The world of 2013, however, is a mighty different landscape; Escape Plan bombed. That's too bad, because it's pretty good for what it sets out to be: a big, dumb action movie, in the style of its stars' big, dumb bread-and-butter recipe of yesteryear.
Stallone's Breslin works as a security expert hired to go undercover in prisons as a prisoner and find their faults that would allow for breakouts. He's very good at it, and his latest assignment is an international detainee unit full of "game changers" — the worst of the world's worst. The tomb-like place is staffed by guards clad in black armor, including eerie face masks, and lorded over by an evil warden (a super-slimy Jim Caviezel, TV's Person of Interest) who has no intention of actually letting Breslin get out. In fact, he vows to kill our hero.
Not about to let that happen, Breslin enlists the help of a fellow jumpsuited inmate (Schwarzenegger), and the movie becomes like a heist film in reverse: The fun is all about seeing the master plan carried out. As overseen by director Mikael Håfström (The Rite), Lionsgate's Escape Plan is nothing if not fun — more clever than your average big-budget he-man vehicle, if a tad overloaded on the rat-a-tat-tat portion of Act 3.
Give it a shot. Escape Plan certainly does. — Rod Lott
Hey! Read This:
• Bullet to the Head Blu-ray review
• The Expendables 2 Blu-ray review
