Umm, okay.
Yikes.
I'm not entirely sure where to begin when discussing this film. So let's just jump right into it: No Escape was not Owen Wilson's greatest feat, and that's putting it nicely. This film has some of the most faulty moments and confusing plot lines I have ever seen. The tone was all over the place, and there were scenes where I could not bear to watch because of its utterly nonsensical content. I feel like the director was not sure how to use Wilson, whether in a comedic or dramatic sense, and therefore his character was flatter than a piece of paper. And that's just the good news.
First, let me address the casting in this film. Owen Wilson, known for classic comedies like Wedding Crashers, Starsky and Hutch, and Zoolander, is absolutely not fit to be playing the role of any main protagonist in an action film. It was very difficult for me to view this film and not think of hilarious moments where he could have cracked a joke. I have to give him credit for trying, though, because there have been a lot of career action stars who have done worse. So for now, I strongly hope that Owen Wilson sticks to Lightning McQueen, because "kachow" is the only action phrase I can hear him muttering. Lake Bell on the other hand, who plays Wilson's wife in the film, has been known to co-star in a few comedies as well, but her acting was not nearly as bad. I give her props for holding up at least some of the talent throughout those painful 103 minutes. Pierce Brosnan was also in this film for some reason, but I will get to my problems with him in a bit.
The tone of this movie was very jumpy, as it started off comedic, which I thought would be a good fit for Wilson. I was very confused, however, when it went straight from Wilson cracking dad jokes to his daughters into a sudden political coup where foreigners are being executed. The father had brought his family into an unspecified third-world country for work, and the reason why is beyond me. If I had a family that I was forcing to come with me to another life for my job, I might want to check the political and social state of that country first. But Wilson apparently did not know that there would be an uprising the day after they arrived. How unlucky. As Wilson struggles to save his family, he also struggles with persuading the audience that he belongs in a film like this. I never would have imagined him in this scenario, and there were moments in the film that proved me right. As there were enemies and rioters moving in closer to their location, it was apparently appropriate to make a "Hi hungry, I'm Dad" joke to one of his daughters. Wow. Should I be laughing or on the edge of my seat? Throughout the movie, I simply could not choose. As for the pivotal moments of the film where any normal person would have been cornered and killed by these rioters, Pierce Brosnan sweeps in to save the day. This happens multiple times, and there is no explanation as to how he is able to predict when the poor Dwyer family was in trouble. You can always count on good ol' James Bond to save the day, but it's a shame he could not save this movie.
There is one positive about this film, however. After about halfway through the movie and plenty of awful hallway chase scenes, it started to feel like an action movie. Surprising, I know. As desperately as this film needed a new protagonist, I got used to seeing Wilson in his role. This movie did have a lot of potential to be a very interesting and suspenseful political action film, but the main roles just did not cut it for me. If you divert your attention to the actual plot of the film, it is very dramatic and compelling, but it was just not executed as well as it could have been with another actor.
No Escape is an honest waste of a lot of potential, and an honest casting mistake. Given a better lead cast, more political background, and no gratuitous cameos, this movie could have been fantastic.
My Rating: ★★
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