The Escapist (2008)

Director:

Rupert Wyatt

Writers:

Rupert Wyatt (writer)
Daniel Hardy (writer)

Release Date:

20 June 2008 (Ireland)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

5 Men. 4 Walls. 1 Plan.

Plot:

Frank Perry is an institutionalized convict fourteen years into a life sentence without parole. When his estranged daughter falls ill...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Tunnel | Shower | Prison | Death Of Title Character

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Brian Cox	...	Frank Perry
Damian Lewis	...	Rizza
Joseph Fiennes	...	Lenny Drake
Seu Jorge	...	Viv Batista
Liam Cunningham	...	Brodie
Dominic Cooper	...	Lacey
Steven Mackintosh	...	Tony
Ned Dennehy	...	Jumpy Con
Vinnie McCabe	...	Sam (as Vincent McCabe)
Jack Walsh	...	Sikes
Frank O'Sullivan	...	Hedges
Stephen Farrelly	...	Two Ton (as Sheamus O'Shaunessy)
Domhnall O'Donoghue	...	Mary
George Seremba	...	Stan
Eleanor McLynn	...	Frank's Daughter
Phelim Drew	...	Doctor
Bernadette McKenna	...	Frank's Wife
John Crean	...	Young Prison Guard
Pat Ainscough	...	Prison Guard
Alan Curran	...	Cockney Con
Tony Senior	...	Boxing Con
John Campion	...	Screw
Robert Prior	...	Screw
Marcel Vidal	...	Rizza's Lackey
Paul Vaughan	...	Prison Tannoy Voice (voice)

Directed by
Rupert Wyatt

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Daniel Hardy		writer
Rupert Wyatt		writer

Produced by
Brian Cox	....	executive producer
Alan Moloney	....	producer
Susan Mullen	....	co-producer
Patrick O'Donoghue	....	line producer
Adrian Sturges	....	producer
Tristan Whalley	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Benjamin Wallfisch

Cinematography by
Philipp Blaubach

Film Editing by
Joe Walker

Casting by
Tamara Gillon

Production Design by
Jim Furlong

Art Direction by
Irene O'Brien

Costume Design by
Maeve Paterson

Makeup Department
Rosie Blackmore	....	chief makeup artist
Lorraine Brennan	....	hair stylist
Carole Dunne	....	chief hairdresser
Aoife Mullally	....	makeup trainee

Production Management
Clare Maclean	....	post-production supervisor
Alexander O'Neal	....	unit production manager: London

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tony Aherne	....	first assistant director
Paul J. Byrne	....	trainee assistant director (segment)
Jim Corr	....	third assistant director: additional photography
Jim Corr	....	trainee assistant director
Catherine Dunne	....	second assistant director
Nick Embery	....	additional assistant director
Anna Harrison	....	trainee assistant director
Eimear Healy	....	trainee assistant director
Alex Kaye-Besley	....	third assistant director: splinter unit (2007)

Art Department
Graeme Bird	....	propmaker
Tony Boston	....	stand-by props
Simon Dalton	....	dressing props
Mick Flood	....	property master
Briana Hegarty	....	trainee art director
James Husbands	....	storyboard artist
Emer MacAvin	....	set decoration buyer
Owen Monaghan	....	stand-by props
John Porter	....	dressing props
Lucy van Lonkhuyzen	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Peter Blayney	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michelle Cunniffe	....	sound re-recording mixer
Theo Green	....	sound designer
Theo Green	....	supervising sound editor
George Hapig	....	foley artist
Alex Hudd	....	sound consultant: dolby
Karl Merren	....	sound recordist
Conor O'Toole	....	boom operator
Hallam Smallpeice	....	sound editor
Michael Wabro	....	dialogue editor
Michael Wabro	....	pre-mix recordist
James Wichall	....	assistant sound
Peter Gleaves	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Kevin Byrne	....	special effects supervisor
Paul Mann	....	special effects supervisor
Kevin Nolan	....	special effects technician
Ronald Rametta	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Assen Balkanski	....	previsualisation
Giuliano Cavalli	....	compositor
Matt Chin	....	3D artist
Justin Cornish	....	visual effects supervisor
Michael Deming	....	digital film bureau
Andy Foot	....	rotoscoping/clean-up
Steve Hawken	....	compositor
Henrik Jonsson	....	3D artist
Gnana Kannan	....	rotoscoping/clean-up
Anthar Kharana	....	lead compositor
Brooke Lyndon-Stanford	....	visual effects supervisor
Allison Moore	....	compositor
Allison Moore	....	digital effects artist
Oliver Murray	....	lead 3D artist
Tony Neal	....	matte painter
John Palmer	....	digital film bureau manager: Scanning and Laser record
Rob Pizzey	....	digital colourist
Alexandru Popescu	....	digital matte painter
Jorge Quinteros	....	roto master
Tsahi Reznick	....	3D artist
Vahid Tehrani	....	fx artist
Hannah Walker	....	camera tracker
Alex Ireland	....	scanning & recording (uncredited)

Stunts
Anthony Condren	....	stunt performer
Joe Condren	....	stunt coordinator
Norman Kelly	....	stunts
John Sheridan	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Barlow	....	key grip
Ian Barwick	....	gaffer: UK
Amy Breen	....	camera trainee
Fionn Comerford	....	first assistant camera
Matt Fisher	....	Steadicam operator
Matt Fisher	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Robert Hallinan Flood	....	camera trainee
Niall Mannion	....	best boy
David O'Connor	....	grip
Ang Richards	....	second assistant camera: UK
Andy Sauer	....	grip
Dan Thomas	....	best boy: UK

