No Escape

An American family moves to a country in Southeast Asia that borders Vietnam but suddenly find themselves in the midst of a coup. Owen Wilson plays the father and Lake Bell the mother. Pierce Brosnan is on hand as a Brit that helps them out.

"No Escape" (2015) is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that tackles a real-life possibility. What happens if you're unexpectedly thrust into a situation where you HAVE to protect your family? Would you kill to survive? This is like "The Killing Fields" (1985) in the modern day, albeit way more compelling and succinct.

It's nice to see Owen in something serious; he plays the every-man role well. Meanwhile Lake ain't no slouch and Brosnan kicks axx in a peripheral part.

The film runs 1 hour, 43 minutes, and was shot in Thailand.

GRADE: A-/B+

No Escape is one of the best action/thrillers of recent times. It isn't one of those movies that will be spoken about for years too come, but we must give credit where it is needed.

No Escape is a gripping, intense, cleverly put together movie. From the beginning the movie sets us up with the motives of why the family is moving and you feel connected with the main character Jack (Owen Wilson)who just wants to do whats best for his family. Seeing and loving, Owen Wilson is more comedic roles i didn't know how he would fair up is this action pact thriller, but i must admit, there may be a new genre around the corner and maybe another huge turning point in his career, sending him among the greats.

The film's writers have a lot to do with the success of this film, its script never dumbs down for the viewers, it is a script of what people would actually say and conversations that would actually happen in this situation. It makes you feel for the characters in the film and helps you to understand what is going on. You will feel apart of it. it cleverly leaves out all of the irrelevant details, keeping viewers guessing about what will happen next and how they will get out of a very sticky situation, while the mayhem continues around our main characters.

No Escape hits the ground running and never takes its foot off of the gas petal. Tensions are high and there is moments when you question how they are going to get out of an outrageously dangerous, near impossible situation. But it is not a movie where you feel as though the main character will survive no matter what. There are times where his death looks likely.

No Escape is a strong emotional and physical battle for survival and will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

7.5/10

A must see, and a vastly underrated movie.

I don't know how anyone could watch this film and not be on the edge of their seat from start to finish.

If there is any downside to this film - it is that it is so intense - that it makes you deliberate rewatching it, BECAUSE you know what you went through the first time. Lol Owen Wilson knocks it out of the park, and should be on lists for future dramatic roles.

If you want a gem to watch with company, that they've probably never heard of, this is it.

Don't tell them you've seen it before - or they will drive you crazy with questions, as the angst builds and builds.

It even serves as a 'teaching tool' if you have children you're worried about getting you caught in a life or death scenario.

The younger the better. I don't care if it gives them nightmares.

Those nightmares might save your life one day.

A good story, well told is how I would describe this above-average American thriller that actually manages a certain level of intensity and momentum, two qualities I always look out for in my movies. It's a simple action thriller with a focus on movement and escape, as an American family visiting an unnamed south-east Asian country find themselves caught up in a coup and must literally flee for their lives.

The reason NO ESCAPE is so effective is because the storyline is a believable one. There's a decent sense of realism built up from the outset and just enough time given to develop the characters before throwing them into the deep end. I admit I was a bit nonplussed about the casting of Owen Wilson, but he was acceptable as the lead just as he was in the non-comedy BEHIND ENEMY LINES all those years ago. The rest of the cast have little to work with, but Pierce Brosnan brings a wry humour as the British tourist the family hook up with at their hotel.

The thriller sequences set in and around the hotel are by far the best bit of this film; they're edge of the seat stuff, with great cinematography to boost the action. After this point, the film drops down a notch and is never quite as thrilling; plus, I always dislike action set at night, because you can never see properly what's going on. Still, the hotel scenes alone are enough to make this a worthwhile watch.

I walked into this movie with very low expectations and I was tired. This movie stars Owen Wilson in an Action/Thriller...not a comedy. That's not saying his comedies are that great, either. But this film wow-ed me. I literally said, "wow" out loud in the theater.

The start of the movie was very captivating. Enough action was in before the titles even came on, then unexpected humor. Kenny Rogers even showed up (not really, but you'll see what I mean)! Overall, Owen Wilson and his family are placed in extremely difficult situations to which it seems that there is little to no escape. The plot alone deserves at least a 4.5 of 5 stars. Coupled with the 5 star acting of not only Wilson, but the children! These kids were absolutely astounding and very convincing! Even Pierce Brosnan was a wonderful addition to the movie, with his excellent comedic timing. I will say that the comedy's placement messed with me because the movie was that stressful. Perhaps the only issue I had was the ending. It just could have been better writing. Direction and acting get 5 stars from me, and the soundtrack about a 4 for its excellent suspense addition. I did not expect this movie to be great, but I had trouble getting to sleep afterwards because I was so stressed out! This movie deserves at least a 4.5 of 5 stars! I would pay to see this movie!