No Escape (I) (2015) User Reviews

Review from a Vietnamese: Good movie but just no there yet

[kevinheroes0504 · 7/10 · 3 November 2015]

No Escape has me on the edge of my seat for several moments. The intensity of the movie is real. Well done producer, but you still miss the shot by that much.

The story is about Jack Dwyer and his families traveling to a South East Asian movie to settle down so he can work for a water company there. However, they soon find out that a coup has broken out and local rebels are trying to kill all foreigners they see because those foreigners are making them slave by control the water sources. Jack has to walk through hell, fight off enemies to escape to Vietnam.

Cool, really good plot. However, it can be much better. I want to know better about the villain, not just mindless criminals. I want a bit of side story and explanation. Although Mr.Hammond did explain a bit, I feel that detail is just too shallow and it is not developed good enough. I feel that bit is not necessary, a normal coup for power is fine for me. Don't mark everything America with star, stripes and eagle.

The movie also has several errors. Such as when Annie told her daughter to hide in the bathroom and lock, she ran the opposite direction in the bedroom, but later the wife was standing in front of the bathroom next to the main door (hotel, 1 bathroom only).

Also when the sniper try to kill them, Hammond and Kenny did a terrible job on keeping an eyes out. Moreover, if I am a rebel and I know they are staying up there, I will send several men to get them right there, not just staying in the tower and shoot. That is a terrible strategy.

Hammond was really cool character, but he does not have enough screen time, which is a total let down.

The ending scene was not well played, I feel it rushes too much and I feel they take only 5 minutes to get to Vietnam border. And the truck was chasing, if they planned to kill, why don't they just shoot when the boat still on the other side? What hold them back? I would prefer the ending scene on a road than the river. As I want to see a bit more standoff between Vietnamese force and rebels.

LIKE: Good plot Decent Acting Good "South East Asian" Atmosphere Hammond Intensity and violence Vietnam is safe haven

DISLIKE: Plot was not well developed in side story Movie errors and nonsense Screen time for Hammond was not enough Ending scene

OTHER STUFF FOR DISCUSSION: OK, the country in the movie, is not real. So calm down guys. It was filmed in Thailand, people speaking Laotian and minority languages and all the signs are in "up side down" Cambodian Khmer.

It is a movie okay? There is no country's city has direct fly from US and couple of miles away from Vietnam, of course.

I personally like this movie, it reflects partly the truth of several South East Asian countries now. Cambodia is going through big political war between the current gov and the politicians who want to wage a war with Vietnam. Thing was really tense at Vietnam's border couple of months ago.

I saw someone rated this movie bad and said it is a racist movie because white people escapes. Calm the f*ck down, it is an action movie, not a lovely soft humane story. Don't bring the refugee crisis in here, movie is movie, real life is real life.

Rate it 7.5/10

Unexpected... Bravo!

[palavitsinis · 7/10 · 4 November 2015]

Going to watch a movie with Owen Wilson starring, you usually expect some kind of comedy or romance. Not this time. I was really worried that he would not be up to the task with this one, but this was not true, not true at all!

The movie was fascinating, completely plausible, filled with amazing scenes that keep you at the edge of your seat. The things that this family goes through were unimaginable but very well executed during filming.

Owen was that good that you could actually empathize with his suffering and anxiety and put yourself in his position struggling for his family. Pierce Brosnan was AMAZING! Just the right amount, just as much as needed, to complement a really thrilling movie!

Recommended for sure! Can't wait to see more stuff like that from Owen Wilson!

What if you're a Westerner and get stuck in a political uprising in Southeast Asia?

[Wuchakk · 8/10 · 11 March 2021]

An American family moves to a country in Southeast Asia that borders Vietnam but suddenly find themselves in the midst of a coup. Owen Wilson plays the father and Lake Bell the mother. Pierce Brosnan is on hand as a Brit that helps them out.

"No Escape" (2015) is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that tackles a real-life possibility. What happens if you're unexpectedly thrust into a situation where you HAVE to protect your family? Would you kill to survive? This is like "The Killing Fields" (1985) in the modern day, albeit way more compelling and succinct.

It's nice to see Owen in something serious; he plays the every-man role well. Meanwhile Lake ain't no slouch and Brosnan kicks axx in a peripheral part.

The film runs 1 hour, 43 minutes, and was shot in Thailand.

GRADE: A-/B+

Surprisingly thrilling and engaging

[Gordon-11 · 3 September 2015]

This film tells the story of an expatriate family arriving in an Asian country the night a bloody coup occurs. They have to do everything they can to stay alive and get across the border.

Nothing prepares me for the thrilling adventure that "No Escape" provides. The film starts with a shocking assassination, then the story provides no place for me to catch my breath until almost an hour later, when the characters are on the second roof. Owen Wilson is a very convincing family man. This film proves that he can do more than comedic roles. He leads his shocked family from one place to another, encountering countless near death experiences. "No Escape" keeps me on edge all the time, and in fact I had to keep my eyes closed for quite a few scary scenes! There is also a lot of emotional element. The characters are very human, like ordinary citizens who have no superpowers. They do everything they can to protect their family's lives. I think that is why the story is so engaging. I really enjoyed watching "No Escape".

