Product Description

Denis (Jonny Lee Miller), a man whose life is shattered by a single criminal act in which his youngwife is killed in a bungled break-in attempt by a career criminal called Ricky Barnes (Andy Serkis). Denis, for whom life up to then had seemed perfect, cannot cope with his loss, and dedicates his life to tracking down the man responsible. It is a pursuit which requires him not only to be sent to jail, but to be sent to the worst - or, as the prison service would have it, the most secure - jail in Britain: Sullen Voe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #60929 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2006-01-17
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 88 minutes

Customer Reviews

COINCIDENCE ruins what could have been a great coming out party for Serkis & Miller
Andy Serkis hits it out of the park.

The ESCAPIST was actually filmed BEFORE the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong, where he became Peter Jackson's secret weapon, bringing GOLLUM and KING KONG to life. In the ESCAPIST he plays Ricky Barnes, a ruthless, heartless, cold-blooded killer. And he plays it with unabashed anger and passion. He pours himself into this character, demonstrating his skill as an actor, and making the audience fear what is going on behind those searing eyes.

Jonny Lee Miller too does a great job portraying Denis, the man who's pregnant wife was senselessly gunned-down by Serkis' Ricky Barnes. He's no hero. He's just a man. He's not a student of fighting arts. He's just a man who's dieing inside from the madness of the death of his wife and demons from within or telling him to do whatever it takes to make sure that her death is avenged. No matter what the cost.

His baby survives the shooting and is being cared for by Christine, played by the beautiful Jodhi May, who is either a friend or his sister... not sure. But, rather than settle into life with his daughter and Christine (if she's not his sister, that is), he decides to fake his own death by crashing his plane, committing juvenille crimes in order to be incarcerated and then committing more and more acts in order to get moved into the same prison as Ricky Barnes. Which isn't easy, seeing as though Barnes is in jail for murder and Denis is in jail for bashing in a police car with a baseball bat. They don't put vandals in jail with murderers... so he's gotta work his way up.

Yet, the prison sequences in the ESCAPIST are astounding and top notch and highly realistic. Almost makes you think that Johnny Lee Miller actually DID get himself thrown in prison.

Aside from the acting and the production and the realism, the movie is knocked down a couple of pegs by being one of the most reliant on COINCIDENCE movies I've seen in recent years. Not to mention, reliant on the audience relating to the hero in the film, making such a BAD BAD decision... JAIL or DAUGHTER... hmmm? JAIL or DAUGHTER + JODHI MAY??

Coincidences... bad guys son rides on the same bus to the prison with Christine, remembers the last name of the guy who put his dad in prison, mentions it to his dad gets an escape plan rolling. Bad guys plans an elaborate prison escape with timer explosives and run out to the runway of a no-escape island under the impression that a plane would be there... and of course there is. Somehow... Denis manages to get himself transfered to this maximum security, alcatraz type prison, despite just being a common thug. I could go on and on.

The point is, this IS A GOOD MOVIE, and I'm glad I watched it, but the COINCIDENCES (which I hate more than anything), made the movie just average to me. But, more than anything, I couldn't forgive the main character Denis for making such a really bad decision in the first place.

I won't remember the movie in a few weeks, but I think I will remember ANDY SERKIS' performance. So, there you go.

Low budget Indie film that is actually pretty good.......
Johnny Lee Miller, co-star of three films released this year (Melinda and Melinda, Aeon Flux, and Mindhunters), stars here as a wealthy young pilot named Denis. He was the husband to his pregnant wife who gets murdered by a freak house thief. This killer isn't just a murderer he is a scumbag from hell (insane)
So anyway, Barnes is captured and sentenced to one of Britain's nastiest and most escape-proof prisons. Denis (miller) wants to get himself arrested so he can be in the same prison to take the guy out.
This movie is simple, fast-paced, solid and I really enjoyed it.

An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind
What if you lost what you loved most, and legal justice wasn't enough revenge?

That's the question that spawns "The Escapist," a gritty, taut little thriller that gives a new spin to the revenge quest. No Hollywood-style love interests or high-octane chases -- just a trio of excellent actors, a solid premise, and musings on why revenge will never bring you satisfaction.

Denis (Jonny Lee Miller) has it all -- a gorgeous house, a plane, a wife he adores, and a baby on the way. But one night Ricky Barnes (Andy Serkis) breaks in, and murders Denis' wife. The baby narrowly survives, and Barnes is sent to a maximum-security prison on a remote island -- but Denis is still consumed with a need for revenge against the man who destroyed four people's lives.

So he fakes his suicide, puts a few dents in a cop car, and receives a brief sentence -- then escapes. With each escape he receives a stiffer sentence, is sent to a higher security facility, and is forced to create ever more daring escape plans. But as he approaches Ricky Barnes' prison, Denis finds himself trapped in Ricky's own plot to escape...

"The Escapist" is a welcome change from your average Hollywood thriller -- a little indie movie, with no explosions or gun battles, lots of nasty little prisons, and a main cast of only three people. It has a stripped-down, raw feeling that gives a big contrast to the polished direction.

Basically the movie tracks Denis' descent into hell, with the knowledge that no matter what happens, Denis won't have won because his wife will still be dead. Gillies MacKinnon takes us from idyllic seaside villas, grey seas and sanitary little jails to the savage side of civilization, where there's no hope and no escape. And MacKinnon knows how to surprise us with an ending that leaves you wondering what is next.

Miller gives an overall good performance as a man with nothing to lose, and only revenge to gain -- he gets over-the-top in some of the scenes, but he's brilliant when Denis is ice cold. Jodhi May gives a lovely performance as his traumatized sister-in-law, and Serkis is simply chilling as a grinning, soulless murderer with a sadistic streak as big as Panama. I swear, he's creepier than Gollum in this movie.

"The Escapist" is a revenge thriller stripped down to the bone, but it's far better than many such movies are -- especially since it never loses sight of the fact that revenge can't make you happy.