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If personality were enough to carry a movie, "Escape Plan" would never touch the ground. In this film, action movie old dogs Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger are relentlessly likeable, even when serving up plot and dialogue that would have been trampled on the writer's room floor of "Knight Rider" circa 1985.

Swedish genre director Mikael Hafstrom's delight at having life-sized Rambo and Terminator action figures to play with is palpable in this prison break flick. He covers their hushed conversations inside The Tomb, a seemingly inescapable prison fortress, in giant, lingering close-ups. We are not to miss a single flicker of chemistry that passes between these two longstanding human franchises.

Alright, the plot. Something about how Stallone's character, Ray Breslin, is the world's leading prison escape artist, hired to show correctional facilities their security weaknesses by breaking out of them. As negotiated by his boss ( Vincent D'Onofrio ), his latest assignment is to escape from what used to be called a "black site," an uncharted holding facility for criminals no government cares to bring to traditional justice. The Tomb is a place for the "disappeared" among terrorists, warlords and high-level gangsters.

The Tomb is also one of those profiteering private enterprises, like Blackwater (which is mentioned as a source for its security personnel),which thrives on doing dirty work for the powerful. The script's provocative political sentiment is that nations are irrelevant; bureaucracies like the CIA and the Bureau of Prisons exist only to front deals between what Noam Chomsky would call "unaccountable private tyrannies." Hobbs ( Jim Caviezel ), an immaculate, soft-spoken sophisticate (who would have been played by Anthony Perkins in another era), runs the show when he's not tending to his gorgeous butterfly collection.

Yeah, it's a mishmash of good, strange ideas and generic nonsense, barely held together by Sly and Arnie. Here are the odd glories:

5. Character actor Vinnie Jones spoofing his numerous meathead/henchman roles, cycling between two expressions: indignation and sadistic glee.

4. A mini-" Grand Illusion " brotherhood plot thread involving Schwarzenegger's alliance with a Muslim prisoner who ultimately goes out in a heroic blaze of glory, in the name of Allah,  in an American action film !

3. The way Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, as Sly's "techno-thug" assistant, shouts, "That CIA bitch!"

2. The possibility that Caviezel, whose spectral presence gave " The Thin Red Line " its soul and has always seemed more suited to play Pasolini's Christ than Mel Gibson's, is pretending he's in a mid-60's European art film.

1. Arnold's generally impish portrayal of the coolest OG in prison. To create a diversion for Sly to go skulking about the joint, Arnold rages inside his solitary 'hot box" cell, delivering aderanged monologue about evil and reciting the Lord's Prayer, all in mellifluous German. This spectacular performance within a performance suggests that Arnold could have taken over where Klaus Kinski left off .

That's about it. The rest is something you've seen lots of, if you were an action fan in the 1980's and '90s with a functioning VCR or cable box. The fight scenes are standard wrestling matches punctuated by impalements or broken necks. The gun battles are without style or suspense. Inconsistencies in plot, character and physics are sewn up with quick cuts and the same techno-thriller musical score that has accompanied every action film for the past 15 years.

Like the "Expendables" movies, "Escape Plan" squanders its opportunities for genuine nostalgia because, I suspect, its stars don't want to be remembered fondly for their old hits more than they want to show that they still got it, right here, right now.

They have no idea that we'd enjoy them bald, fat, winded after running up a short flight of stairs, playing with their grandchildren. We'd love to see these superheroes cop to age and vulnerability, to something more devastating than Vinnie Jones' right hook.

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Film credits.

Escape Plan (2013)

Sylvester Stallone as Ray Breslin

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Swan

Vinnie Jones as Drake

50 Cent as Hush

Matt Gerald as Roag

Christian Stokes as Babcock

Jim Caviezel as Willard Hobbes

Vincent D'Onofrio as Lester Clark

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• Mikael Håfström
• Miles Chapman

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Film Review: ‘Escape Plan’

Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenergger team up in this likably lunkheaded prison-break actioner.

By Andrew Barker

Andrew Barker

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Considering the degree to which slavish fan service has come to dominate the development process for genre pics, it’s amazing that no one managed to load ‘80s action gods Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger into a true co-starring vehicle until now. With that in mind, the highest compliment one can pay “ Escape Plan ” is that this prison-break actioner plays much like the kind of film the two might have made in their heyday, albeit with far more scripted downtime for its sexagenarian stars. Mercifully free of tongue-in-cheek meta-humor, “Escape Plan” is a likably lunkheaded meat-and-potatoes brawler that never pretends to be more sophisticated than it is, and though “Expendables”-level B.O. numbers will be out of reach, genre fans and international auds should lap it up.

Looking as slablike as ever, Stallone stars as Ray Breslin, a former lawyer who literally wrote the book on breaking out of prison (paperback copies of his august tome “Compromising Correctional Institutional Security” appear to be popular bedside reading). Employed by an ill-defined agency, Breslin works freelance for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, identifying firsthand the weak spots of penitentiaries by entering them as an undercover inmate and escaping.

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Fresh off a nicely staged jailbreak in Colorado, Breslin is hired by a CIA operative for double his usual pay to infiltrate a new, privately funded black-site facility intended to house “the worst of the worst.” Abandoning his usual safety protocols for the gig, Breslin is promptly double-crossed and left to rot in an impressively designed next-gen dungeon straight out of “Demolition Man,” with beehives of glass cells and jackbooted guards wearing black Guy Fawkes masks.

To put it delicately, Stallone has never been the type of actor who radiates deep analytical contemplation, and buying him as a sort of juiced-up MacGyver with encyclopedic knowledge of metallurgy, structural engineering and physical oceanography requires considerable indulgence. Fortunately, he’s soon joined by Schwarzenegger as a fellow inmate, the gloriously monikered Emil Rottmayer, who cozies up to Breslin with suspicious openness.