Fulfilling entertainment with slickly (and clearly) edited action

[StevePulaski · 7/10 · 26 August 2015]

John Erick Dowdle's "No Escape" is a taut thriller, nicely edited and strongly paced, resulting in a film that knows exactly how to get your adrenaline up and your movie-going senses tingled. Dowdle has been a strong force in the horror genre ever since his seldom-seen, largely unreleased debut "The Poughkeepsie Tapes" came onto the scene in 2007. Since then, Dowdle has proved his ability to direct claustrophobic thrillers such as "As Above, So Below" and "Devil," solidifying his filmography as dynamic and rounded, especially for a horror/thriller director.

"No Escape" is his most mainstream project to date, with a bigger scale than his previous films and bigger stars as well. Set in Southeast Asia, we focus on Jack (Owen Wilson), his wife Annie (Lake Bell), and their children Lucy and Breeze (Sterling Jerins and Claire Geare), who are moving to Asia for Jack's new job. Not long after being in the land, Jack's morning walk to get a newspaper results in him racing back to his hotel, following an all-out war between law enforcement and natives in the cluttered streets. Riots, looting, and inexplicable violence break out in the streets and Jack and his family must find a way to Vietnam where they can declare asylum. They seek out the help of Hammond (Pierce Brosnan, who provides darkly comic relief in many scenes), a skilled survivalist who is seen traveling on the plane with them to Asia, who assists in finding them temporary places to stay amidst all the madness.

Assertions have flown over the alleged "racism" of "No Escape"'s story, due to the negative portrayal of Asian natives and the constant danger and sanctity of this white family being challenged, in addition to being the prime concern, throughout the course of this picture. I bring this up not to challenge the position, for it is somewhat valid, but how come films like "Taken," which is operating on the same playing field as this film, isn't as slammed as this film is? Was that picture just too entertaining for the subtext to be noticed, or were we too distracted by Liam Neeson in that film to really care?

"No Escape," however, can claim more than "Taken" can as film because "No Escape"'s strengths come in the regard of its editing and camera-work, two things I was worried about walking into this film. Chaotic action films like these are ripe for sloppy aesthetics, which can, in turn, ruin any ability to see the action, let alone really care about what is happening to the characters. Dowdle and editor Elliot Greenberg are smart about how they shoot and edit this film, never settling for anything other than shots and editing tactics that allow for immersion and clear placement for the audience. In addition, Greenberg's editing provides some elements of structural pacing, which work to "No Escape"'s favor, especially during the more chaotic scenes.

The only element that subtracts from what "No Escape" does so uniformly well with its aesthetics is the convenience of the plot. Throughout the film, characters are put in compromising positions, including one scene at the end that comes so close to making this film great and almost entirely amoral, but finds ways through miraculous scenarios to get them out of harm's way in the nick of time. This ostensibly comes from writers John Erick and Drew Dowdle's dueling desire to up the film's stakes but simultaneously back down and not make things too drastic. For as heartless as some scenes of the film can be, it would've only been fitting to see some of the more serious, morally corrupt scenarios to follow through.

"No Escape" still works as a basic, fulfilling film; a pulsating action film with various elements of a thriller directed by someone with an evident list of ideas and edited by someone who understands the value of pacing and crystal-clear editing.

A real surprise find - well worth a watch

[richard-davis-987-676615 · 7/10 · 3 November 2015]

NOTE: I've skirted around some of the key thrilling episodes that occur within the film, but I feel I've talked about them without actually giving anything away. I don't think this review requires a spoiler alert!

I watched this having heard absolutely nothing about it, and having not even heard of it. I caught the picture of the cover art, and it seemed like it was Wilson and Brosnan, so thought I'd take a look.

Right from the off - it had the feel of something everso slightly different from the normal action film fodder. I won't ruin the surprise beginning, and then it cuts to the Wilson based family heading into this unnamed Asian country for a job-move.

From almost upon arrival and for the rest of the film, it's something of a thrill ride. I found myself particularly enthralled when Bell was trapped in their hotel room at the beginning of events - something about the acting and the filming really conveyed real fear and this totally hooked me in. It was clear that this was going to be a decent film from this moment on. It has a slightly "handicam" film-making quality about it, but in this instance, it absolutely adds to the feel imho.

From the hotel rooftop to the adjacent, again, it conveyed real fear. Would you do that with your family? Shocking from a parents point of view, but believable in that you'd have no choice. From a parental perspective - totally shocking and enthralling. My wife happened to walk into the room just at this point, and she was definitely mentally scarred by what she saw!

And there it goes on - for me, the only real slight let-downs in the movie are when Brosnan re-finds the family which in such a scenario really isn't likely to have happened, and indeed what Bell does whilst they are hiding in the old man's garden. I don't feel that a mother, protecting her children would have done that.

