[yasr_overall_rating]
When a structural-security authority finds himself set up and incarcerated in the world’s most secret and secure prison, he has to use his skills to escape with help from the inside.
As a child of the ’70s, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were two of my favorite action heroes growing up. Stallone had “Rocky” and “Rambo”, as well as other big action, hits like “Cobra,” “Tango & Cash,” “Cliffhanger,” and “Demolition Man.” Schwarzenegger had “Conan the Barbarian” and its sequel, “Conan the Destroyer,” as well as “The Terminator” series and such classics as “Commando,” “Predator,” “The Running Man,” “Total Recall,” and “True Lies.” They’ve appeared in many more films but that is just a short list for you millennials out there who are not too familiar with them. Throughout the eighties and into the nineties, it was a fanboy’s dream to have them both team up in a film together but their exorbitant fees (each could command upwards of $20 million or more per film) prevented them from joining forces. With Stallone having created “The Expendables” back in 2010, it finally allowed both action stars, plus a few more, to collaborate and while those movies are fun, Stallone was the true star, with Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis reduced to glorified cameos. “Escape Plan” finally teams both screen giants together and it is great fun, a film that is not to be taken too seriously and is very reminiscent of the action movies from their heydays.
Stallone plays Ray Breslin, a structural engineer who specializes in testing the reliability of maximum security prisons around the country. He uses an alias and is then thrown into a penitentiary where over time, he tests it for weaknesses and uses them in order to escape. He then presents his findings to the warden and informs them on how they can better secure their facilities. When a job comes up for Ray and his team, Abigail (Amy Ryan), Hush (50 Cent), and Lester (Vincent D’Onofrio), Abigail and Hush are vehemently against it. It involves a privately-run prison that is so far off the grid, not even the U.S. government knows of its whereabouts but Ray’s reputation precedes him and the powers-that-be give him the opportunity to test its strength and durability, offering him twice his regular fee. He agrees and a new alias is set up for him, Anthony Portos, a supposed terrorist but once he is inside the facility, he realizes that something is not right. As with every prison incarceration, he has a secret word that he can use if things go south and when he tries using it with Warden Hobbes (Jim Caviezel), he informs him that he doesn’t know what he is talking about. When Hobbes uses Ray’s real name, Ray realizes that he has been set up and Hobbes welcomes him to his facility, nicknamed “The Tomb,” for life. Desperate to escape, and to find out who framed him, he teams up with fellow inmate Emil Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and the two men set into motion, a plan that just might let them see the light of day again.
“Escape Plan” looks glorious in 4K and the interactions between Stallone and Schwarzenegger are everything this fanboy could have hoped for. Granted, while they are much older than they were during the height of their fame back in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, I actually prefer it this way. Back then, they were almost invincible in every action role they played, here, they hurt and bleed, just like the rest of us and it lets us relate to them on a more human level, rather than superhuman, which is what both men were known for. Jim Caviezel plays the villainous warden with relish and Vinnie Jones, his righthand man, has just as much fun beating up the two screen legends, and getting away with it. The plot is actually compelling, and when Ray explains to Emil, what he does for a living, and describes, in minute detail, everything that surrounds them, including the facility’s weaknesses, you can’t help but be fascinated. In real life, it might be complete rubbish but within the confines of this story, it is actually very believable, and entertaining. On June 29th, “Escape Plan 2: Hades” will be released straight onto Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital platforms, with Stallone and 50 Cent reprising their roles from this movie, and a third film in the series, “Escape Plan 3: Devil’s Station,” has already been announced but as of this writing, no release date has been set. “Escape Plan” is pure escapism (pun intended) and a fun way to spend an evening.
Available on 4K Ultra HD Tuesday, June 5th