While Stallone’s deadpan tough-guy routine reaches such somnolent levels that a scene in which he’s tortured with sleep deprivation causes little discernible change in his demeanor, Schwarzenegger hasn’t been this alive onscreen in years. Gifted with all the film’s best one-liners (“You hit like a vegetarian” being the standout) and finally allowed to speak his native German onscreen, the former governor is all wild eyes and mischievous grins. His Rottmayer quickly becomes Breslin’s accomplice, and the two sketch out an impossible-yet-not-totally-absurd plot under the watchful eye of sadistic prison warden/amateur lepidopterist Hobbes (an icy Jim Caviezel).

By the standards of both stars’ respective filmographies, “Escape Plan” reps a relatively low-key iteration of their trademark skull-crackery; fights are limited to punches and judo holds, with nary a throat-ripping or eye-gouging to be seen, and it isn’t until the film’s final third that our heroes even wield a gun. And considering the Republican political affiliations of its stars — not to mention the Reaganite jingoism of ‘80s actioners in general — the pic exhibits a surprisingly liberal bent: Corporatized prisons, extraordinary rendition, waterboarding and Blackwater are unambiguously decried, while a gang of Arab Muslims prove to be key allies.

Yet grand statements are hardly part of director Mikael Hafstrom’s m.o., and after an occasionally dull middle third — including a needless bit of backstory for Breslin that Stallone almost seems embarrassed to relate — the film comes alive for the climactic jailbreak, as Schwarzenegger finally gets to go full “Commando” with a ludicrously oversized machine gun.

Hafstrom lavishes considerable care on the film’s production design and in-camera effects, sometimes to the detriment of its overall look, which can tend toward muddiness. Fight choreography breaks no new ground, but it’s all efficiently constructed, and Alex Heffes’ numbskull score fits the proceedings to a tee. Supporting players Vincent D’Onofrio and Vinnie Jones slip into their typical miens with minimal fuss, while Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is hysterically miscast as a bespectacled computer expert.

Reviewed at Aidikoff screening room, Beverly Hills, Oct. 15, 2013. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 115 MIN.

• Production: A Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment release of a Summit Entertainment presentation in association with Emmett/Furla Films of a Mark Canton, Emmett/Furla, Enivision Entertainment, Boies/Schiller production. Produced by Canton, Randall Emmett, Remington Chase, Robbie Brenner, Kevin King-Templeton. Executive producers, George Furla, Mark Stewart, Zack Schiller, Alexander Boies, Nicolas Stern, Jeff Rice, Brandt Andersen.
• Crew: Directed by Mikael Hafstrom. Screenplay, Miles Chapman, Arnell Jesko, from a story by Chapman. Camera (color), Brendan Galvin; editor, Elliott Greenberg; music, Alex Heffes; music supervisor, Season Kent; production designer, Barry Chusid; costume designer, Lizz Wolf; art director, Jim Gelarden; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS/Datasat), Richard Schexnayder; supervising sound editor, Derek Venderhorst; re-recording mixers, Leslie Shatz, Gabriel J. Serrano; stunt coordinator, Noon Orsatti; special effects coordinator, Michael Lanteri; visual effects supervisor, Chris Wells; visual effects, Hydraulx; second unit camera, Paul Hughen, Duane Manwiller; assistant director, Nick Satriano; casting, Anne McCarthy, Kellie Roy.
• With: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Sam Neill, Vinnie Jones, Faran Tahir, Vincent D’Onofrio, Amy Ryan.

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Escape Plan (2013)

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Escape Plan Review

18 Oct 2013

115 minutes

Escape Plan

This town *is *big enough for the both of them. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone had parallel careers, inevitably seeing them cast as muscle-men rivals even while they themselves maintained an apparently mutual respect. After all, the pair had largely distinct areas of influence: while Stallone built his career on Rocky, Rambo and crime dramas, Schwarzenegger had Terminator, Predator and self-skewering comic turns. And while they’ve shared the screen briefly in the last few years, this is the first time they’ve played off one another for an entire film. The good news is that they still have the power to dwarf everyone around them. The bad news is that Schwarzenegger gives the far better performance of the pair, and he’s in the supporting role.

With a twinkle in his eye and endless tricks up his sleeve, Schwarzenegger’s Emil Rottmayer is the charismatic engine that drives the movie, picking up the pace when Stallone threatens to drop off (at one point literally, when he’s sleep-deprived by sadistic guards). Rottmayer’s long-incarcerated con is insistent in befriending Stallone’s newly arrived Breslin, despite the latter’s surliness, and goes along with Breslin’s wilder schemes with a cheery enthusiasm that only lightly masks his underlying intelligence. The Governator pushes himself for the first time since his return to acting here, breaking into a German tirade and raving like a madman to further their escape attempts. Perhaps he enjoys the freedom of playing second banana; he certainly seems to be having more fun than Stallone, who grimly goes through the familiar motions of an overly drawn-out plot.

And it’s there that the film falls down, with every beat feeling overly familiar. There’s a vicious warden in Jim Caviezel, Vinnie Jones’ thuggish guard, a rat-fink traitor and antagonist-turned-ally. While an early attempt to escape the super-prison feels surprising – there’s some clever stuff with heat expansion physics – and the prison design poses pleasantly meaty challenges, it soon falls into the same old clichés, and a dreadfully played last scene literally has Stallone remark, “I didn’t see that coming” of a twist that every single audience member will have been on to from minute five. If this is how the pair’s first real face-off pans out, Stallone should ask for a rematch.

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• DVD & Streaming

Escape Plan

• Action/Adventure , Drama

Content Caution

In Theaters

• October 18, 2013
• Sylvester Stallone as Ray Breslin; Arnold Schwarzenegger as Emile Rottmayer; Jim Caviezel as Hobbes; Amy Ryan as Abigail; Sam Neill as Dr. Kyrie; Vincent D'Onofrio as Lester Clark

Home Release Date

• February 4, 2014
• Mikael Håfström

Distributor

• Summit Entertainment

Movie Review

Ray Breslin is a guy prison wardens hate to see. He may look like your average hard-edged con when he walks through the gate, but he’s actually a fearsome fellow with MacGyver’s inventiveness and the physical discipline to find the soft spots in just about any prison security system. And that’s exactly what the Feds pay him to do: Go inside and find those chinks in a prison’s armor.

