Escape Plan: A Blast from the Past with Stallone and Schwarzenegger
Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) is a security expert with a unique profession: he tests the security of prisons by infiltrating them as an inmate and devising escape plans. His next assignment promises double his usual fee, but the stakes are higher than ever. This time, he’s tasked with inspecting a privately owned prison with a top-secret location. However, things quickly go south when Ray discovers that he’s been set up. His contacts are fake, the extraction code is useless, and the warden (Jim Caviezel) seems determined to make his life a living hell. Teaming up with a fellow inmate (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Breslin begins to plot his escape.
Originally, Antoine Fuqua was slated to direct the film, with Bruce Willis considered for a role, before Mikael Håfström took the helm.
“Escape Plan” entered production before it became clear that the box-office success of “The Expendables” was a one-off event and didn’t translate to the solo projects of its stars. “The Expendables” and “The Last Stand” revealed that the box-office appeal of action legends Stallone and Schwarzenegger had been greatly exaggerated. Therefore, “Escape Plan” carries a lot of weight, as it essentially follows the same formula as the aforementioned projects: macho bravado wrapped in old-school action.
The film’s budget is $70 million, significantly higher than “The Expendables” ($40 million) and “The Last Stand” ($45 million).
Sylvester Stallone previously escaped from a prison run by a sadistic warden in John Flynn’s “Lock Up” (1989). Discounting the modern prevalence of technology, the two films are quite similar. It’s all business, with minimal “personal drama.” The relationships between the characters are sketched with broad but concise strokes, and there’s little time for character development – the casting speaks for itself. Sly and Arnie are, of course, the good guys. Jim Caviezel, with his affected mannerisms and predatory coyote grin, is a vile villain who overestimates his abilities. The perpetually disheveled Sam Neill is a kindly doctor. And with Vinnie Jones, everything is clear from a single glance.
Twists and Turns
The plot isn’t just full of twists and turns; it’s made of them, although it’s best not to dwell on them too much – there’s little plausibility or realism here (for example, everything involving Vincent D’Onofrio’s character makes you scratch your head in confusion). At the same time, credit must be given to director Mikael Håfström for confidently piecing everything together – there are no lulls. Plus, Håfström knows how to film his stars to make them look like living monuments. Stallone seems to have stopped aging a decade ago, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who looked quite “beaten up” in “The Last Stand,” has straightened his shoulders and regained the devilish glint in his eyes in “Escape Plan.”
A Treat for Longtime Fans
It’s hard to say how “Escape Plan” will be received by younger audiences – it’s pure “fan service” for longtime fans of the two stars. The teenagers who already rejected them twice in “The Expendables” and “The Last Stand” won’t find anything new here – apparently, it was too late to change course. But as fan service, it’s exactly what’s needed – another loud return to the '90s, without pathetic attempts to play on Arnie and Sly’s past achievements. Yes, they’re veterans, but they don’t want to wave their medals in our faces, indulging in ingratiating self-citation (as “The Expendables 2” did). They can’t learn new tricks at their age, but they can always perform the old ones as an encore. And do it like it’s the first time – with a vengeance and their signature humor.