No Escape (2015)

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Movie
German title No escape
Original title No escape
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2015
length 103 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director John Erick Dowdle
script John Erick Dowdle,
Drew Dowdle
production Drew Dowdle,
David Lancaster ,
Michel Litvak
music Marco Beltrami ,
Buck Sanders
camera Léo Hinstin
cut Elliot Greenberg
occupation

No Escape ( English for No Escape is) an American thriller from director John Erick Dowdle from the year 2015 . The film is a production by Bold Films , Brothers Dowdle Productions and Living Films in association with Sierra / Affinity and was released in US cinemas on August 26, 2015 on distribution by The Weinstein Company . In Germany it was released on February 25, 2016 exclusively as DVD and Blu-ray as well as video-on-demand . It stars Owen Wilson , Lake Bell , Sterling Jerins , Claire Geare and Pierce Brosnan . The film tells the story of an engineer who emigrates with his family to an unspecified Southeast Asian country bordering Vietnam and gets caught in a civil war-like scenario.

action

In an unnamed Southeast Asian country, the Prime Minister signs a contract with a representative from Cardiff , a US company specializing in water systems. After the representative leaves the prime minister's residence, a group of armed rebels instigates a coup that begins with the prime minister's assassination.

17 hours earlier, Jack Dwyer, a new Cardiff employee , entered the country with his wife Annie and two daughters Lucy and Beeze. After landing, they run across the path of the Briton, Hammond, who offers them a ride with him and his friend and taxi driver "Kenny Rogers" to the Imperial Lotus Hotel, where many foreigners live. At the hotel, Jack is amazed to see that the telephones, television and the Internet have failed all over town. He went to the hotel bar and met Hammond again. The next morning Jack goes out to buy an American newspaper and after a while finds himself in the middle of a confrontation between armed protesters and the police. The two groups fight each other with the most brutal violence, and Jack can only escape from the mob with great difficulty. Eventually the protesters gain the upper hand and begin to run over the police. Jack runs back towards the hotel and watches the rebels kill an American tourist. A rebel fighter chases Jack and forces him to enter the hotel via a fire escape and through a window. The rebels break through the main entrance of the hotel and start indiscriminately murdering the staff and the helpless guests.

Jack manages to get to his family's room, but finds that Lucy is bathing in the pool on the 4th floor. He goes downstairs, pulls Lucy out of the pool and escapes with her before the rebels can shoot them. Meanwhile, the terrified Annie watches as the rebels move from room to room and kill every guest in it. When Jack returns with Lucy, he meets rebels in the stairwell, but is saved by Hammond at the last moment. Jack and his family flee to the roof of the hotel, where several guests and employees have already taken to safety. There Jack learns what the uprising is all about. The rebels are fighting back against Western corporations' control of the country's water supply, and Jack is one of the killers. When a helicopter approaches, the refugees think they will be rescued, but it is the rebels who are now starting to open fire on the innocent. Jack then brings his family to safety and flees to the other side of the roof, where the helicopter follows them, but comes too close to the electrical overhead lines and crashes. When the other rebels break through the blocked door and begin to shoot the remaining survivors, Jack and his family can jump onto the roof of an office building next to the hotel at the last second. He looks back and sees rebels holding up the Cardiff “Welcome” banner with his photo on it and indicating that they want to kill him too.

The rebels shell the office building with a tank. Jack's family hide under the rubble while the rebels storm the building and murder the employees. The family remains hidden there for the rest of the day until dusk falls. As they leave their hiding place, Jack is discovered by a raiding rebel and, to Annie's horror, is forced to kill him in front of his family in order not to be betrayed. They find a map and take the clothes of the dead office workers to disguise themselves as locals and continue their way towards the American embassy on a stolen moped. On the way they manage to cross a crowd of rebel demonstrators. A man notices that they are foreigners but says nothing when he sees the two young children. On arrival at the embassy, ​​they must find that it has been abandoned and looted. The same group of rebels turns up with their leader that was responsible for the hotel massacre.

