The film No Escape tells the story of how an American family’s relocation to an Asian nation — the audience never finds out what the name of the nation is— goes horribly, horribly wrong. Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson) decides to move his family to Asia in order to work as an engineer for the Cardiff Water Company.
The problem with this plan is that the people of this nation don’t like that Americans are taking over this water company. The people view this takeover as an attempt by the West to enslave them.
The citizens then start an uprising to destroy the Americans. Jack and his wife Annie (Lake Bell), and his daughters Lucy (Sterling Jerins) and Beeze (Claire Geare) have to find a to flee the country in order to stay alive.
Overall, I found No Escape to be enjoyable. The suspense and tension generated by this story did keep me on the edge of my seat throughout. The run-and-gun thrills begins very early in the film, and it does not let down until the end. The film’s director John Eric Dowdle manages to create some truly scary scenes that got my heart rate beating a bit higher.
Owen Wilson and Lake Bell, who are both known more so for their comedy roles, give likeable dramatic performances in this film. Their geniality helps inspire us to root for them as they attempt to escape this horror nation. Pierce Brosnan, who plays a British expatriate that the Dwyers encounter, gives a charismatic and entertaining performance.
Since this film’s release on Aug. 26 in the United States, No Escape has come under fire for its depiction of Southeast Asia people. Yes, there is xenophobia at work in this movie. The characterizations of these Asians are pretty simple: Either they are hysterical murderers or are collateral damage of the violence.
Essentially, this film pits the nice American family against the Third World Asian murderers. The message of the film is Americans should keep a wide berth from Southeast Asia, as the people there want to hurt, rape or kill you, or all of the above. Is the message of the film fair? No.
This film could have potentially been an acclaimed thriller if it was more tasteful, by presenting a more true depiction of people in Southeast Asia. As a filmgoer, you are essentially asked to leave your morality at the door and enjoy the ride like a guilty pleasure.
While I do have issues with No Escape, I can’t deny I enjoyed this film experience. This movie really works as popcorn escapism.
Three-and-a-half popcorn buckets out of five.
