If you are anything like me, you grew up watching films like Rocky, First Blood, The Terminator, Kindergarten Cop, etc. It has been a long dream of mine to see Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger together in the same movie, and yes, fighting. Aside from the brief scenes of (for lack of a better term) verbal dick measuring in The Expendables films, that has not happened until Escape Plan.
In this film, Stallone plays Ray Breslin plays a former prosecutor whose new occupation is being placed in prisons in order to test their security through his escape attempts. When he is recruited to test a new prison by the CIA, he is double crossed and left to rot in what he realizes is a high tech, illegal, super prison built using his research. With the help of Emil Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger), he forms a plan to break out of the prison he inadvertently designed.
As one has come to expect of recent Stallone movies, even the ones that he does not write himself, this is basic action fare. It doesn't require high level thinking. It is meant to be simple escapism. (Pun not intended). You never feel the sensation that things aren't going to work out. It is just a throwback to the 1980's action blockbusters that made both of these men the superstars that they have become today. If you're looking for something complex and against formula, look elsewhere. Yet that isn't to say the film isn't fun. It does reel you in, and you will root for our wrongly imprisoned heroes. And I will be completely honest, when Stallone and Schwarzenegger finally exchange blows as I have eagerly awaited them to do so since 1992, I couldn't help but shed a tear out of pure joy.
Stallone is a good actor, and for someone his age, he is surprisingly resilient. Yet his delivery, as it has in recent years, just seems monotone. He doesn't really convey any emotions other than anger and....well I guess just anger. There never really feels like a moment where Sly is completely invested in his character. It's not that he doesn't have the ability. He has done so before. But his recent nostalgia for shoot em' up movies has taken away his passion. Hopefully this is just a phase.
On the other end of the spectrum, Schwarzenegger puts it all on the table. For someone who was behind a desk in Sacramento for nearly the past decade, he doesn't seem to have any problems getting back in the game. He conveys a wider range than Sly, and doesn't feel like he's doing for just a check. He comes across wise and soulful, like a trapped bird longing to be free.
Amy Ryan (whom you may know as Michael Scott's soulmate Holly Flax from The Office) and 50 Cent play Stallone's allies on the outside of the prison walls. They both give fine performances, but they never really feel necessary and they classify as little more than headlined cameos. One could remove their characters from the film, and it wouldn't feel that different. Once again, my musician-turned-actor debate comes into play, yet like Lady Gaga in Machete Kills, you don't see enough of 50 Cent to judge.
Jim Caviezel (Whom you may recognize as Jesus in The Passion of the Christ) gives a rather chilling performance as the warden and main antagonist. He comes across rather monotone like Stallone does, however it works for his character. He is delightfully creepy and would fit in well in a horror movie.
For Escape Plan, it was rather difficult to pick someone as Andrew's Standout, but gun to my head, I would say Faran Tahir, whom you may remember as Raza in the first Iron Man movie and Captain Robau in the Star Trek reboot. He plays a Muslim prisoner who assists the two main characters in their attempt. At first, you are not sure where his allegiance lies in respect to the main characters, and that is a testament to his ability towards duality as an actor.
I would wait until the home media release for this one. It is a rather decent movie, but other than the long awaited meet up of Sly and Arnie, there is nothing to make this movie very memorable.
B-
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