Henry Saw: The Escapist

Strange but okay movie...


Saw this a little while ago. It's an English film starring Brian Cox and Joseph Fiennes about a group of five convicts who attempt to escape from prison.

The film is shot in a very gritty and dark style - completely devoid of the shine seen in other prison movies like The Shawshank Redemption - that adds a heightened sense of grimness and danger to our protagonists' lives.

Cox is a capable lead (he's just a likable actor) but everyone else in the movie is either miscast or completely uninteresting. Fiennes is unconvincing as a boxer / thief, Dominic Cooper (The History Boys, The Duchess) is fine as a young prisoner who becomes victimized by the other inmates but also a bit bland.

The biggest flaw in the movie are the villains: Steve Mackintosh as the crazy rapist Tony and Damian Lewis as his brother Rizza who "runs" the prison. Mackintosh is fine, certainly creepy, but a little over the top. Rizza, as a character, makes little to no sense and is an intricate part of the plot without ever being compelling or threatening.

The scenes of the actual escape are suspenseful enough and are laced with enough interesting shots to keep you invested in the escape attempt.

In the end, this is a small and unambitious movie that holds your attention for its duration. It's not a must-see, or something you have to seek out, but it's a solid little English crime movie that I'm not unhappy to have seen.

Grade: A weak B-

Best Scene: The Twist...