Ray has broken out of more penitentiaries than most people have ever even heard of. He wrote the book on it. Literally.

It all comes down to layout, routine and help . Ray studies the layout of the prison, maps the routines of the guards and prison personnel, and arranges a key bit of help from someone inside the facility or out. Then he snaps his fingers and he’s back home cashing his check.

So why not give it a go, this cellblock Houdini figures, when a CIA gal tosses a private, escape-proof prison gauntlet down at his feet.

After being drugged and taken to an unknown location, though, Ray wakes up to find himself in a place he never thought could exist. The cells walls are transparent and impervious, the prison layout is flawless, the guards are robotic, the murderous prisoners have been beaten into quiet submission and the warden is a sadistic overlord.

A sadistic overlord who’s read every word of Ray Breslin’s book.

Positive Elements

Even though he carries out hard-pounding, authority-confounding, seemingly criminal actions, Ray Breslin is one of the good guys. He does everything he does to better the enforcement and containment capabilities of prison officials. And it’s obvious that most of his prison-breaking business comrades are equally devoted to his cause … and his safety. When he falls off the grid during the private prison “case,” they work sleeplessly to find him again.

Ray tells of how the loss of his beloved family made him passionate about his job.

Spiritual Elements

A group of Islamic prisoners kneel and pray aloud to Allah. One of their number seeks out a Quran from the prison’s warden, and we see the man praying several times, asking for Allah’s forgiveness and blessing another inmate. He later says “God is great” to the warden, who responds, “Yeah, whatever,” before shooting him.

Ray’s fellow inmate and temporary partner Emile Rottmayer prays the Lord’s Prayer in German during a frantic moment. He also tells a story (again in German) of a man who repeatedly calls out, “I seek God.” Ray rips a page out of a Bible and burns it, using the ash to draw on a wall.

Sexual Content

Ray’s colleague Abigail wears a cleavage-baring top. She invites Ray over to her house for a meal, slyly hinting that he can complain about her cooking … “in the morning.” Rottmayer tells a crude sexual joke while miming oral sex.

Violent Content

As you might expect, given its pumped-up stars, this prison-life actioner packs in quite a lot of hard-fisted beat-’em-up. Several riots are fomented by Ray and Rottmayer, the two bruisers exchanging mighty blows. Ray is attacked by several large men, one of them carrying a shiv. He slams their faces into posts and walls, and ends up stabbing one of them in the shoulder with his own weapon. Ray has his leg sliced open, and we see a close-up of a doctor stitching it painfully back together. Ray also has a transponder injected into his arm—just before another man slices it back out with a box cutter.

Guards smash inmates (including Ray) in the head, face, shoulders, back and legs with heavy billy clubs. Bones are broken and noses gush blood. One large man is left with blood-streaming gashes on his forehead and cheeks before he falls face first to the floor. Another is tortured and almost drowned by a water hose in an extreme version of waterboarding. Guards also get out their automatic weapons during a riot, killing quite a few inmates. Ray, Rottmayer and another man grab weapons of their own and shoot back.

Exploding barrels of fuel erupt, setting a ship deck on fire and crisping at least one man. A car explodes and erupts in flames.

Crude or Profane Language

Well over 50 f-words and a half-dozen s-words are mixed in with a handful each of “a‑‑,” “h‑‑‑,” “b‑‑ch” and “d‑‑n.” A couple of guys flip the middle finger. A crude reference is made to male genitalia.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Prison guards smoke cigarettes on several occasions. A doctor drinks a large glass of alcohol. Ray has a needle full of a knock-out drug jammed into his neck. Tear gas is used on a crowd of rioting prisoners.

Other Negative Elements

Rottmayer draws a picture of a bare backside, indicating where prison officials can find the information they’re seeking.

Sly Stallone and Ahnold Schwarzenegger do hard time in a high-tech slammer. Yeah, it could be easily argued that they’re both way past their slug-fest prime, but it’s easy to accept that these seasoned movie icons still have all the grit and beef needed to take on yet another crazy challenge. We’ve seen these guys save the world with ease in one slam-bam actioner after another, after all. So when it comes to a few wrinkles, a pair of sagging jawlines and a couple dozen ruthless prison guards, ha, that’s nothin’. And indeed, the likeable pair fill their roles with plenty of squint, flex, mumble and charm.

Escape Plan’ s basic story can be counted as something of a plus, too. The prison-break buddy tale isn’t unique, but it keeps a few twists tucked away in its prison uniform pockets to make the ending worthwhile. And the MacGyver-esque puzzle solving, real-science escapes, and character surprises all add panache.

And this time around, the guy breaking out should actually be breaking out!

The punch in the face, though, comes in the form of all those elements that earn this pic its hard-R rating. Scores of onscreen men are repeatedly “beaten,” “tortured,” “bloodied” and “killed,” all for our “enjoyment” and “entertainment.” And the prospect of sitting quietly in a theater seat just so you can be mercilessly pummeled by bare-knuckle obscenities would set even Rocky Balboa back on his heels.

Hmmm. Seems like this one’s pretty expendable after all.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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Escape plan, common sense media reviewers.

Arnie and Sly team up for lighthearted but violent action.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Perseverance and teamwork are the positive themes.

These characters aren't really very admirable, res

Tons of over-the-top action-movie violence, with d

Stallone flirts with Amy Ryan; there's a joke abou

"F--k" and "motherf--ker" are used fairly often. "

Parents need to know that Escape Plan is an action movie starring two of the most popular veterans of action movies: Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not surprisingly, the movie contains tons of over-the-top violence, often without consequence. There's fighting, shooting, and blood. Prison guards…

Positive Messages

Perseverance and teamwork are the positive themes. At one point, the main character loses heart and begins to think that maybe, this time, he can't do it. But eventually, with help from his friend, he gets his strength and his resolve back. He goes on to solve a tremendously difficult puzzle, against tough odds. However, the movie contains tons of violence with no consequences.

