Inescapable (2012)

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Inescapable (2012): Dir: Ruba Nadda / Cast: Alexander Siddig, Marisa Tomei, Joshua Jackson, Oded Fehr, Fadia Nadda: This is the film that Taken failed to be. It regards how we cannot escape our past or sins. Alexander Siddig delivers a strong performance as Syrian Canadian businessman who receives the news that his daughter has gone missing while visiting Damascus. He dreads the return after thirty years especially since he could be arrested for his previous conduct. At any rate he braves the trip and contacts an ex-fiancé, played by Marisa Tomei who is angry after he disappeared without a trace. However, she agrees to help him in his search for his daughter. Joshua Jackson plays a Canadian Embassy official whom Siddig learns was involved with his daughter and he forces some answers. Other shady characters enter whom are searching for photos that they believe Siddig's daughter had in her possession. He also enlists help from a previous friend within the law who is also reluctant to get involved. Acting is powerful and director Ruba Nadda makes good use of locations as well as provide realistic suspense and action, which Taken never delivered. What works best is the fact that the hero has left this place thirty years ago to renew in Toronto only to be forced to confront his prior life. Siddig captures this sense of desperation and determination very well as he is aware of the dangers that linger and close in. It also demonstrates what a parent will do for the good of their children. The result is an excellent film the life worth fighting for and the sins that need buried. Score: 10 / 10

I'm 100 % Syrian ... I will only focus about the things which should people consider before making a movie about a country they do not know !I would like to send a message to the guys who produced this film telling them to learn more about the country before making a movie about it . The only true thing is that taxis are yellow ... yes that is true while everything else is not ! extras ( combers ) are totally foreigners !!! all police ,army and ppl in the street lake the Syrian face !! no one of them even has it !! the Canadian guy who works in the embassy has a face which is more Syrian than 90% of people appeared in the movie the language used by the " native speaker " has nothing to do with any of the Syrian accents !!! to me it was like an Indian accent guy representing King Richard in a movie ! the way people dress is totally not Syrian ... it is more like north Africa ( Egypt , lybia , Morocco , etc ) the way the secret police acts is totally lame , they can get anything they want much easier than appears in the movie !the way the police and the army dress is 100% wrong there are many other details which are totally making this movie week , like the Idea of he is standing in front of the ministry of defense waiting for something ( no one is allowed to sit there ) .. and a colonel has a different rank shape on his shoulder ! plants species in the streets are not the ones u see there !!the atmosphere of the hotel he is in is typical Egyptian ( except one chair )there are many points to be mentioned ... I think if they asked one only one Syrian about such things they would have improved their work much more !!

Though this film has been negatively received as being a take-off on the TAKEN films (father looking for daughter under dire circumstances) it is a different kind of film and one written and directed by Ruba Nadda who manages to gives us a story that in many ways explains why the Syrian situation (terrifying chaos) is as it is. If for no other reason than to gain insight on what life in a country infested with many 'secret police' organizations whose drive seems to be shoot now investigate later.Years after he left Damascus under suspicious circumstances (he was a accused of being an Israeli spy), Adib Abdel Kareem (udanese born British character actor Alexander Siddig) is comfortably at work in Toronto when he is confronted with devastating news: his eldest daughter, Muna (Jay Anstey), has gone missing in Damascus. Now Adib, who has not been back in over 30 years, must return to Syria and deal with his secret past in order to find her. Getting a Visa is the first near impossible step, but once in Jordan he calls upon his ex- fiancée Fatima (Marisa Tomei) whom Adib deserted when he escaped to Canada years ago to assist him in ploughing through the red tape and dangers to find his daughter. The Canadian ambassador Paul (Joshua Jackson) is inextricably involved as is Adib's old comrade Sayid (Oded Fehr) and the man with answers Halim (Saad Siddiqui). Inescapable is a thriller about a father's desperate search for his daughter and the chaos of the Middle East he left behind.The film is tense and disheveled at times but that reflects the worrisome chaos of too many factions trying to assist a country who seems unable to find its core values. This is not a great film but it does offer a taste of what life must be like in war torn Syria. And for that it is worth watching. Grady Harp

Over complicated and taking itself way too seriously Inescapable tries to craft an intelligent and complex thriller but despite a few twists and turns and a leading man that does well enough it just failed to really grab my attention. It certainly wasn't that the film dragged, in fact the hour and a half flew by and there is plenty of action and intrigue and yet for some unknown reason I just didn't care about any of it. I wish I could explain it better but there isn't any one reason why it doesn't work. It is just missing something. At times I felt like I was losing track of what was going on and what this mysterious background was of this father desperately looking for his daughter. It felt like it was trying to be a more political version of Liam Neeson's Taken. It very loosely touches on the political turmoil of Damascus but then at the same time I'm not sure they used it as much as they could have. The cinematography felt bland and empty and some of the supporting characters felt underdeveloped. I do feel like there was a lot of potential here because the script is decent and as I said there is plenty of action but it all comes across as being without any real merit and that's unfortunate.Alexander Siddig is excellent in his role. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his performance as the protective father with an old secret that he has been running from. He is believable and shows a lot of intensity in his role. Joshua Jackson is much better of an actor than you would think from his performance in this. I feel like he sincerely misses his mark and almost seems bored in this performance. There is no chemistry between him and Siddig and he absolutely does not give this his all. Marisa Tomei is borderline pointless in this film. Her bad accent and deer in the headlights performance is annoying and barely existent. A great character actor, Oded Fehr is very good in his role but its such an unfortunately small part. I feel like he should have had a far more vital part in the whole story but sadly he does not though he has one very good scene towards the end when he is getting the truth out of Siddig.To call the story convoluted is an understatement. There is a lot of intrigue and back story and to be honest I am not sure I even understand a single thing that happened. And yet at the same time, I never got even remotely invested enough to really try and understand it. I didn't feel like everyone was putting their entire heart into the film and I think that's where it falls apart. Ruba Nadda is apparently a very well respected writer and director but I simply felt like this was poorly shot and put together. Even the climatic reunion of father and daughter felt like it was lacking any depth. I'm not sure what drew me to try this and I'm not sorry I did because I have seen worse but this just felt so very empty. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for any sort of powerful story because it misses the mark in a big way. 5/10