Apart from these small elements of storyline which probably allowed a little too much implausibility, along with just how much difficulty with the local rebels Wilson's character was realistically likely to overcome and deal with, particularly towards the end of the film - even with full adrenalin running were the only small faults.

Still, having said all that - I'll be watching this again soon. It was quite a thrill ride and most certainly not wholesome family entertainment. There's some really quite surprisingly graphic scenes of violence, which totally suited the film, but definitely not for young eyes.

This movie is way underrated!

[rachelvick-55947 · 9/10 · 29 November 2020]

My husband and I are big into movies of all genres and appreciate quality. We loved this movie. It was very intense/stressful with suspense from beginning to end. It speaks to what parents/family would do for each other. We had never seen Owen Wilson in a role like this, but thought he and Lake Bell did a phenomenal job! Believable performances by all. Even the kids did great. This movie is very underrated!

A good story, well told

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 5 June 2016]

A good story, well told is how I would describe this above-average American thriller that actually manages a certain level of intensity and momentum, two qualities I always look out for in my movies. It's a simple action thriller with a focus on movement and escape, as an American family visiting an unnamed south-east Asian country find themselves caught up in a coup and must literally flee for their lives.

The reason NO ESCAPE is so effective is because the storyline is a believable one. There's a decent sense of realism built up from the outset and just enough time given to develop the characters before throwing them into the deep end. I admit I was a bit nonplussed about the casting of Owen Wilson, but he was acceptable as the lead just as he was in the non-comedy BEHIND ENEMY LINES all those years ago. The rest of the cast have little to work with, but Pierce Brosnan brings a wry humour as the British tourist the family hook up with at their hotel.

The thriller sequences set in and around the hotel are by far the best bit of this film; they're edge of the seat stuff, with great cinematography to boost the action. After this point, the film drops down a notch and is never quite as thrilling; plus, I always dislike action set at night, because you can never see properly what's going on. Still, the hotel scenes alone are enough to make this a worthwhile watch.

Tenser than a tuk-tuk ride at rush hour

[bob-the-movie-man · 8/10 · 9 September 2015]

"No Escape" is set in an anonymous South East Asia country bordering Vietnam facing a violent civil war, with the uprising triggered by perceived foreign imperialist intervention. The film was shot in Thailand but looks and feels like Cambodia. Having had the fortune to spend time in Cambodia and be immersed in its troubling history, this feels well positioned: the economic premise at the heart of the film - that governments invest in loss-leading foreign-aid, in this case water treatment, to 'buy' future strings of the leadership - is controversial but has the ring of truth about it. Countries like Cambodia have been used as political footballs by the Super Powers for many years, and are pressure-cookers of injustice and discontent.

Owen Wilson and Lake Bell play Jack and Annie Dwyer, parents relocating - reluctantly - to the country as ex-pats to follow Jack's work as a water treatment engineer for a US corporate. Pretty brave, as they have their two young children Lucy and Beeze in tow. With immaculate timing they fly in on the eve of the uprising and their life turns into a terrifying game of hide and seek as the armed rebels pursue then with one intent: murder with a side-order of rape.

They are aided and abetted by a long-term ex-pat Hammond (Pierce Brosnan) who spends most of his free-time in bars and brothels but is a handy person to know. The film's title sums up the action perfectly: in a world without law, order or reason, and as scuppered as four chickens in a fox farm, how will the family survive? Or indeed will they all survive?

The bottom line is that this film is tense. Very tense. On the 'tenseness scale', we go right through 'clenching the armrest' right up to 'hands in the hair' tense at times, and there is little relief from after the action really kicks off. As a result, this is quite an exhausting watch.

The casting is also fascinating. Owen Wilson, better known for fluffier stuff like "Wedding Crashers", didn't feel to me like the natural choice for this lead, but he is really excellent. And Lake Bell, best known for the kooky and underrated 'voiceover' film "In a World", also excels as the traumatized wife and mother. Together with some highly credible performances by the kids (Sterling Jerins and Claire Geare) the ensemble really makes you care for the family unit, which adds massively to the tension.

Also in his best role for years Pierce Brosnan has great fun as the animated larger-than-life Hammond, although those of a sensitive musical disposition should be aware that he does sing again in karaoke mode: and if this were possible, it's even more toe-curlingly awful than "SOS" (albeit intentionally so). The one criticism would be Brosnan's weird accent which at first I took to be South African, but it later emerges that he is supposed to be British. If so, it's no UK regional accent that I recognize.

We are into September now - a difficult period for cinema, where the summer blockbusters give way to those films the studios deem not quite good enough for the 'Oscar period'. But, whilst having the feeling of a tight and relatively low-budget flick, here is an action film worthy of your attention. It is a film that tells a simple story very well, choosing to cut away from the more gruesome acts (it is a '15' certificate in the UK) to focus on the players' reactions and leaving more to the imagination. For this, the director - John Erick Dowdle (who also wrote the piece) - is to be congratulated. I was rather sniffy about his last film ("As Above, So Below") - "No Escape" is a vast improvement.