Positive Role Models

These characters aren't really very admirable, resorting to violence without consequences, though they both love their families and they seem like good guys under the circumstances. Both actors are still in really good shape for their late sixties, and they are good examples of what exercise and clean living can do.

Violence & Scariness

Tons of over-the-top action-movie violence, with dozens of faceless guards being shot and killed. A fair amount of blood is shown, especially when one of the good guys is shot in the stomach, and one of the bad guys falls down a flight of stairs and smashes his head. The inmates fight a great deal with lots of punching and pummeling, the guards are shown beating inmates into submission. Some scenes take place in a doctor's office with bloody wounds being stitched up, or needles being injected. A character is tortured with a high powered hose in his mouth. There's also a big explosion.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Stallone flirts with Amy Ryan; there's a joke about her bad cooking and how he can "complain in the morning." Schwarzenegger initiates a fight by insinuating that a man's mother was his "favorite whore in Marrakech" who could really "polish a helmet," while he makes oral sex motions with his hands. He also makes a crude drawing of a naked butt to antagonize the warden.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

"F--k" and "motherf--ker" are used fairly often. "S--t" is also heard once or twice, as well as "ass," "crap," "towel head," "bitch," "balls," "scumbag," "faggot," and "a--hole."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Escape Plan is an action movie starring two of the most popular veterans of action movies: Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger . Not surprisingly, the movie contains tons of over-the-top violence, often without consequence. There's fighting, shooting, and blood. Prison guards torture inmates, and bloody wounds are stitched up in a doctor's office. Language is also strong, with multiple uses of "f--k" and "motherf--ker" as well as minimal uses of other words. There's also some minor sexual innuendo, including references to a "whore" and a hand motion referring to oral sex. The mood is light, and the movie is dumb fun for fans. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (6)
• Kids say (13)

Based on 6 parent reviews

Action Packed and Thrilling

What's the story.

Ray Breslin ( Sylvester Stallone ) is an expert at prison breaking, posing as an inmate to break out of many high security prisons. To prove it, the movie begins with his latest escape. But then he gets a call to break out of a new kind of prison, and when he agrees, he finds he's been double-crossed. No one knows where he is and no one can help him. He meets a man called Emil Rottmayer ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ) and begins to cook up his latest plan. Unfortunately, this one will take several backup plans and several interactions with the prison's soft-spoken, sadistic warden ( Jim Caviezel ), as well as lots of fighting and shooting. But what does Rottmayer have up his sleeve?

Is It Any Good?

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone have a good banter and a believable camaraderie in this film. ESCAPE PLAN marks the first full-fledged teaming of the legendary action stars, after their brief moments together in The Expendables and The Expendables 2 . Though this movie is no work of genius, director Mikael Hafstrom pitches things just right, and the two actors are used to best advantage: loose, charming, and not too serious. The movie's two screenwriters cook up just enough puzzle pieces to keep brains busy, but the bulk of the movie concentrates on pure muscle, fighting, shooting, and explosions. (Ray isn't the most subtle escape artist on record.) A colorful gallery of supporting characters helps, ranging from Oscar nominee Amy Ryan to rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson . Like the best action movies of this kind, Escape Plan is dumb fun.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the movie's over-the-top violence . Does any of it seem too gruesome or disturbing for this kind of story? What is the reaction the movie is hoping for?

What is the appeal of these kinds of larger-than-life action movies and action stars? Why have people traditionally flocked to Stallone and Schwarzenegger movies?

Movie Details

• In theaters : October 18, 2013
• On DVD or streaming : February 4, 2014
• Cast : Arnold Schwarzenegger , James Caviezel , Sylvester Stallone
• Director : Mikael Hafstrom
• Studio : Summit Entertainment
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 116 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : violence and language throughout
• Last updated : May 15, 2024

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Escape Plan – review

It's nuts and bolts geriaction tropes ahoy as the screen's leading muscular oldies team up to break out of the world's most unbreakoutofable prison. Stallone is the professional jailbird, sent in to uncover weaknesses in jail security systems, a task he usually accomplishes with Houdini-like ease.

Until, that is, he is duped and dumped in a super-secret facility, ruled over by Jim Caviezel's creepy hi-tech warden, with the former governator his only ally. With his somewhat lumpen track record, Mikael Håfström isn't the most inspiring directorial choice for the bruisey twosome's first full-on feature pairing (where's Kim Jee-woon when you need him?). Yet this functional thumper generally gets the job done, plodding merrily, if unremarkably, through the generic set pieces, making a passable fist of well-worn material.

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Movie Review: Escape Plan (2013)

• General Disdain
• Movie Reviews
• 6 responses
• --> October 18, 2013

Hatching a plan.

If you are one to believe Sylvester Stallone (“ Bullet to the Head ”) can carry the role of a super-smart security expert then you are halfway to euphoria with his new film Escape Plan . If you’re not, surprisingly enough, the movie offers enough excitement for you to overlook that by continuing the recent trend of old guys forgetting names and kicking ass.

The other senior citizen laying out the bruises in Escape Plan is Arnold Schwarzenegger as Stallone’s unlikely ally. Stallone, you see, is Ray Breslin, the Harry Houdini to maximum security prisons. Basically, he — with some help from partners, Lester Clark (Vincent D’Onofrio, “ Sinister ”), Hush (Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, “ 13 ”) and Abigail (Amy Ryan, “ Win Win ”) — gets paid obscene amounts of money to test their designs and escapability and he has yet to meet four walls that can contain him. Showing people their flaws makes for some powerful enemies so under the guise of testing the latest off-the-grid, state-of-the-art design known as “The Tomb,” Ray finds himself trapped and at the mercy of a comically over-the-top villainous warden (Jim Caviezel, “ Transit ” ) and his enforcer guard (Vinnie Jones, “ Kill the Irishman ”).

Just in time, Schwarzenegger (“ The Last Stand ”), as a hulking, calculating German prayer reciting inmate, comes along to befriend our hero. Together (interesting fact that these Stallone and Schwarzenegger never really starred in a movie together in all these years), they scheme, probe and unmask the gaudishly lit aluminum and glass labyrinth and those that work to keep them confined within it.

