No Escape (1994)

A soldier convicted for murdering his commanding officer is dumped and left to die on a prison island inhabited by two camps of convicts.

Director:

Martin Campbell

Writers:

Richard Herley (novel), Michael Gaylin (screenplay)

Stars:

Ray Liotta, Lance Henriksen, Stuart Wilson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Liotta	...	Capt. J.T. Robbins
Lance Henriksen	...	The Father
Stuart Wilson	...	Walter Marek
Kevin Dillon	...	Casey
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Stephano
Don Henderson	...	Killian
Ian McNeice	...	King
Jack Shepherd	...	Dysart
Michael Lerner	...	The Warden
Ernie Hudson	...	Hawkins
Russell Kiefel	...	Iceman
Brian M. Logan	...	Scab
Cheuk-Fai Chan	...	Skull
Machs Colombani	...	Ratman
David Argue	...	Cellmate

Storyline

Robbins is sentenced to prison for the assassination of his general officer, a prison you leave only when you die. Since nobody ever leaves the prison, nobody knows what the prison is like. The prison manager realizes this and buys himself an island playground called "Absolom," where the worst prisoners are free to create an isolated barbaric society, and where the strongest men rule...a living hell. Robbins is sent to Absolom after he almost kills the prison manager.

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Plot Keywords:

island | prison | prisoner | island prison | ex soldier | 

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Taglines:

No guards. No walls. No escape.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a considerable amount of strong violence, and for some language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Penal Colony

Filming Locations:

New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$15,340,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Pacific Western, Platinum Pictures (III)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ray Liotta agreed to take the lead role of Robbins, because he had always wanted to do an action movie, where he played an heroic character.

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Goofs

When Dysart hands Robbins a pair of Molotov Cocktails, he says they were invented by a man named "Sergei Molotov". This is, in fact, incorrect. The Molotov Cocktail was first used in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) before actually gaining this name in the Winter War (1939) between Finland and the Soviet Union. The Finns used this incendiary weapon to great affect against the Soviets and gave it the name the "Molotov Cocktail" as an insult directed towards the Soviet foreign minister, Vyacheslav Molotov. No one named Sergei was involved in the making of the weapon.

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Quotes

Marek: Isn't this wonderful? Two hundred deluxe rooms, heated outdoor pool, and a staff of caring professionals.
[pauses]
Marek: I'm sorry, I'm being rude! My name is Walter Marek, I'm your resident director. Welcome to vacation paradise!
Robbins: I hope you take plastic.
Marek: We most certainly do! We elicit all forms of payment here. Now, I've taken the liberty of scheduling a stimulating variety of activities for you here.
Robbins: [bored] Shuffleboard?
Marek: Water sports!
[shoves Robbins over the edge into a net]
Marek: Now because our ...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

UK video version is cut by 1 second from the climactic impaling scene to secure a "15" rating. The DVD features the same cut print.

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Connections

References Spartacus (1960)

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Soundtracks

SON OF A PREACHER MAN
Written by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins
Performed by Dusty Springfield

User Reviews

Trashy but very good fun

Ray Liotta plays Robbins, a criminal sent to an island prison where, due to lack of supervision, the inmates have formed two tribes. The hippy tribe is led by the great Lance Henriksen, while Stuart Wilson enjoys himself delivering cheesy one liners as the main bad guy.

Ray Liotta isn't exactly riding a post-Goodfellas high with this film, but its still very entertaining as trashy action fare. Liotta has a role that would probably be reserved for Arnold or Sly if this was a bigger production, but still makes a good job of playing a violent anti-hero. There are some great battle scenes and fun supporting performances.

Overall there isn't really much else to say about "No Escape", apart from you will be entertained if you enjoy action films that you can't take too seriously. If I'm objective I can't score it very highly but for entertainment value it gets 4/5.