In summary, taut, tense and worthy of your movie dollar. Note though that for those adversely affected by films about children in peril and/or about serious sexual assault, this might be one for you to miss.

(If you enjoyed this review, please register at bob-the-movie-man.com for future posts. Thanks)

A must see, and a vastly underrated movie.

[m-soroczynski · 7/10 · 25 November 2015]

No Escape is one of the best action/thrillers of recent times. It isn't one of those movies that will be spoken about for years too come, but we must give credit where it is needed.

No Escape is a gripping, intense, cleverly put together movie. From the beginning the movie sets us up with the motives of why the family is moving and you feel connected with the main character Jack (Owen Wilson)who just wants to do whats best for his family. Seeing and loving, Owen Wilson is more comedic roles i didn't know how he would fair up is this action pact thriller, but i must admit, there may be a new genre around the corner and maybe another huge turning point in his career, sending him among the greats.

The film's writers have a lot to do with the success of this film, its script never dumbs down for the viewers, it is a script of what people would actually say and conversations that would actually happen in this situation. It makes you feel for the characters in the film and helps you to understand what is going on. You will feel apart of it. it cleverly leaves out all of the irrelevant details, keeping viewers guessing about what will happen next and how they will get out of a very sticky situation, while the mayhem continues around our main characters.

No Escape hits the ground running and never takes its foot off of the gas petal. Tensions are high and there is moments when you question how they are going to get out of an outrageously dangerous, near impossible situation. But it is not a movie where you feel as though the main character will survive no matter what. There are times where his death looks likely.

No Escape is a strong emotional and physical battle for survival and will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

7.5/10

A must see, and a vastly underrated movie.

Kenny Rogers Taxi Company

[ferguson-6 · 5/10 · 25 August 2015]

Greetings again from the darkness. An effective thriller must either put real people smack dab in the middle of believable peril or facilitate the suspension of disbelief. This latest from writer/director John Erick Dowdle (co-written with his brother Drew Dowdle) takes bits of each of those approaches and provides a pretty intense ride despite the mostly nonsensical happenings.

We pick up Owen Wilson and his family while on an a transatlantic flight to his new job in some unnamed Asian country that we later learn is just a couple miles down river from the Vietnam border. Not long after their arrival, the generic Prime Minister of this unnamed country is assassinated. The rebel forces responsible for the coup were evidently motivated by the political ploy of Owen's company, and they aim to kill him.

Lake Bell plays Owen's wife, and the two of them spend most of the movie on the run together while protecting their two young daughters. Ahh yes, the daughters. While watching this, it made me think that the writers must not be parents, as the kids' reactions to this extraordinarily dangerous situation involves excessive whimpering combined with whining for food. Anyone without kids will certainly not want any after watching this.

One of the family's earliest escape sequences involves leaping from one rooftop to another, and all I could think of was how fortunate that this was not a typical American family who, shall we say, struggles with the effects of a fast food diet. In addition to the long jump, Owen Wilson takes over the record for best on screen child toss an under-appreciated cinematic category.

The writers do deserve credit for understanding that Owen and his little family were insufficient to hold our attention for the full run, so they threw in a bizarre super agent played by Pierce Brosnan or Liam Neeson, or Bruce Willis, or maybe Chuck Norris. No, no - it really was Pierce Brosnan. Action sequences appear spontaneously with Brosnan's character, as do the funniest lines and the Kenny Rogers taxi company.

There do seem to be some conflicting story lines. On one hand the big Western corporation is cast as the villain who cares only to capitalize on the local citizens, yet on the other hand, we as viewers are supposed to root for the cute white family as they run from the rebels. Perhaps this is over-thinking something the filmmakers won't be accused of.

Most movie lovers enjoy a thriller that creates tension, and there is no shortage of intensity here. Just don't expect to buy into everything you see.

Tense Thriller

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 20 December 2015]

The American engineer Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson) is expatriated to Southeast Asia to work in the water plant of his company. He travels with his wife Annie (Lake Bell) and their daughters Lucy and Beeze and befriends the English Hammond (Pierce Brosnan) at the airport. Nobody from his company comes to take Jack and his family to the hotel and he accepts the ride offered by Hammond with his local friend Kenny Rogers (Sahajak Boonthanakit). Soon Jack notes that the television, telephone, Internet and cellular do not work and the front desk explains that they are facing problems. On the next morning, Jack walks to the market to buy a newspaper, he discovers that there is a revolution in the country and the rebels are executing foreigners. Now his only hope is to reach the American Embassy with his family. But the rebels are everywhere and Jack does not speak or read the language of the country.