It’s here where Escape Plan stumbles thanks to abject stupidity and excels due to some good old fashioned 80’s era action. Although this takes place in a box that is supposed to be the most impenetrable conceived, Ray happens upon things too easily and everyone tasked with locking him down do exactly what they aren’t supposed to do. A necessary evil, I suppose, but one that could have easily been written better. Mikael Håfström — not exactly known for directing action — handles the task well, which basically means he gets out of the way of his two action stars and lets them do what they’ve been doing for 30 years.

In a windowed cell.

And while both stars have their names atop the movie poster, Stallone is the star of the feature. The man still can’t successfully act his way out of a wet paper bag — not that he really has to in a movie like this — but he is nonetheless relatable and can still believably beat the living shit out of a guy half or three-quarters his age (which he is called upon to do more than once). Arnold, well he’s dragging ass a bit more than Sly, but he manages to get off a few of those heavily-accented zingers he’s adored for and tosses around a Gatling gun like he was a 40 year-old starring in “ Predator ” again.

Through their heydays Stallone and Schwarzenegger avoided each other and actively tried to one-up the other. I think now in their advancing age they’ll come to realize they need each other as Escape Plan is infinitely better than those half-baked solo efforts they did earlier this year. It’s also good enough to get me more interested in seeing these guys play together again in “ The Expendables 3 .”

Tagged: escape , guard , prison

I'm an old, miserable fart set in his ways. Some of the things that bring a smile to my face are (in no particular order): Teenage back acne, the rain on my face, long walks on the beach and redneck women named Francis. Oh yeah, I like to watch and criticize movies.

Movie Review: Ghosted (2023) Movie Review: Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) Movie Review: Fantasy Island (2020) Movie Review: Snatched (2017) Movie Review: Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) Movie Review: ABCs of Death 2 (2014) Movie Review: Life After Beth (2014)

'Movie Review: Escape Plan (2013)' have 6 comments

October 18, 2013 @ 7:05 pm Retro

I can’t do it.

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October 18, 2013 @ 7:21 pm palpatate

This says Blu-ray release all the way.

October 18, 2013 @ 9:06 pm Heather V.

Give it up.

Sincerely, Fans of your classics who hate what you are doing to your legacies

October 21, 2013 @ 5:41 pm charlietuna

Not “guys” but “guy”. Stallone is the only one who can’t let go of his action star. Schwarzenegger appears to be embracing his old age and taking a step back from the chest thumping.

October 19, 2013 @ 5:27 am cryptonix

It’s a better movie than the Carrie remake, which isn’t saying much.

October 19, 2013 @ 11:44 am Vandal

Keep doing your thing – I love it!

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Escape Plan (United States, 2013)

Escape Plan can best be viewed through glasses with nostalgia-tinted lenses. It's a Valentine to the '80s starring two of the decade's larger-than-life action stars in a plot that would have been at home during the Reagan years. Some thirty years later, Escape Plan looks and feels a little like a dinosaur (not unlike its lead actors) but, as with the once-dominant species, the appeal of this sort of thing lingers. More heist movie than adrenaline-fueled action flick, the film uses the likeability of Stallone and Schwarzenegger as oil to silence the creaky hinges of a laughably implausible narrative and hyper-edited fight scenes.

It's easy to complain that Escape Plan comes to screens three decades too late. Had it been released in the late 1980s or early 1990s, it would likely have been a huge success; in 2013, it may struggle to make a dent in the box office (witness the recent dismal performances of Stallone's Bullet to the Head and Schwarzenegger's The Last Stand ). The problem is that this could never have been made when the icons were at their peaks - egos and salary demands would have formulated a toxic brew. So we get this long-awaited pairing (far more satisfactory than the brief team-up in The Expendables 2 ) when Stallone and Schwarzenegger are past their sell-by dates. This necessitates that the fight scenes be enhanced in the editing room but at least allows them to play off one another with an overt cheesiness that tells us they're in on the joke.

The story is dumb and its execution is silly. Mikael Hafstrom, a Swede who has made a few high-profile English-language films ( The Rite and 1408 ) that failed to impress critics or regular film-goers, comes to this project as a director-for-hire. It's a safe option for him because, if Escape Plan bombs, no one is going to mention his name. He does the best one can expect from a filmmaker trying to coax fights and shoot-outs from two guys closer to 70 than 60. The fisticuffs are hard to follow but Hafstrom gets in all the money shots. The audience attending the promotional screening where I saw this went wild when Scharzenegger hefted a really big gun. Hafstrom tries to pretend his stars are about 40 and, for the most part, it works.

It feels a little pointless to talk about storyline and character development in a production like this. It has none of the latter and little of the former. Then again, the same can be said of such "classic" efforts like Commando and Rambo ( First Blood Part 2 ). Escape Plan is constructed as a series of beats: Stallone and Schwarzenegger meet, they fight each other, they team up and beat the crap out of some bad guys with their fists then shoot at them with their guns, and, in the end, they take down them out (Stallone gets the more important kills but Schwarzenegger has a higher body count). Everything else is largely irrelevant. It's a little like one of those 1970s Marvel/DC superhero mashups.

If there's one thing that gets in the way of the party, it's the screenplay, which takes itself a little too seriously. Oh, there are plenty of one-liners but the movie toils through an interminable two hours to get to the finish line. The biggest pitfall is that we sit through 30 minutes before Arnold makes his first appearance. The first half-hour provides us with backstory on Stallone's Breslin, a professional escape artist who is voluntarily incarcerated in maximum security facilities in order to find their weaknesses. When Breslin is "hired" by the CIA to test a state-of-the-art prison designed for terrorists, he learns too late that he has been set up. In the bowels of "The Tomb," he meets Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger) who, in keeping with Arnold's post- Terminator rule never to play a villain, has been wrongfully accused. He's a political prisoner hiding the identity of a modern-day Robin Hood. Warden Hobbes (steely-eyed Jim Caviezel, playing the role as if in need of a rabies inoculation) requires Robin's location and has set upon a course to break Rottmayer to get it. Meanwhile, Sam Neill is wandering around looking lost and wondering what he did to deserve being in this movie. He's a walking plot device who is forgotten as soon as his purpose is fulfilled.

