooth in a peaceful role, while Stuart Wilson is revelling in bad guy duties. Campbell knows how to direct action sequences, and here he delivers well within the relatively small budget {it was shot on location in parts of Australia}. For those inclined it's suitably violent, while the story and vision of the future itself is certainly of interest to the discerning sci-fi fan.Not one to remotely take serious of course, but check the brain in at the door and run with it. Because then you may just enjoy its trashy splendour. 6/10