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anna Collins	....	costume trainee
T.K. Lang	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Ken Lang)

Editorial Department
Rob Gordon	....	additional on-line editor
Emily Greenwood	....	digital on-line editor
Patrick Malone	....	digital intermediate head of production
Erin McGookin	....	digital intermediate producer
Richard Smither	....	assembly editor
Laurent Treherne	....	digital intermediate technical director

Music Department
Mikael Carlsson	....	soundtrack producer
Ruth Chan	....	music preparation
Marcia Crayford	....	orchestra leader
Theo Green	....	composer: background music
Lol Hammond	....	music supervisor
Hilary Skewes	....	musician contractor
Tony Stanton	....	music preparation
Benjamin Wallfisch	....	conductor
Benjamin Wallfisch	....	orchestrator
Alison Wright	....	music supervisor: Air-Edel

Transportation Department
Gay Byrn	....	driver: props
Paul Cullen	....	transportation captain
Neil Ferris	....	driver: London

Other crew
Renee Burke	....	script supervisor
Lisa Byrne	....	assistant production coordinator
Aoife Cassidy	....	production coordinator
Dermot Cleary	....	location manager
Grant Cummings	....	location manager
Sarah Golding	....	script editor
Richard Hill	....	location trainee
Dan Hillsdon	....	assistant accountant
Rachel James	....	post-production accountant
Timothy P. Jones	....	digital imaging
Catherina Ren Knerr	....	assistant: actor: brian cox
Greg McManus	....	production coordinator: UK
Barry Newman	....	assistant location manager
Marie-Celine O'Reilly	....	extras coordinator
Lorraine Turley	....	assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Picture Farm
• Parallel Film Productions
• Irish Film Board (funding)

Distributors

• Cinéart (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinemax (2008) (Russia) (all media) (CIS + Baltics)
• Cinéart (2008) (Belgium) (all media) (Benelux)
• Contender Entertainment Group (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Film1 (2010) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Frenetic Films (2008) (Switzerland) (all media)
• Front Row Distributors (2008) (Saudi Arabia) (all media)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2009) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• Haut et Court (2008) (France) (all media)
• LNK Filmes (2008) (Portugal) (all media)
• Lucky Red (2008) (Italy) (all media)
• Odeon (2009) (Greece) (DVD)
• RTL Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (TV) (RTL7)
• Rialto Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (all media)
• Rosebud (2008) (Greece) (all media)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2009) (Finland) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sandrews (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2009) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Senator Home Entertainment (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twin Pics (20??) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Vertigo Films (2007) (UK) (all media)

Special Effects

• Atomic Arts (visual effects)
• Team FX

Other Companies

• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• Media Safety  health & safety
• MovieScore Media  soundtrack
• Reelsound  sound post-production

Also Known As:

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK | Ireland

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:Not Rated | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

Picture Farm

Trivia:

Director Rupert Wyatt revealed on the DVD commentary that Damian Lewis wore ladies underwear throughout filming.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the scene in which Perry receives a half-kilogram of cat (methcathinone) from Batista, his cell-mate (Lacey) is shown lying on the top bunk with his head on the pillow. In the following scene, as Perry turns to sit on the lower bunk, Lacey is now leaning with his back to the wall.

Quotes:

Viv Batista:If Tony knows, then Tony knows. He's the devil on your back now. But if you want to trade, I give a trade. Ket's a dangerous drug, but deadly when poisoned... you got me? If it looks, smells and tastes like Ket, Pssshoo!... who will know?
Frank Perry:No one touches Tony. Rizza...
Viv Batista:Rizza? Who is going to tell Rizza? Junkies die every day.

Soundtrack:

The Partisan

"It's our imagination that makes us free…"

Frank Perry (Brian Cox) is a long term prisoner in a London jail where the guards look the other way and one would be wise to avoid the attentions of Rizzo (Damian Lewis), the boss inmate and his unhinged junkie brother Tony (Steven Mackintosh in scenery chewing form). The arrival of a new cell mate, Lacey (played by newcomer Dominic Cooper) coincides with Perry receiving the first letter from his family in fourteen years. His daughter is a heroin addict and close to death. Perry decides he must get out, to see her and make things right while there is still time. He goes to his closest friend Brodie (Liam Cunningham) and they enlist on-the-edge pugilist and thief Lenny Drake (Joseph Fiennes) to put together their plan.

But the film begins with the escape, cleverly setting up many questions in the head of the viewer, which are then answered in flashback. We want to know why Frank starts the escape attempt what appears to be a stab wound, how drug dealer Viv Batista (Seu Jorge) gets involved and why Lacey is part of the team when he has arrived in the prison so recently. The answers come, but slowly so that it's only at the very end that the little hints and clues scattered through the story of the escape attempt itself make sense.

This structure and the final plot twist would alone make this film worth repeat viewing, but not just for that. Writers Daniel Hardy and Rupert Wyatt (Wyatt also directed) let images rather than words do the talking, and with a cast of this calibre it pays off brilliantly. The actors are allowed to use their faces and bodies to tell us the story: Brian Cox letting his face fall into a pile of regret when he reads the letter, Damian Lewis's posture as he walks past the cells to find out what happened to his brother, the tiny shifts of expression on Dominic Cooper's face as he relives his forced dalliance in the showers with Tony, from self pity to self hatred and back again. It's top notch stuff.

Comparisons with "Shawshank Redemption" are inevitable, but while "Redemption" was really a story about hope, "The Escapist" is actually a film about redemption, about the single unselfish act that can redeem wasted years, perhaps a wasted life. And, as Perry points out, that we're only as free as we allow ourselves to be.