The Escapist (2008 film)
| The Escapist | |
|---|---|
 Official poster |
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| Directed by | Rupert Wyatt |
| Produced by | Adrian Sturges Alan Moloney |
| Written by | Rupert Wyatt Daniel Hardy |
| Starring | Brian Cox Joseph Fiennes Liam Cunningham Seu Jorge Dominic Cooper Steven Mackintosh Damian Lewis |
| Music by | Benjamin Wallfisch |
| Cinematography | Philipp Blaubach |
| Editing by | Joe Walker |
| Distributed by | Vertigo Films IFC Films |
| Release date(s) | United Kingdom: 20th June 2008 United States: 2nd April 2009 |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | UK and Republic of Ireland |
| Language | English |
The Escapist is a 2008 drama thriller starring Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Liam Cunningham, Seu Jorge, Dominic Cooper, Steven Mackintosh, Stephen Farrelly and Damian Lewis. It is directed and co-written by Rupert Wyatt, and premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival to considerable acclaim. An Irish-UK Co-Production, the film was produced by Alan Moloney of Parallel Films and Adrian Sturges of Picture Farm.
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[edit] Plot
Frank Perry (Brian Cox) is a lifer and has long accepted that he will never see the outside again. When Perry receives his first letter in fourteen years that his cherished daughter is a drug addict and near death following an overdose, he starts to think about escaping. He soon puts a plan together with help from Lenny Drake (Joseph Fiennes), Brodie (Liam Cunningham) and Viv Batista (Seu Jorge). But when Perry's new cellmate James Lacey (Dominic Cooper) gets noticed by Tony (the brother of the powerful inmate Rizza), things get more complicated and lead to Tony's death. When Perry receives the bad news that his daughter has died his plans change.
The film runs two narratives simultaneously, the preparation of the escape and the escape itself, of Perry and several others.
[edit] Cast and characters
- Brian Cox as Frank Perry. A solid and phlegmatic character, he holds his own, but neither attracts nor creates any trouble. He is a lifer and has long accepted that he will never see the outside again.
- Damian Lewis as Rizza. A ruthless convict who rules over the other inmates.
- Joseph Fiennes as Lenny Drake. A former thief and boxer.
- Seu Jorge as Viv Batista. The prison chemist.
- Liam Cunningham as Brodie. Perry's right hand man and closest friend.
- Sheamus as Two Ton. The prison's reigning bare-knuckle boxing champion.
- Dominic Cooper as Lacey. A newly arrived prisoner and Frank's cellmate.
- Steven Mackintosh as Tony. Brother of Rizza, drug addled and the source of much conflict.
[edit] Production
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[edit] Writing
The role of Frank Perry was written specifically for Brian Cox.[1]
[edit] Locations
Much of The Escapist was shot in Dublin's Kilmainham Gaol. A scene near the end is shot in the bascule chamber beneath Tower Bridge in London; it is exactly the same location where Wyatt's brother-in-law Boris Starling set the climax of his 2006 novel Visibility. The Kingsway tramway subway also features in the film.
[edit] Music
The film features Leonard Cohen's version of "The Partisan" and British band Coldplay who wrote an eponymous song for the film which features on the end credits and on their bestselling album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends as a hidden track.[2]
[edit] Reception
[edit] Critical reception
The film received a rating of 65% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 40 reviews. The consensus: "A tense, smart prison break movie, The Escapist is a sharp debut from director Rupert Wyatt".[3]
[edit] Box office
Domestic Total as of April 23, 2009: $13,439[4]
[edit] Awards
[edit] Wins
- BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Film Performance 2008 (Brian Cox)
- British Independent Film Awards 2008 Best Production Achievement (Adrian Sturges and Alan Moloney)
[edit] Nominations
- British Independent Film Awards 2008 The Doulgas Hicox Award (Best Debut Director) (Rupert Wyatt)
- Irish Film and Television Awards 2008 Best Film (Adrian Sturges and Alan Moloney)
- World Soundtrack Award for Discovery of the Year 2008 (Benjamin Wallfisch)
- Evening Standard British Film Awards 2008 Most Promising Newcomer (Rupert Wyatt)
- Evening Standard British Film Awards 2008 Technical Achievement (Joe Walker)
- London Critics' Circle Film Awards 2008 Filmmaking Breakthrough (Rupert Wyatt)
[edit] References
- ^ The Escapist – Brian Cox interview – Jail bait | The List
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viva_la_vida
- ^ "The Escapist Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment. http://rottentomatoes.com/m/10009334-the_escapist. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
- ^ "The Escapist". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=escapist.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- The Escapist at the Internet Movie Database
- The Escapist at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Escapist at Metacritic
- Photographs of abandoned props from the Escapist in the Kingsway tramway tunnel, 10 October 2009, Flickr
