Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone make an amazing comeback and an even better pair in “Escape Plan,” an exciting thriller that is definitely worth seeing.

Those who are fans of 1980 films featuring Stallone and Schwarzenegger will enjoy this film. Not only do they make a great pair, but also it is fun to see them work together in a movie that succeeded in portraying them as adventurous as ever, rather than two middle-aged has-beens trying to make a comeback.

Stallone plays Ray Breslin, a man who makes a living by testing the security of prisons. His goal is to show the owners of various correctional facilities what is wrong with their security by breaking out of them. There is a fair amount blood and violence in the film, but it is interspersed with entertaining bits of humor between Stallone and Schwarzenegger.

It may not seem like a movie about a main character that chooses to spend the majority of his days locked up eating bad food with violent men would draw large audiences, but it’s the opposite. It’s a simple idea, and it works.

Breslin’s latest assignment involves escaping from an unknown location called a “black site,” which is an uncharted prison for the world’s worst criminals. Nicknamed “The Tomb,” the prison holds the terrorists, warlords and gangsters that the government won’t even bring to justice through traditional protocol.

Swedish genre director Mikael Hafstrom does a great job with this movie that is so different, especially because of its setting. The idea of a seemingly inescapable prison is something that does not compare to any other popular movies out right now.

Breslin ends up entering the prison as an actual prisoner, but he doesn’t realize this isn’t just a test until weeks into the “job.” He soon realizes that the “inescapable” prison was designed around his own information and advice in a book he wrote about previous escapes.

This adds an interesting element to the movie because the audience does not know if that will help or hurt his chances in escaping. And it keeps viewers engaged by evoking a need for logic, keeping them on the edge of theirs seats as they try to guess what is going to happen next.

In prison, Breslin makes friends with Emil Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger) after realizing Rottmayer can help him escape. Although they involve one more prisoner in their mission, these two are the main planners in the scheme. Breslin thinks this will work to his advantage because the warden wants information about the whereabouts of Rottmayer’s accomplices.

To Breslin’s surprise, there is more to the escape than just leaving the prison walls, and he eventually begins to think he may never escape. The audience discovers that someone Breslin knew is making it very difficult for him to escape — someone who does not want him getting out.

The film features amazing graphics and settings, especially when inside “The Tomb.” Without great cinematography, “The Escape Plan” would not have been so successful.

The ending is fairly predictable, but still, anybody who has a slight interest in action or thriller movies won’t regret seeing see “Escape Plan.”

Published on October 30, 2013 at 12:16 am

Contact Brittany: baruss01@syr.edu