No Escape (1994)

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I relish sci-fi films set in a future that has since passed or which is now just around the corner. When I first watched No Escape, the year in which it takes place - 2022 - seemed like a fair way off; now, it's less than four years away. This sort of thing can make the technology aspect of such films a lot of fun - for example, No Escape features holographic communication (still not a thing) and yet shows computer operators using CRT monitors (no longer a thing).Sadly, the film's sci-fi trappings are quickly discarded as soldier Capt. J.T. Robbins (Ray Liotta), convicted for murdering his commanding officer, is dropped onto the prison island of Absolom. With no electricity on the island, the convicts use low-tech equipment to perform everyday tasks, which means no more unintentional giggles at inaccurate predictions of the future. Instead, we get a lot of sub-par Mad Max-styled action nonsense in which Robbins fights alongside the 'insiders' (the good guys) against the 'outsiders' (the bad guys) led by the nasty Walter Marek (played by Stuart Wilson, whose character has ridiculously good teeth for someone who has been on the island for seven years!).A spot of brutal violence (including an impressively nasty beheading), a couple of reasonable stunts (best being a very high fall into some water), Norma Moriceau's silly costumes (the armour worn by the insiders is decorated with pretty seashells, while one has fashioned himself a Kagemusha style Samurai helmet from bamboo), and a token midget prevent the film from being a total waste of time, but on the whole this is derivative and unexceptional '90s action tosh. Lance Henriksen is totally wasted as The Father, leader of the insiders, who is like a cross between Max Von Sydow in The Ultimate Warrior and Pappagallo from The Road Warrior.

This one was a favorite of mine back in my High-School days. I watched it countless times. In fact, I even had the movie poster on the wall of my room at one time. The last time I watched it was probably about 15 years ago. I was going through my VHS collection and trying to find something to watch I hadn't viewing in awhile and saw this. So, I grabbed it and threw it in.This one actually holds up fairly well. It wasn't quite as good as I remembered, but it's still a solid film. I think the premise is actually interesting. Kind of an adult version of Lord of The Flies but they are there for more nefarious reasons. The cast is great. A lot of very solid actors, both ones you'd know by name and others you'd recognize by their faces. There are some fairly good action sequences, but for the most part, it's not overly heavy on that aspect. This is a very story driven movie. The FXs are solid and the score fits the film well. I think the listing of the film as an Action, Drama, Sci-Fi is right on the button. Very heavy on the Drama and Action, light on the sci-fi, but those elements are all there.It's a longer film which is one thing that might put a damper on viewing for some people, especially if you're going in expecting a mile a minute action thriller. It does have some weaker points, but they're not anything that would ruin the movie for you. I think most of those things are also subjective to the person watching's personal taste.I'm glad I finally saw this again. While I remembered a lot of it, there were a few moments I didn't. While I did enjoy it, it isn't one that I need to have on DVD or Blu-Ray. I might snag a copy and upgrade if I could find it for cheap, but for the time being my VHS copy still serves its purpose.My Rating: 7/10

An exceptional opening sequence (fantastic on the big screen) slips into a decent action film with plenty of character, albeit a polished version of familiar territory.Following the establishment of the setting at the futuristic prison and then the island, the cast present themselves one by one. The action is decent and the characters are better than the usual two dimensional parts given in most action flicks, and the actors are also above average in particular the leader of the Outsiders. The effects and designs are good, although it does seem to only just avoid feeling like two gangs kicking the sh*t out of each other on an island. It perhaps lacks a bit of scope, but this is partly addressed with the introduction, some scenes in a control room, the odd helicopter, and the attempted escape sequence.A seemingly substantial amount of futuristic penal colony/prison films were made around this period. Martin Campbell's version is probably the best.

On the surface, this looks like a dumb movie which is overly violent and too seedy because it features nothing but hardened criminals plus the normal sadistic warden Hollywood always shows in all modern-day films.But....it turns out the story isn't as sordid as it looks and the violence, although plentiful, is somehow not overdone. Also, the chief villain " Walter Marek" (Stuart Wilson) is a man with a good sense of humor. The comedic relief he brings is a real plus to the story. By the way, Wilson doesn't look like Mel Gibson but his voice sure sounds similar."No Escape" is strictly an action movie with an all-male cast that has a grim atmosphere of convicts fighting it out on an inescapable island in the year 2022.Profanity isn't as much as you'd except in a tough film like this and - in a real oddity - Lance Henriksen is the nicest guy in the movie! He never utters a bad or angry word. If you know the characters Henriksen usually plays, you know this is a rarity. Ray Liotta, Michael Lerner and Ernie Hudson also star, so it's a decent cast.You could do a lot worse looking for two hours of "escapist" fare.