"No Escape" is an extremely tense thriller with a great storyline of an expatriated family that are surprised by a rebellion in the country where they have just moved. The tension is intense and the viewer that has been expatriated along his professional life will probably be more impressive with this film. The cast has wonderful performances and it is easy to understand the reaction of the annoying Lucy if the viewer is a father or mother. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Horas de Desespero ("Desperate Hours")

An enjoyable ride hampered by illogical missteps & blatant stereotyping

[MinistryofDoom · 6/10 · 24 July 2018]

This Owen Wilson/Lake Bell driven action film is an enjoyable yet difficult experience. It's strengths are in it's ability to depict the isolationd felt by expatriates in foreign lands far removed from the comforts and routines of which they are familiar. Place that into the context of a civil uprising in an un-named 3rd world country where they are not only unable to communicate and traverse the unknown landscape but are incapable of knowing whom are friends and foes, and you have a true thrill ride. The problem is that it is also difficult to watch as certain illogical missteps are made which ultimately put the family in far greater jeopardy, defying common sense, and threatening their survival. It also attempts to make a political statement though it is difficult to understand what that statement is, since it is lost in the clutter of the film's plot. What we do know is that an expatriate engineer travels to a non-descript Asian country (which borders Vietnam) along with his family to work on a project and almost immediately a violent uprising breaks out between armed civilians and riot police whom are quickly and easily dispatched. After that no where else in the entire film do we see any authority figures attempting to restore order (it seems that the civilians in the span of an hour have taken over the entire country and killed all the security officers). The civilians then begin to hunt down and publicly execute foreigners for unknown reasons. The US Embassy is completely destroyed. American soldiers are lying dead at it's doorstep but killed them and why? Why does the country's population hate foreigners? Why are the committing public executions? Where are the government officials? Where are the security forces? Why are all the civilians depicted as barbaric violent savages? None of these questions are ever answered; all we know is that a man, his wife, and two daughters are attempting to flee the country before they are killed. The film wants us to focus on their process of fleeing and not to question why they are fleeing and so we have action-packed thriller that is extremely light on context and does not provide much substance story-wise.

really stupid

[xdimauro · 3/10 · 3 December 2021]

The protagonist to defend the family in an hour and a half of film, repeatedly decides not to take a gun, but a stone every fifteen minutes.

So it seemed really stupid to me.

No Escape

[0U · 14 February 2020]

One of my favorite movies of 2015... A fantastic movie about an American expat family trapped in an unnamed South East Asian country after a civil war had broke out; fighting for survival and a way out of the war torn country. Owen Wilson's should be given credit for acting in roles that are out of his typecast. Wilson's acting really shines in this movie. While Brosnan played a convincing Blackops operative that indirectly fueled the fire to a revolution/coup. I would recommend anyone to watch it at least once... I would greenlight a prequel to the backstory of Hammond (Brosnan's character) if given the opportunity because it would be an amazing movie. Even a spinoff sequel focusing on the other expats trapped in that same country would be watch worthy.

Tense and emotional

[Seraphion · 7/10 · 13 September 2015]

The Dwyer family; Jack, Annie, and their daughters Lucy and Beeze move to a Southeast Asian country as Jack's company Cardiff offers him a position on a new plant there. They meet Hammond on the plane. On the airport Hammond, who's been there several times, has his local friend Kenny Roger drive them to the hotel. At the hotel they find barely anything works. The next morning Jack strolls out for a newspaper when he suddenly gets caught in the middle of a riot between. Jack runs for his life and sees rebels started killing locals and foreigners. At the hotel gate Jack sees a Cardiff executive gets executed. The mob spots him as he escapes up a fire escape. Jack finds Annie and Beeze. But Lucy has gone to the pool so Jack goes to find her. Jack finds Lucy and manages to get back to their room after escaping from rebels. They meet Hammond at the stairs, who tells them to hide on the roof. A helicopter flies above the roof. While the foreigners think it's a help, it instead belongs to the rebels and a rebel inside it starts firing at them.

But it has its tail rotor tangled on some cables crashing it. The rebels storm through the roof access barricade ans starts killing everyone. Jack has Annie to jump to the next building's roof and then he throws Beeze at her. When he throws Lucy, the girls freaks out making them both almost fall. After Lucy gets thrown and Jack jumps himself the rebel leader signs that they know Jack's face. The family crawled one floor down and briefly rest as they hide. But the Jack spots a tank readying its muzzle at the building. After the tank's blast rebels pour in and kill everybody in the room but the family had hid in a room nearby. After all clears out a lone rebel spots the family and shouts to alerts his friends. But Jack hits him repeatedly shocking both him and Annie. As nightfall comes they sneak out and try to reach the US embassy. But the embassy proves a futile effort as Jack sees all the Americans dead and an explosion rocks the building. They then hides in a Buddhist shrine after pleading to the shrine keeper.

