“No Escape” is, at its core, a pulse-pounding, disturbing thriller that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats throughout its 103-minute length.
Jack Dwyer, played by Owen Wilson, tries his best to keep his family together. When life in the US falls short of his expectations, he uproots his family and moves them halfway across the world to an unnamed country. He also conveniently receives a new corporate job that involves bringing water there.
The minute the Dwyers’ flight lands, nothing seems to go right for them. First, their car doesn’t show up. When they do finally get to their posh hotel— thanks to Pierce Brosnan’s might-as-well-be-James-Bond character— it’s not easy to find their room. Ohm and then a full-fledged rebellion erupts transforming the entire country into a war zone.
The reason behind it isn’t clear right away, but by the time it’s explained toward the end, it really doesn’t matter.
At first glance, “No Escape” seems like an odd casting choice for Wilson, but somehow it fits. His performance isn’t exactly Jim Carrey in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” Vince Vaughn in “Clay Pigeons” or Steve Carell in “Little Miss Sunshine,” but the role works for him.
He’s a non-action star in an action role and the result is believable. It’s the same reason Chris Pratt and Paul Rudd have found recent success in their respective action movies.
Wilson’s character Jack is the average, everyday father whose goal is to keep his family safe. He risks everything to make sure that happens, even doing something as horrible as killing someone in front of them.
Lake Bell, who is also known for her comedic roles, plays Annie Dwyer. She’s against the move and becomes vulnerable as we see her slumped on the bathroom floor in tears in the beginning. But when it comes to protecting her family, she doesn’t just sit idly— she fights back and saves the day.
Whether or not action movies are your thing, “No Escape” will at least hold your attention long enough that by the end of the film, you are rooting for the family to do the thing you know they are going to do—escape.
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Erin Vierra can be reached at [email protected] or @hippycinephile on Twitter.