The family seek refuge in the garden of a Buddhist shrine near the embassy and are hidden by the old caretaker. The small group of rebels follows them and begins to look for them. Jack tries to steal a gun. Annie tries to help him and diverts attention from Jack while Lucy and Beeze go into hiding. After Jack snatches the rifle, he finds that it is not loaded. When the leader of the group is about to rape Annie, Hammond comes to the aid of the family and, with the help of his friend Kenny, is able to shoot most of the rebels except the leader. The two men take the family to a nearby brothel, which they must pass on the way to the roof of the building. There the family can take a short breath and eat something. In the process, Hammond explains to Jack that he and Kenny work for the British government, along with other agents in the past, to do business with the country's now overthrown government and companies like Cardiff . However, since these deals have led to high levels of debt, the associated sell-off of local businesses and severe impoverishment of the country's population, they angered these "common people" who have now risen in an anarchic uprising to kill all foreigners. Hammond also explains to Jack that his plan is to save the family and take them to the nearby river to take a boat across the border into Vietnam and get asylum.

Before they can carry out their plan, they are attacked again by a group of rebels. In the shooting, Kenny is killed and Hammond is badly wounded. Hammond therefore sacrifices himself to enable the family to escape. When she gets near the river bank, Annie hides the children while Jack looks for a boat. But he is discovered by the rebel leader who has returned with a group to look for and kill Jack. Lucy watches this and leaves her hiding place to help her father. She distracts the group leader, whose shot then fired hits Jack's shoulder. The leader threatens Lucy with a gun and tells her to shoot her father. She relentlessly refuses, but Jack encourages her to pull the trigger. Before Lucy can make her choice, Annie steps in and kills the leader with an oar, while Jack grabs the man's pistol, killing the rest of the rebels.

The family then escapes in a boat and paddles downstream towards the Vietnamese border. They are discovered and pursued by a group of other rebels. Although the Vietnamese border patrol is armed to warn the family not to cross the border into Vietnam, they are still doing nothing to actually stop them. When the boat then crossed the border marker, the border patrol warns the rebels not to shoot, as the family is now in Vietnamese territory and this must be considered an act of war. The family is rescued from the boat by the border guards. The four of them hug for a long time because they are finally safe. Later in a hospital, Jack and Annie tell the children their favorite story of Lucy's difficult birth, which the two girls wanted to hear in the hotel and during their escape.

production

History of origin

Owen Wilson Cannes 2011.jpg
Lake Bell MFF 2013.jpg
PierceBrosnanSept2013TIFF.jpg


Starring Owen Wilson (2011), Lake Bell (2013) and Pierce Brosnan (2013)

In 2012 it was announced that Owen Wilson had been hired for an action film with the working title The Coup and that the subject of the film should have similarities with the plot of 96 Hours . The film focuses on an American family who travels to Southeast Asia and is embroiled in a violent coup in which rebels mercilessly attack tourists. It was also later reported during the Cannes Film Festival that Pierce Brosnan had joined the project and that he would take on a role as a British government agent, similar to his role as James Bond . Furthermore, the actress Michelle Monaghan should impersonate the wife of Wilson's character. Director John Erick Dowdle, known for various horror films , wrote the script together with his brother Drew, who is also the producer of the project. The brothers were inspired by political upheavals when the Dowdle brothers took their father on a trip to Thailand and shortly before the country's prime minister had been overthrown in a coup.

In August 2013, it was announced that Bold Films would fund and produce the film, replacing the previous production company Crime Scene Pictures . Later in 2013, it was reported that actress Lake Bell has taken on the role of Monaghan's wife and that the film character will be named Annie Dwyer, and filming is slated to begin in Thailand in late October.

Filming and publishing

The Coup (later No Escape ) was recorded in Chiang Mai and Lampang , Thailand . Filming began on October 31, 2013 and was carried out jointly with the Thai film production company Living Films to facilitate the organization of the recordings. Sierra / Affinity took care of the international distribution of the film.

View of the city of Chiang Mai in the province of the same name in Thailand, where most of the filming took place.

The release of the film was originally scheduled for March 6, 2015. On February 6, 2015, however, it was announced that the film would be renamed to the final new title "No Escape" and that the release would be delayed until September 2, 2015. The release date was later set for August 26, 2015 in the United States.

The film was only approved for release in Thailand after the filmmakers and the local authorities agreed not to mention the country in the film or portray it negatively. In an interview with The Straits Times , co-writer Drew Dowdle said, “We were very careful not to identify Thailand in the film, so there was no Thai language, signs were reversed and the local population spoke a combination of Lao and Lao other languages. ”The filmmakers were also instructed not to use images of the Thai monarchy and“ never show the king or the color yellow because that is the color of the king ”. Director John Dowdle added that they were also banned from showing Buddhas or violence in front of Buddha statues .