Rebels storm in and push the keeper around. Jack goes for a rebel's gun but when Annie sees he's almost noticed, she springs out of hiding, drawing attention to her. She's about to get raped but Hammond and Kenny come and shoots the rebels dead. Hammond brings them to a safe place and tells Jack about the Vietnamese border down the river. Rebels storm in at them but Hammond manages to kill most of them, although Kenny gets killed and he gets wounded. He stays behind and covers the family's escape with his own life. The Dwyers reach the river and Jack trades his watch and shoes for a boat. But rebels catch up to them, pinning Jack down. Lucy goes for his dad but the rebel leader snatches her and forces her to shoot Jack, with a gun also pointed at her own head. Annie runs and beats the leader to death while Jack catches the gun and shoots the rest of the rebel group. The family then get in the boat and paddles to the border. The border guards spot them and orders them to stop. Jack pleads with them as more rebels come in. But the river current has the boat moved to Vietnamese waters and the guards threaten the rebels not to shoot, ending the family's ordeal.

The background shows a different and slightly new perspective for a thriller start point. Bringing Southeast Asia as opposed to the common Middle East, Latin American or even African backgrounds really gave something fresh to the take. The story also did well in divulging the root cause of the problem as little as possible, enabling to focus more on the action of thriller, preventing it from turning into a political thriller.

Focusing on family in premise of running from being killed is also good. It moves away from those solitary or even couples characters found in many thrillers. By incorporating this the movie has ample space to push in emotional load. This emotional load nicely covers what's missing on those action scenes which look less believable. The scene where Jack throws Beeze and Lucy will feel very weird if it didn't have any emotional load from the family viewpoint.

The action scenes with pure action only comes as short bits. This is good as not to take away the focus from the thriller and stands as compliments to them. Yet they still feel a little awkward and soon get predictable because they only appear when Pierce Brosnan comes on- screen. It kind of puts the movie in a cliché as to the audience thinking whenever the family gets really stuck, Hammond will come bursting out of nowhere and save them.

The acting overall is quite good. It's a very good take for both Owen Wilson and Lake Bell. They both have sunk to their own respective comedy roles for quite some time that some people in the audience gets surprised that they can do non-comedy roles. I remembered Wilson's role as quite engaging in "Behind Enemy Lines" and Lake Bell had one of her first roles in "Pride and Glory". And their dramatic take here is actually quite good. Together with the kids they can invoke the emotional family relationship in the suspense scenes. Pierce Brosnan's role was a nice nuance to the movie as a whole.

A score of 7 out of 10 is from me for No Escape (2015), and a solid recommendation to go see it in the movies. It's very entertaining, especially for those of you who look for a new take on thrillers but still demand the high intensity mood in it.

Very Good Movie Ignore the Low Reviews

[imvaughn · 6/10 · 9 January 2023]

I really enjoyed the movie and don't get the low reviews. Someone said it was racist brown vs white. Asians aren't brown. There's no racism in the movie. This is a story about an American family who is trying to survive a coup. Very simple concept but executed beautifully.

It's pretty much intense from 15 mins until the ending. I was on the edge of my seat hoping they made it. Owen Wilson shines in this movie. Kids though annoying did a good job. This isn't a thought provoking movie. It's a movie where you will love it if you love simple action movies.

Also not sure why the roof throwing scene gets cropped on. Seems reasonable to me Stuck on roof with bad guys with guns and can't go down jump across to the other building.

This movie did make me scared to go to another country.. reminds you to appreciate the freedoms and stability American has.

Finally -- an action movie without a zillion pointless explosions

[suzgotmail · 9/10 · 2 September 2015]

I went to this movie because I was curious -- Owen Wilson NOT in a comedy?? I was pleasantly surprised. Owen Wilson nailed it -- a loving father trying *desperately* to save his family. Yes, this situation has been done a zillion times before (for example, THREE "Taken" movies) -- but I've never seen it done with this much intensity. The movie's focus was not on the "action." Rather, the focus was on the interplay between the parents/kids, how they dealt with each other and the various situations, providing a deeply human touch against a horrifically inhuman background (a massacre). And it was this extreme contrast, of the human vs the inhuman, that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the movie.

Pierce Brosnan was also amazing. No plastic Kennie doll here -- Pierce Brosnan played an imperfect man trying to do the right thing. I've never seen Pierce Brosnan play such a wide range within a single role -- from off-key karaoke to ____. (I won't say it as it would be a spoiler).

I also enjoyed Pierce Brosnan's sidekick, "Kenny Rogers."

And I must say, it was refreshing to see an action movie where the only "car chase scene" involved a moped going five miles per hour.

Good Action/Thriller With An Unlikely Hero

[stevendbeard · 7/10 · 26 August 2015]

I saw "No Escape", starring Owen Wilson-The Night at the Museum movies, Marley & Me; Lake Bell-Million Dollar Arm, No Strings Attached; Sahajak Boonthanakit-Only God Forgives, Elephant White and Pierce Brosnan-The November Man, Mars Attacks!, and Oh Yeah, a couple of Bond movies.