Escape Plan falls into the category of a guilty pleasure for anyone who remembers Stallone and Schwarzenegger with fondness. I suspect the movie will be enjoyed more by older viewers than younger ones. The style of action isn't in keeping with the balls-to-the-wall approach that has become popular in recent years. It's not quite old school but it's close. And the narrative isn't going to draw anyone in (except maybe fans of the equally ludicrous defunct FOX series Prison Break ). The heist-inspired elements aren't well thought through and it becomes a question of which is harder to swallow: the mechanics of the story or the idea that a couple of sixtysomethings can kick this much ass.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Escape Plan

Sylvester Stallone is a professional prison escapologist. Now, cut off from his support team, he is in a super secret, super secure, sinister super prison, and must team with Arnold Schwarzenegger to escape. Simple set up, but is this movie worthy of the long wait to see these two action icons together?

Pros Fun seeing these legends together. Good supporting cast. Gets better as it goes along. Cons Writing and direction are uninspired. Action and thrills fall short.

READER RATING!

ESCAPE PLAN

Director – Mikael Håfström Writers – Miles Chapman and Jason Keller

Ray Breslin – Sylvester Stallone Emil Rottmayer – Arnold Schwarzenegger Hobbes – Jim Caviezel Javed – Faran Tahir Abigail – Amy Ryan Dr. Kyrie – Sam Neill Lester Clark – Vincent D’Onofrio Drake – Vinnie Jones Hush – 50 “Curtis Jackson” Cent

Escape Plan — Official Trailer 2013 — Regal Movies [HD] Opens October 18, 2013 Get movie tickets & showtimes: http://regmovi.es/18PQpzRAction superstars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger team up in the …

We’ve been waiting years, decades, for this movie. Stallone and Schwarzenegger together, cursing up a storm, and punching baddies in the face. Frankly, I’d’ve been okay waiting a little longer, until they had a slightly better movie to make. The novelty of seeing these two geri-action stars on screen isn’t quite enough to carry the movie. Too little too late…twenty years too late. Plus, the novelty has been significantly diminished by the Expendables movies. While this is better than the Ex movies, it’s not quite as much fun.

SLY AND ARNIE TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME, AGAIN

The cheesy font that “Escape Plan” comes up in is indicitive of what is to come. The main issue is that it really isn’t the most original of ideas, and it isn’t told in such a way that you can over-look the plot’s short-comings. While the actors are all quite good, but their characters are all rather thin, and what happens to them is a bit too predictable.

Sly and Arnie are both pretty good, with Arnie coming off a little better. The best bit of acting he’s done in decades is his few minutes speaking in German. It is surprisingly good. This is actually the best either of them has been in years, and they’re enjoying it too. Sly looks old though, while Arnie looks good with a beard. However, you do occasionally wish there were subtitles, particularly when they get all expositiony. It can feel a little like The Adventures Of Mumbles And Accent.

THE CAST ARE GOOD

Vincent D’Onofrio is cool, as always. That said, he isn’t exactly trying too hard to breathe life in to his character. 50 “Curtis Jackson” Cent is pleasantly acceptable, and has good chemistry with Sly in the few scenes they have together. Vinnie Jones isn’t half bad either, even if he is just playing Vinnie Jones. He is improving, and is definitely the best footballer-turned-actor I’ve seen. Jim Caviezel is cold, and gives the best performance in the film. He is better than the movie he’s in. The same could be said for Sam Neill. who is criminally under-used. And it’s nice seeing that Amy Ryan from season 2 of The Wire is still working.

The fault primarily lies with the writers and the director. The writers Miles Chapman and Jason Keller haven’t done much before, and it shows. The story developments, and “twists”, are all pretty obvious. It’s uninspired and predictable. Mikael Håfström has directed some acceptable horror movies (1408, The Rite), and does much the same here. It’s pretty much acceptable. The Tomb, which is the name of the fancy-pants inescapable prison (and was the original name of the movie), is kinda cool looking, with their the glass cells and what-not. The guards having masks is a nice sinister touch. That said, it also feels like a cheaper version of the Face/Off prison. There are a few cool moments to be had, and while it is action light there are still one or two good bits. It gets better as it goes along, and while you’re never bored, you’re never really gripped, thrilled, or particularly involved either.

BOTTOM LINE: IT’S ADEQUATE, BUT ULTIMATELY DISAPPOINTING

So…This is the might-see low-octane thriller of 1993. It’s not terrible, but it isn’t particularly good either. Sly and Arnie are good, as is the rest of the cast, but it doesn’t compensate for the uninspired writing and direction. It is cool seeing them on screen together, but just not cool enough.

What to say...born in the last year of the seventies, the decade of the best music and movies, Cathal's earliest memories are of movies and comics. Star Wars, Batman, Superman and Indiana Jones filled his childhood, and not a whole lot has changed. He lives in Dublin, with his supremely understanding wife. Cathal voice his opinions across the various corners of The IntarWebs: @CatHaloMovies on The Twitter; Cat Halo Movies on The FaceSpace; and on the Major Spoilers Forum, where all manner of opinions are aired by all manner of folk on a wide variety of topics.

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Jim Cazaviel is easily one of the best actors out today, and criminally under used. He does cool and menacing soooooo well.

Loved him in the Jesus Chainsaw Massacre

I found the movie fantastic. I thought Arnold’s acting was great. There were only a couple plot holes and they were small. Maybe I’m just grasping at the final movies of these big action stars. I don’t really see anyone but maybe Dwayne Johnson stepping up to take their place.

Very entertaining movie and fun to watch Arnie and Sly !!!!