Film music

The score for No Escape was composed by Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders. The soundtrack for the film, which also contains the song Take Care Of You by Jim James, was released on August 21, 2015 by Lakeshore Records.

reception

source rating
Rotten tomatoes
critic 45%
audience 62%
Metacritic
critic 38/100
audience
IMDb
AllMovie
critic
audience

The reviews of the film were partly positive, partly mixed to mostly negative. It was criticized, among other things, that the film is technically well staged and the actors do a solid job, but is illogical, ridiculously predictable and racist. Some reviewers also accuse the film of openly celebrated sadism that borders on violent pornography and is reinforced by some slow-motion shots.

On Rotten Tomatoes , No Escape received a rating of 45% based on 65 positive and 80 critical reviews with an average rating of 4.9 out of 10 and a user rating of 62% with an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 possible points. The critical consensus of the site says: " No Escape 's talented cast and the tight B-movie thrill are unfortunately canceled out by its one-dimensional characters and uncomfortably retrograde worldview." The Metacritic website calculated an average Metascore of 38/100 based on 33 reviews from renowned media and a user rating of 6.4 out of 10 possible points.

Reviews

Lars Adrian from Treffpunkt: Critique.de rates the film with 3.5 out of 6 possible points and sums it up:

“Although No Escape was shown in cinemas in several countries and grossed a respectable 54 million US dollars compared to its low production costs, the German distributor decided to forego a theatrical release and only release the film for home theater, despite the well-known stars . If you look at the result, the reasons for this can be understood. Despite the exotic setting and the sometimes sweaty escape, Dowdle does not manage to raise his work above average. The inadequate, undifferentiated characterization of the local population is the greatest annoyance. […] Conclusion: No Escape is without question an exciting film against a fundamentally interesting background that is rather little known in our part of the world. Unfortunately, the story is too simple and the antagonists remain interchangeable and colorless despite the atrocities. Owen Wilson, Lake Bell and Pierce Brosnan help with their sympathetic portrayal a little over these weaknesses, so that the bottom line is a solid thriller. "

- Meeting point: Critique.de

Pascal Reis from Moviebreak.de awards 3.5 out of 10 possible points and draws the conclusion:

“In the first half, 'No Escape' is still very popular as an extremely energetic exploiter who accompanies a family as they somehow try to get through the turmoil of the political coup in the Far East. As soon as John Erick Dowdle begins to politicize his fearful scenario, however, 'No Escape' finally slips away from under its feet and the film gets into the extremely xenophobic fear-hustle and bustle, which believes in the pure-waisted American and demonizes everything seems 'strange' in some way. Tasteless and with the unconditional will to exploit the pity of the viewer. A tearjerker of the worst kind - unfortunately! "

- Moviebreak.de

Grossing results

No Escape achieved total revenue of 27.29 million US dollars at the North American box office, and 27.13 million US dollars in other countries. A budget of 5 million US dollars is set against a total of 54.4 million US dollars worldwide by the end of November 2015.

