Reviewing a film like "Escape Plan" is actually easier than it seems. If you are a fan of Sly/Arnie fare, then you will love its action and semblance of plot. If not, it will be just so-so.
For a basic plot summary, "Escape Plan" tells the story of Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone), a man who literally wrote the book on escaping from prisons around the nation! When the CIA gives him a nearly impossible assignment, however, Breslin finds out that he is in for the jail-break of his life. Along the way, he meets up with fellow inmate Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who helps him try to overcome the rather sadistic Warden Hobbes (Jim Caviezel).
"Escape Plan" is an action film, first and foremost, filled with fistfights, tough-guy stand-offs, shoot-em-up sequences, and some tongue-in-cheek jocularity. It moves along at a fast pace and only slows down to set up the next break-neck scene.
That being said, there is one factor that makes this movie watchable (as opposed to previous efforts from Sly/Arnie in "Bullet To The Head" and "The Last Stand") for those who don't like the pulse-pounding stuff all the time: it does have a kernel of a decent plot. Breslin's experience with prisons makes for some interesting subject matter. Personally, I think the film would have been better served by focusing more on those areas and less on the machismo, but that isn't what director Mikael Hafstrom set out to do (instead, he is making a pretty straightforward action picture).
Also, the acting in this flick is better than I expected, especially from Arnold. While a few "wink, wink" moments to the "glory days of the 1980s" exist, this isn't a schlock-fest like "The Expendables" franchise sometimes turns into (for better or worse). Instead, most of the acting is "played straight" and to well accord.
Overall, "Escape Plan" is a step in the right direction for the Arnie/Sly pair. While this is a very predictable, "safe" genre for them, it constitutes each actor's best role since the pre- Expendables days. The "built in" fans will lap it up with multiple viewings, while the newcomers will tolerate the action-first mentality as mitigated by the prison-break aspects.
For a basic plot summary, "Escape Plan" tells the story of Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone), a man who literally wrote the book on escaping from prisons around the nation! When the CIA gives him a nearly impossible assignment, however, Breslin finds out that he is in for the jail-break of his life. Along the way, he meets up with fellow inmate Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who helps him try to overcome the rather sadistic Warden Hobbes (Jim Caviezel).
"Escape Plan" is an action film, first and foremost, filled with fistfights, tough-guy stand-offs, shoot-em-up sequences, and some tongue-in-cheek jocularity. It moves along at a fast pace and only slows down to set up the next break-neck scene.
That being said, there is one factor that makes this movie watchable (as opposed to previous efforts from Sly/Arnie in "Bullet To The Head" and "The Last Stand") for those who don't like the pulse-pounding stuff all the time: it does have a kernel of a decent plot. Breslin's experience with prisons makes for some interesting subject matter. Personally, I think the film would have been better served by focusing more on those areas and less on the machismo, but that isn't what director Mikael Hafstrom set out to do (instead, he is making a pretty straightforward action picture).
Also, the acting in this flick is better than I expected, especially from Arnold. While a few "wink, wink" moments to the "glory days of the 1980s" exist, this isn't a schlock-fest like "The Expendables" franchise sometimes turns into (for better or worse). Instead, most of the acting is "played straight" and to well accord.
Overall, "Escape Plan" is a step in the right direction for the Arnie/Sly pair. While this is a very predictable, "safe" genre for them, it constitutes each actor's best role since the pre- Expendables days. The "built in" fans will lap it up with multiple viewings, while the newcomers will tolerate the action-first mentality as mitigated by the prison-break aspects.