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Escape Plan – 4K UHD Blu-ray Movie Review

Prison security expert Ray Breslin finds himself the target of a vicious setup that locks him into the ultimate cage. His very life depends on his escape plan.

Ray Breslin (Stallone) is a prison security expert who, for a sizeable fee, allows himself to be locked up in maximum security facilities. After 14 successful escapes, he is hired by the CIA to test a new prison designed to erase the worst criminals from existence. Once there, he discovers he’s been set up and his jailers have no intention of releasing him. After befriending mysterious inmate Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger), he thinks he may have found a way out. But not everything is as it seems and Warden Hobbs (Caviezel) is determined to beat Breslin at his own game. Eventually, the escape plan requires help from the inside and from the other inmates. Can he get out before it’s too late?

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Violence: Yes Sex: No Language: Yes

Escape Plan dates from 2013 and the sequel is already slated for a straight-to-video release in the summer of 2018. This edition represents a new Ultra HD transfer with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos as featured technologies.

The movie is certainly entertaining as a Saturday-night popcorn action flick, worthy of at least one rental. I don’t expect it to receive multiple viewings as there are few unexpected plot twists to keep viewers coming back for more. Schwarzenegger and Stallone are certainly a strong draw but let’s be frank, they’re both getting too old for this sort of thing. Sly turns in his characteristic drawl and is often hard to understand as he mumbles his way through. He is reasonably convincing as a wise MacGyver-type who finds a way to get out of every difficult situation with nothing more than a piece of string and some pocket lint. Arnold is also his typical self so neither actor falls short of, or exceeds, expectations.

Fans of prison break films will certainly enjoy Escape Plan but unless you are determined to mine every detail from this predictable movie, it’s not a candidate for multiple viewings.

The new Ultra HD transfer adds a bit of detail and contrast but color is still somewhat pale and under-saturated. Black levels are rich and deep, enhanced by the HDR encode but the Blu-ray still stands up to modern scrutiny. Detail is a bit soft at times and doesn’t quite match the quality seen in the latest CGI-laden presentation.

Audio comes in both Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio flavors. I watched the latter and found the front soundstage to be both broad and deep with good balance in the center channel and decent bass from the subwoofer. Surround effects are sparse and under-utilized.

Bonus features include audio commentary from the director and co-writer, three behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted scenes. The package includes both Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs.

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Escape Plan 2: Hades

Where to watch.

Watch Escape Plan 2: Hades with a subscription on Netflix, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

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Do not enter.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Steven C. Miller

Sylvester Stallone

Ray Breslin

Dave Bautista

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Abigail Ross

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More Like This

ESCAPE PLAN

"not as clever as it sounds".

What You Need To Know:

ESCAPE PLAN stars Sylvester Stallone as Ray Breslin, who co-owns a private security business that helps federal prisons improve their facilities. Ray can also break out of any prison. This catches the eye of the CIA. They approach Ray with a deal to test their brand new state of the art facility, built to hold the most dangerous men in the world. Ray agrees to their terms, but is betrayed and whisked away to the prison’s unknown location. He wakes up in a prison that has no intentions of ever letting him go, and no one knows where he is.

ESCAPE PLAN also stars Arnold Schwarzenegger. It hearkens back to the classic action movies of the 80s and 90s. It has some entertaining moments, but contains major plot holes and inconsistencies. Also, the worldview is mixed with both Christian elements and a Muslim character. Ray wants bad guys to be locked up and good guys to be free, but those ideals become irrelevant once he’s thrown into prison for good. Overall, ESCAPE PLAN isn’t anything new and contains too much foul language. So, extreme caution is advised.

(PaPa, C, FR, B, LLL, VV, S, N, D, MM) A strong mixed pagan worldview with both Christian and false religious elements including character holds a Bible at the beginning, but he rips a page out and burns it to use the ashes to help him escape, a character says the Lord’s prayer, but only to distract the guards, a Muslim man who is befriended by the main characters is seen praying multiple times with several references to Allah, plus some moral elements as main character tries to defeat an evil warden who tortures and kills untried prisoners; at least 55 obscenities (mostly “f” words), several middle fingers, and one strong profanity; strong action violence with multiple fight scenes that show bones being broken, heads getting smashed, many guards are shot, people are stabbed, and one character is water boarded; a few sexual jokes, one being explicit; a man draws a rough picture of a rear end; no alcohol; some guards smoke cigarettes; and, strong miscellaneous immorality includes betrayal, vengeance, and a criminal is set free at the end of the movie.

More Detail:

ESCAPE PLAN is a somewhat entertaining, but also underwhelming, action thriller starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Stallone plays Ray Breslin. Ray has a rare set of skills. He can break out of any maximum security prison. Ray co-owns a private security business that helps federal prisons improve the impenetrability of their facilities. With the help of his two co-workers, Abigail and Hush, there hasn’t been a prison that can hold Ray.

This skill catches the eye of the CIA. The agency approaches Ray with a deal to test their brand new state of the art facility, built to hold the most dangerous men in the world. The catch is that nobody, not even Ray’s own team, can know where the prison is located. The team discourages Ray to take the risky job, but Ray decides to do it with some safety precautions in line just in case. However, 24 hours later, Ray is snatched into a van and whisked away with no trace. Soon thereafter, he wakes up in a glass box that’ll be his new home.

From the evil prison warden, Hobbs (played by MOVIEGUIDE® favorite Jim Caviezel), Ray learns someone set him up. Hobbs tells Ray he has no intention of ever letting him go.

Despite masked guards, bulletproof glass cells, and no one on the outside knowing where they are, Ray begins looking for a way out of the prison. He meets fellow inmate Emil Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who previously worked for a highly wanted international criminal. Together, they hatch a plan for how to escape. But, things seem hopeless once Ray learns where the prison is really located.

ESCAPE PLAN hearkens back to the raw classic action movies of the 80’s and 90’s. Containing humor and exciting twists, the movie succeeds at being entertaining, but it fails at being clever. Filled with plot holes and inconsistencies, the movie goes beyond ridiculous and becomes downright illogical at times. Schwarzenegger and Stallone win over the audience quite easily and Caviezel is a compelling bad guy, but the over the top music and uninteresting plot leave more to be desired.