This is a good action/thriller with an unlikely hero. You don't normally think of Owen Wilson as being in an action movie, or at least I don't, but he is really good here. He plays a family man with Lake as his wife and they have two young daughters. Owen is a water purification engineer from Austin, Texas that gets sent to a southeast Asian country-I don't remember an actual name for the country being mentioned-that borders Vietnam to start a new job. About 5 or 6 hours after they land and get settled into their hotel, the Prime Minister of the country is assassinated by rebels who then decide that any and all foreign devils in their country must be killed. Not good news for Owen & family. Luckily, they run into a British tourist, Pierce, and his Kenny Rogers loving associate, Sahajak, who try to help them survive. Owen & family must try to stay alive and then, just maybe escape-but there is no escape, according to the title of the movie- from the machete slinging and gun toting rebels with bloodshed on their minds. One thing I really liked was that they did not just turn Owen into an action hero like Vin Diesel or The Rock, although there is nothing wrong with those two fine action stars. Owen is just a normal man doing whatever he can to protect his family. The movie was shot in Thailand and written by John Erick Dowdle and his brother Drew. John also directed it. If their names are not familiar to you, they are responsible for As Above, So Below, Quarantine and Full Moon Rising. It's rated "R" for violence, language and sexual content-including a sexual assault but no nudity-and has a running time of 1 hour & 43 minutes. I really enjoyed it and would buy it on DVD.

Much better than the movie critics would have you believe

[paul-allaer · 8/10 · 2 September 2015]

As "No Escape" (2015 release; 103 min.) open, we see a high level meeting taking place (drinks are tested for poison before consumption). It's the Prime Minister (of an unnamed country), and before we know it, the Prime Minister is murdered. The movie then switches to "17 Hours Earlier", as we get to know the Dwyer family as they are en route to Southeast Asia: Jack (played by Owen Wilson), Annie (played by Lake Bell), and their two young daughters Lucy and Beeze. During the flight they also meet Hammond (played by Pierce Brosnan), who has visited the country 15 times and knows the place inside out. Upon arrival at their hotel, Annie comments "Welcome to the fourth world!", as there is no functioning TV, phone or internet. The next morning Jack goes for a walk to by a US newspaper, and inadvertently gets mixed up in a stand-off between demonstrators and police in riot gear. At this point, we are not yet 15 min. into the movie but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first, this movie has gotten pretty negative reviews from the experts and movie critics. Well, let me tell you, they are way off the mark on this one. If you have seen the movie's trailer, you already know that this is in essence one long escape movie 9very similar in the way that the new Mad Max movie was in essence one long car chase). Once Jack gets mixed up in the stand-off, he and then his family in essence run and hide, and run some more, in a city where there is no sanctuary. It makes for an incredibly tense movie. It must also be mentioned that the movie is at times outright brutal, making for some difficult watching. This is definitely not a movie for the faint of heart. But there are also a number of heart-stopping scenes that play out brilliantly. The hotel rooftop scene, which is so reminiscent of the last days of Saigon 1975, will blow you away. Let me also point out a minus: much of the movie is shot with hand-held cameras and there are tons of close-ups (enforcing the feeling of anxiety), which frankly makes for some exhausting watching. Also, I'm still not 'buying' into Owen Wilson as an action movie guy. On the other hand, Lake Bell, who shone a few years ago in her own movie "In A World...", shines again in this one. Kudos also for Brosnan, who still has the charisma of his James Bond days. When you realize that the production budget of this movie was just $5 million, a pittance in today's Hollywood terms, this movie more than delivers the goods.

"No Escape" opened nationally this past weekend and due to the negative reviews I was hedging whether to go see this, even though I had liked the trailer. Well I gave in to my original curiosity. So glad I did. The early evening screening where I saw this at here in Cincinnati was attended okay but not great (it was a week night, though). If you are in the mood for an ultra-tense action drama and you are not faint of heart, you should check this out, be it in the theater, on Amazon Instant Video or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. "No Escape" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Suspenseful thriller 7.5/10

[welhof1 · 7/10 · 15 March 2023]

I'm surprise I had never heard of this movie because it sounds like something I would enjoy. I ended up randomly coming across it one night and was pleasantly surprised.

The city was beautiful. I believe they may have been in Thailand? All the alleys and stuff they ran through was all pretty cool.

My main issue was where was the government? There was this huge coup going on and I don't recall seeing one police officer or military personnel. Just a bunch of thugs.

Also, I almost turned it off when that one guy shot the other guy in the head with a pistol from about 1000 feet. No way.

Overall, just a enjoyable, thriller, and definitely worth a watch. Owen Wilson is always fun.

Shark-jumping opportunity misser nonetheless offers many solid thrilling moments

[Aylmer · 5/10 · 2 September 2015]

There are certainly many things this film has in common with Owen Wilson's other "serious" action movie BEHIND ENEMY LINES, with him as a fish out of water in a hostile foreign country just trying to get to safety and gradually being pushed more and more into action hero territory as the film goes on. This film is a little different in that Wilson is just a totally average employee and having to protect his wife and two young daughters. The selling point for a suspense-based film like this is realism, which the makers excellently set up in the first half but completely lose gradually as the film goes on due to some utterly head-scratching decisions...

* Wilson barely manages to get back to his hotel room in time to warn his family but has to go back for his oldest daughter swimming in the downstairs pool, leaving his wife to hold down the hotel. Some rebels butcher the family across the way from her in a very effectively tense scene and she bars the door with her body. For some reason, the rebels just give up on breaking down the door? Okay, maybe they were tired... let's go on to the next one.