controversy

The Dowdle brothers were accused, among other things, of producing a racist film and of using clichés and stereotypes . The extreme violence perpetrated by the Asian insurgents in no way reflects Asian culture. After a trailer for the film was released, there was an uproar in Cambodia over the use of inverted Khmer lettering on police signs. The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts banned the film from being released in the country for the time being, and the trailer was not allowed to be shown. Sin Chanchaya, director of the film department, said the decision to ban the film was based only on the release of the trailer and he was informed that permission had been given to shoot the film in Chiang Mai and Lampang , Thailand . Several coups had previously taken place in the country. The production team also had to make sure during the shoot that there were no scenes in the film that suggested Thailand as the location. Chanchaya also said the Cambodian Ministry tried to contact the film producers to remove the Khmer script from the film, but there was no response. Against this background and because the film puts the country's culture in a bad light, the film has not been approved for release in Cambodia.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for No Escape . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , October 2015 (PDF; test number: 155 349 V).
  2. ↑ Adam Chitwood: Owen Wilson to Star in Action Drama THE COUP. In: collider.com. April 24, 2012, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Pamela Mc Clintock: Cannes 2012: Pierce Brosnan Joins Crime Scene's Thriller 'The Coup'. In: hollywoodreporter.com. May 1, 2012, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Mike Fleming Jr .: Michelle Monaghan Joins Owen Wilson, Pierce Brosnan In 'The Coup'. In: deadline.com. May 11, 2012, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Lauri Donahue: Don't Be Good At Anything Else: The Dowdle Brothers on No Escape. In: creativescreenwriting.com. November 18, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Mike Fleming Jr .: Bold Films Gets $ 35 Million Comerica Infusion; Will Finance 'The Coup' With Owen Wilson And Pierce Brosnan. In: deadline.com. August 8, 2013, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  7. ^ Brian Gallagher: Lake Bell Joins Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan in The Coup. In: movieweb.com. Retrieved April 8, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Jon remote Quest: Coup movie 'No escape' to show in Thailand plan to get more films shot in Thailand (with video). In: bangkokpost.com. August 11, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Patrick Brzeski: 'The Coup' Starring Owen Wilson, Pierce Brosnan Begins Shooting in Thailand. In: hollywoodreporter.com. November 10, 2014, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  10. ↑ The Deadline Team: Weinstein Co Sets March 2015 Release For Cannes Pickup 'The Coup', Moves 'Paddington' To Christmas Day. In: deadline.com. June 10, 2014, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Borys Kit: Owen Wilson-Pierce Brosnan Action Movie Gets New Title and Release Date. In: hollywoodreporter.com. February 6, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  12. ^ Garth Franklin: The Coup Retitled And Delayed - Dark Horizons. In: darkhorizons.com. February 6, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Alison de Souza: Shot in Chiangmai, but no trace of Thailand. In: straitstimes.com. August 26, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Filmmusicreporter: 'No Escape' Soundtrack Details - Film Music Reporter. In: filmmusicreporter.com. August 20, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  15. ↑ a b c No Escape. In: rottentomatoes.com. August 25, 2015, accessed October 25, 2017 .
  16. ↑ a b c Metacritics - CBS Interactive Inc .: No Escape (2015) - Critic Reviews. In: metacritic.com. August 25, 2015, accessed October 25, 2017 .
  17. ↑ IMDb : No Escape (2015 / I) - User ratings. In: imdb.com. April 6, 2017, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  18. ↑ a b Tom Ciampoli: No Escape (2015) - John Erick Dowdle - Review. In: allemovie.com. August 26, 2015, accessed June 21, 2017 .
  19. ↑ a b Beatrice Verhoeven: 'No Escape' Reviews: Critics Call Owen Wilson's Actioner 'Racist,' 'Cliche-Ridden,' 'Monotonous'. In: thewrap.com. August 27, 2015, accessed May 8, 2017 .
  20. ↑ a b Jeff Labrecque: 'No Escape' reviews: What are the critics saying? In: ew.com. August 28, 2015, accessed May 8, 2017 .
  21. ↑ Kyle Smith: Owen Wilson brings end-of-summer heat with 'No Escape'. In: nypost.com. August 25, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  22. ↑ Stephen Dalton, 'No Escape': Film Review. In: hollywoodreporter.com. August 24, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  23. ^ Gary Goldstein: The taut action thriller 'No Escape' puts Owen Wilson's family in peril. In: latimes.com. August 25, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  24. ↑ Peter Travers: 'No Escape' Movie Review. In: rollingstone.com. August 26, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  25. ↑ a b Justin Chang : Film Review: 'No Escape'. In: variety.com. August 24, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  26. ↑ Peter Sobczynski: No Escape Movie Review & Film Summary (2015). In: rogerebert.com. August 26, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  27. ↑ Lars Adrian: No Escape (2015) - review. In: treffpunkt-kritik.de. Retrieved April 8, 2017 .
  28. ↑ Pascal Reis: No Escape (2015) - review. In: moviebreak.de. Retrieved April 8, 2017 .
  29. ↑ Box Office Mojo An IMDb Company: No Escape (2015) - International Box Office Results. In: boxofficemojo.com. August 29, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  30. ↑ Brent Lang: Box Office: 'No Escape' Runs Off With $ 1.2 Million on Wednesday. In: variety.com. August 27, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  31. ↑ Box Office Mojo - An IMDb company: No Escape (2015) - Box Office. In: boxofficemojo.com. August 29, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  32. ↑ Stephanie Merry: Review: 'No Escape' is a suspenseful but borderline racist thriller. In: washingtonpost.com. August 25, 2015, accessed May 8, 2017 .
  33. ↑ Christopher Finke Zumski: New Movie Finds "No Escape" From Controversy. Here's What the Filmmakers Have to Say About It. In: yesmagazine.org. September 1, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  34. ↑ Mao Monkolransey, Will Jackson: Going off script. In: phnompenhpost.com. August 14, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .
  35. ^ Richard S. Ehrlich: Pierce Brosnan, Owen Wilson film sparks controversy. In: cnn.com. October 1, 2015, accessed April 8, 2017 .