The worldview is mixed, with both Christian elements and false religious sentiments. Ray does his job because he believes bad guys should be locked up, but those ideals seem irrelevant once he’s thrown into prison for good. That said, the way Warden Hobbs tortures and kills untried prisoners is truly evil, so Ray’s fight against him is warranted. At one point, Rottmayer says the Lord’s prayer, but only to distract the guards. Ray and Rottmayer also befriend a Muslim man, who’s seen praying multiple times with several references to Allah.

Overall, ESCAPE PLAN doesn’t add anything new to the genre and contains too much foul language for most media wise viewers, so a very strong caution is advised.

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Escape Plan Trilogy Gets SteelBook Blu-ray Release Date

By Maggie Dela Paz

Sylvester Stallone ‘s Escape Plan trilogy is officially getting a Blu-Ray SteelBook edition from Lionsgate . This comes after nearly five years since third installment Escape Plan: The Extractors had made its theatrical release.

When is the release date for Escape Plan trilogy SteelBook edition?

The Escape Plan trilogy, consisting of 2013’s Escape Plan, 2018’s Escape Plan 2: Hades, and 2019’s Escape Plan: The Extractors will be available for purchase on Blu-ray + DVD + Digital SteelBook, beginning on July 2 for the suggested retail price of $34.99.

Each movie will include special features, which are all listed below:

Escape Plan

• Audio Commentary with Director Mikael Håfström and Writer Miles Chapman
• “Executing the Plan: The Making of Escape Plan” Featurette
• “Maximum Security: The Real-Life Tomb” Featurette
• “Clash of the Titans” Featurette
• Deleted Scenes

Escape Plan 2: Hades

• Making Escape Plan 2: Hades
• Building the Robot of Escape Plan 2: Hades
• Creating the Look of Escape Plan 2: Hades
• Extended Cast/Crew Interviews
• Trailer Gallery

Escape Plan: The Extractors

• Making Escape Plan: The Extractors
• Commentary with Director John Herzfeld and Actors Sylvester Stallone, Devon Sawa, and Daniel Bernhardt

“The Escape Plan franchise stars Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone as Ray Breslin, one of the world’s foremost security analysts who helps design the most protected and fortified prisons – and finds their security flaws by breaking out of them,” reads the synopsis. “These high-octane action-thrillers are full of explosive fights, high-tech intrigue, and edge-of-your-seat escapes.”

The Escape Plan franchise also starred Dave Bautista, Jim Caviezel, Vincent D’Onofrio, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger. The first installment was directed by Mikael Håfström (Evil), while the 2018 sequel was helmed by Steven C. Miller (Silent Night). For the 2019 follow-up, the action thriller was helmed by director John Herzfeld (The Death and Life of Bobby Z). All three movies were written by Miles Chapman.

Maggie Dela Paz has been writing about the movie and TV industry for more than four years now. Besides being a fan of coming-of-age films and shows, she also enjoys watching K-Dramas and listening to her favorite K-Pop groups. Her current TV obsessions right now are FX’s The Bear and the popular anime My Hero Academia.

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Plot Your 'Escape Plan' With New Trilogy Steelbook

The special edition hits shelves in July.

The Big Picture

• The Escape Plan trilogy will be released in a special steelbook edition at Walmart for $34.99 on July 2.
• Sylvester Stallone's character in the trilogy, Ray, faces danger due to the nature of his job and hidden identity.
• The final installment of the trilogy was made with a budget of $3.6 million and the new edition includes special features in all three movies.

Back when Escape Plan premiered in 2013, it seemed like just another brainless action movie starring huge icons from the 80s, but its concept certainly set it apart from most titles. The story follows Ray Breslin ( Sylvester Stallone ), one of the world's best security analysts whose job is peculiar, to say the least. In order to test the security flaws of supermax prisons, Ray has to infiltrate them and try to break out. The movie spawned two sequels, and Lionsgate announced today that all of them will come beautifully packaged in a steelbook edition that is set to hit Walmart shelves in July 2. The suggested retail price is $34.99.

It's pretty easy to relate to Stallone's character Ray in the Escape Plan trilogy. Due to the nature of his job, he can't tell police officers or prison directors what he is really doing inside the prison , so he suffers as much abuse and violence as the other inmates do. And he always knows it will get worse for him, because he's under the constant danger of being discovered either as someone planning a prison break or losing his job because his profession is entirely dependent on anonymity.

The special Triple Feature edition brings back special features from previous editions, including audio commentaries in Escape Plan and Escape Plan: The Extractors . All three installments contain making of featurettes that help fans delve into the world of prison security and what sort of real-life elements were used in the production of the movies. Escape Plan 2: Hades also features extended interviews with the cast and crew from the franchise.

A Blockbuster-Level Action Flick Made With 3 Million Dollars

Of the three installments , the third one was a peculiar case due to its budget. Used to participating in movies where the budget is not much of a problem, Stallone took to Instagram to reveal that the final installment in the trilogy was made for a total amount of $3.6 million. The Academy Award nominee also bragged that they were able to film Escape Plan: The Extractors in just 17 days, and wanted the post to serve as inspiration for young filmmakers with a limited budget and shooting schedule.

Aside from Stallone, the Escape Plan trilogy also featured the participation of several industry heavyweights, including Arnold Schwarzenegger ( Fubar ), Dave Bautista ( Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy), Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson ( Den of Thieves ), Jim Caviezel ( Sweetwater ), Vinnie Jones ( The Gentlemen ), Vincent D'Onofrio ( Daredevil: Born Again ), Sam Neill ( Jurassic World Dominion ), Amy Ryan ( The Office ), Jaime King ( Lights Out ), Titus Welliver ( Bosch ), Devon Sawa ( Chucky TV series ) and Harry Shum Jr. ( Everything Everywhere All At Once ).

Lionsgate releases the Escape Plan Triple Feature through Walmart on July 2.

Escape Plan