* Wilson's family is holding out on the roof of the hotel with many other families when a chopper shows up only to open fire on them. Miraculously, Wilson's family (kids and all) are the only ones smart enough to survive not only a chopper crashing and exploding on top of them, but the rebels storming the roof even though his daughters are kicking and screaming for many crucial minutes.

* Brosnan and Kenny Rogers rescuing the family at the last minute. Why was Brosnan pointing to the roof as an escape when he never ended up there himself? How did he and Rogers find where the family was? Were they following them the whole time?

* The Ending. What a disaster... for one thing there is no Southeast Asian capital city with direct US flights and within a couple hours canoing distance from Vietnam. Even if there was, why would the river not be jam-packed with other refugees?

Despite this ridiculousness, the film offers some fascinating food for thought on what it would be like to happen to be a foreigner in a country as it falls apart. I'm sure it's happened to many people in such places as Libya, Cambodia, Liberia, Uganda, etc. The sheer level of fear, powerlessness, and awkwardness of such a scenario is successfully portrayed here, but unfortunately squandered by many points in which the filmmakers dumbed things down to focus on overdone and predictable, logic-defying clichés.

I have to point out that there's many points of undeniably well-handled tension including a wonderful scene in which the family has to sneak through a celebration parade. There's a lot of promise throughout the film actually and moments of real humanity that shine through, but this scene constitutes the last of it. Much of the action and violence that stir up in the last third of the film loses its impact due to an increasing reliance on shaky-cam cinematography as the film progresses. Someone really needs to end this nuisance of a filmmaking practice as it really is just sloppy and has killed almost every action film since 1998. It just takes me right out of the movie.

I'm glad I saw this movie but can't help but wonder how much greater it could have been had it been made a little more KILLING FIELDS and a little less WORLD WAR Z.

edge of your seat relentless action!

[nickgilmour69 · 9/10 · 26 August 2015]

I went in to this movie not expecting much. having read some reviews online prior i had my hopes set a little higher as many people said the intensity of the movie was high. the reviews did not do that justice. this might be one of the most relentless in your face movies i have ever seen. once things start to go wrong and believe me it does not take long at all, it rarely ever gives you a chance to breathe.

This is Owen Wilson in top form. I have seen him take on a serious role before in behind enemy lines so i knew he had it in him but he really takes it to a whole new level here. the children are adorable and really strong actresses for their age. the family dynamic is authentic and you genuinely care about what happens to them.

the concept behind this movie is not too far fetched and felt very plausible. John Erick Dowdle does a great job putting his audience right in the middle of the chaos. Many instances throughout the movie i found myself thinking about how i would react in these situations. Some excellent camera-work is used here too, especially on the roof scene.

Of course this movie is not perfect. there were a couple of Hollywood moments where someone saves the day at the last possible second and the ending felt kind of abrupt but it was still pretty emotional and shows what this family has gone through. overall i give this movie a 9.5/10

Do not sleep on this movie. you will be in for one wild ride.

Stranger

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 7 October 2016]

If you are new to a country, you may not be aware of the political climate, let alone know your way around (geographically speaking, but also conversation wise of course). That's the case here and what the movie is based on. You may argue that it portrays countries with lesser wealth than the industrial countries in a bad light. And I wouldn't necessarily argue against that. But it would damp and hinder you to enjoy the ride this movie otherwise is able to take you on.

So if you can suspend your disbelief and want to go on a ride, this movie will be able to be the thriller for the family man/woman in you. Predictable to a degree and with a great appearance by former Bond Pierce Brosnan, this has all the tension you need.

Don't bother

[readeastofeden · 2/10 · 29 May 2016]

The ridiculous plot, bad editing, bad music, generic setting, bad Asian stereotypes, and unrealistic characters make this movie a waste of time. There is non-stop action, but it isn't good.

Pierce Brosnan has a couple of funny lines, but he cannot save this train wreck. The writing is so bad it makes Owen Wilson into a complete moron.

A no-name "scary Asian" country has a coup, and Wilson is stuck trying to get his family out. As soon as he notices there is a coup, which is almost immediately, he is on the run. But it is an absurd, laughable run, one in which bad editing, stupid slow-mo, and ridiculous music do not enhance a bad writing job. Things like: let's zoom in the the license plate of the scooter for no apparent reason, or, how about show that Wilson dropped his goofy city map so we can make you think he is lost for 2 seconds until he looks up to see the obvious hotel that he is running to, or how about the really bad "Asians eat dogs" stereotype? I can go on, but stop now and save yourself two hours.

Someone in some review called this an "important" movie, which made me want to cry for our stupidity. If by important, they meant the three minutes that Brosnan talks about the great "evil American corporation," I am not sure, but that corny, weak attempt to get political was a serious fail. There are many things corporations are guilty of, but this movie will not in any way remedy any of them.