Escape Plan (2013)

★★★½
This was a long time coming. Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the two action stars of the ‘80s and sometime rivals, finally appear together in a movie worthy of their reputations. Better late than never, I say. Escape Plan catches these two at the right moment in their careers. Not in their prime but still capable of projecting forceful characters on screen, Stallone and Schwarzenegger bring with them the grizzled appearances of men who have been around the block. This movie could not have been made in the ‘80s. They were too young and too amped up with adrenaline. The ‘90s? Probably, but Stallone’s missteps (The Specialist, Judge Dredd) could have doomed a potential pairing. In the ‘00s, Stallone was making a comeback with his two iconic characters Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, while Schwarzenegger became the California governor. By the time he left office, the failure of Collateral Damage was long enough in the past that by 2013, the time was right to bring these two together finally.

Escape Plan tells the story of Ray Breslin (Stallone), a former lawyer who made it his life’s work to ensure prisons were secure enough to prevent dangerous criminals from escaping. With the help of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, he inserts himself into prisons and looks for their weakness, then exploits them to escape. He reports his findings to prison officials in the hopes that they will take his recommendations seriously. After his latest escape, he and his team receive an offer from the C.I.A. to test the effectiveness of a private prison designed to house the world’s most dangerous criminals and anyone else that need to be “disappeared.” Ray accepts, and before he knows it, he is dumped into The Tomb, a ruthless prison run by Warden Hobbes (Jim Caviezel), who studied Ray’s work and designed the ultimate escape-proof facility. Ray’s failsafe methods are removed and he’s on his own.

Well, almost. Fellow prisoner Emil Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger) takes an interest in Ray and agrees to assist him on the condition that he gets them both out. Ray studies the facility, looking at everything from the architecture to the guard routines. Ray devises ingenious methods to learn more about The Tomb, from its location to overlooked weaknesses made during construction. He also plays people against each other. Warden Hobbes has been trying to break Emil for a while, trying to get him to divulge the location of Victor Mannheim, who is Emil’s boss and whose capture will fetch a very high price. Ray stalls for time by working for Hobbes while also trying to recruit the prison doctor, Dr. Kyrie (Sam Neill).

All of this makes for a great prison escape movie. The attention to detail, the humor, the technical aspects, the hidden agendas, it’s all delivered by storytellers who go to great lengths to ensure the plot moves at a brisk pace, with lighting and editing used as tools to heighten the tension. Stallone, still in fantastic shape, carries himself well, walking amongst younger prisoners yet believably overpowering them due to the fierce determination he brings to the role. Schwarzenegger doesn’t get as physical, but it’s still Arnold. The two actors walk confidently through the movie and navigate their challenges with all the bravado that served them well since the start of their careers.

Escape Plan could be described as Escape from Alcatraz but with healthy doses of action added. This combination makes for a very entertaining feature. This is a movie that gets a thrill out of delivering surprises, all the way up to the end. It’s great fun to watch, but more importantly, it fulfills the long-teased notion of bringing Stallone and Schwarzenegger together and does so in a way that earns their participation. They are not wasted. They get the opportunity to showcase what made them popular actors in the first place and have a well written script that keeps things interesting.

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