NO ESCAPE (2020) is a new horror-thriller that provides 88 minutes of pleasure. The idea is basic, and while the implementation leaves something to be desired, for the most part, it works.
Most of the cast from the TV series is popular and they all give strong performances. The problems I have with this film all have to do with the storytelling, not the acting. I do not see TV series actors as somehow inferior, to be clear.
Overall, we are in a golden age of TV and TV shows. In (or have been in) TV shows, many of my all-time favorite actors are. No Escape has a really impressive ensemble cast for a TV series and all the actors are very good.
Keegan Allen from Pretty Little Liars heads the cast. He 's got a peculiarity about him that I've always loved, and he really gives this character a lot of heart. Actually, I loved that he wasn't just a dodgy social media star (that trope is old already), but he was really optimistic and happy.
As his girlfriend, with Denzel Whitaker from The Purge series as his childhood best friend, we see Holland Roden of Teen Wolf and Channel Zero. George Janko (NCIS: Los Angeles), and Siya (The First Purge) round out the group of friends.
Ronen Rubinstein from 9-1-1: Lone Star plays an extremely wealthy Russian who plans the crazy Escape Room experience for Cole (Keegan Allen) and his friends. And Emilia Ares (The Dark Tapes, American Horror Story) is his girlfriend.
The ending of Escape Room (2020) is one that might surprise some while others will have guessed most (or all) plot twists in advance. While I certainly enjoy a good plot twist, it came as no surprise to me.
Then again, watching so many movies in the horror and thriller genres might just have made me a bit jaded. I feel like I’d seen it all before and the Escape Room ending certainly did not bring anything new to the table.
However, that being said, the actors (especially Keegan Allen) definitely managed to get the most out of it!
Will Wernick is the writer and director of No Escape (2020) and yes, I do have to note the “2020” part since more movies have this title. Just five years ago, in 2015, an action-thriller with the same title was released. It starred Lake Bell, Owen Wilson, and Pierce Brosnan. And it was surprisingly good, so do check that out!
It almost seems like a trademark of Will Wernick to have movie titles used by others. In 2017, he released Escape Room only to see Adam Robitel release a movie with the same title in 2019. And while I did enjoy Will Wernick’s Escape Room, Adam Robitel’s movie was the bigger hit and will have a sequel.
While I’m not overly impressed by No Escape, I did enjoy watching this movie. I like the escape room scenes and enjoyed the friendships portrayed. Also, the social media element worked well for me.
The only thing that didn’t work so well was making it believable. This is a horror-thriller and so I can excuse some things, but I felt like I was expected to accept too many unbelievable plot points. Still, I won’t deny that it has entertainment value and will satisfy the horror needs of many, so do check it out!
Vertical Entertainment will release the horror/thriller NO ESCAPE on Digital and On Demand on September 18, 2020.
