Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

The Escapist

  • 2002
  • R
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Jonny Lee Miller and Andy Serkis in The Escapist (2002)
Home Video Trailer from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:04
2 Videos
8 Photos
ActionCrimeDrama

The skilled pilot Denis Hopkins lives with his pregnant wife Valerie and has a comfortable lifestyle. When the gang of criminals headed by the sadistic Ricky Barnes breaks in his seaside hou... Read allThe skilled pilot Denis Hopkins lives with his pregnant wife Valerie and has a comfortable lifestyle. When the gang of criminals headed by the sadistic Ricky Barnes breaks in his seaside house, Denis offers whatever the criminals want to protect his beloved wife but the evil Rick... Read allThe skilled pilot Denis Hopkins lives with his pregnant wife Valerie and has a comfortable lifestyle. When the gang of criminals headed by the sadistic Ricky Barnes breaks in his seaside house, Denis offers whatever the criminals want to protect his beloved wife but the evil Ricky kills Valerie. The baby is saved, and later the murderer is arrested and sent to the max... Read all

  • Director
    • Gillies MacKinnon
  • Writer
    • Nick Perry
  • Stars
    • Philip Barantini
    • Andy Serkis
    • Barry Barnes
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    1.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gillies MacKinnon
    • Writer
      • Nick Perry
    • Stars
      • Philip Barantini
      • Andy Serkis
      • Barry Barnes
    • 20User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    The Escapist
    Trailer 1:04
    Watch The Escapist
    The Escapist
    Trailer 0:57
    Watch The Escapist

    Photos8

    Jonny Lee Miller and Andy Serkis in The Escapist (2002)
    Jodhi May in The Escapist (2002)
    Jonny Lee Miller and Andy Serkis in The Escapist (2002)
    Jonny Lee Miller in The Escapist (2002)
    Jonny Lee Miller in The Escapist (2002)
    Jonny Lee Miller and Andy Serkis in The Escapist (2002)
    Jonny Lee Miller and Andy Serkis in The Escapist (2002)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Philip Barantini
    Philip Barantini
    • Joey
    Andy Serkis
    Andy Serkis
    • Ricky Barnes
    Barry Barnes
    • D.I. Simm
    Michael Bates
    • Spaz
    Paloma Baeza
    Paloma Baeza
    • Valerie Hopkins
    Gerry Behan
    • Guard 1
    Vas Blackwood
    Vas Blackwood
    • Vin
    Des Braiden
    Des Braiden
    • Magistrate
    Barry Cassin
    • Judge
    Richard Dormer
    Richard Dormer
    • Denis' Brief
    Phelim Drew
    Phelim Drew
    • Duty Medical Registrer
    Dave Duffy
    • Escort Officer 2
    Patrick FitzSymons
    • Punishment Cell Officer
    • (as Patrick Fitzsymons)
    Laurence Foster
    Laurence Foster
    • Magistrate's Clerk
    Luke Hayden
    • Prison Officer 1 (Sullen Voe)
    Stephen Holland
    Stephen Holland
    • Mike
    Simon Imrie
    • Wing Officer (Sullen Voe)
    Allen Leech
    Allen Leech
    • Policeman 1 (Smashed Car)
    • (as Alan Leech)
    • Director
      • Gillies MacKinnon
    • Writer
      • Nick Perry
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Escapist
    6.7
    The Escapist
    Complicity
    5.8
    Complicity
    The Escapist
    4.8
    The Escapist
    Endgame
    6.2
    Endgame
    Behind the Lines
    7.0
    Behind the Lines
    Byron
    7.0
    Byron
    Plunkett & Macleane
    6.3
    Plunkett & Macleane
    The Flying Scotsman
    7.0
    The Flying Scotsman
    Middletown
    5.9
    Middletown
    Sugarhouse
    5.9
    Sugarhouse
    Funny Face
    5.1
    Funny Face
    Shiner
    5.9
    Shiner

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Goofs
      Denis opens the door of the airplane and bails out. In the next shot, the door is closed.
    • Quotes

      Denis: An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.

    User reviews20

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Revenge-Driven Thriller
    Jonny Lee Miller plays Denis, a rich pilot with a pretty pregnant wife, Valerie (Paloma Baeza) whose life is turned upside down when a thief breaks into their humble home and maliciously shoots Valerie and leaves Dennis to cope with the lasting sadness of her murder. Denis is not satisfied when Valerie's killer, notorious thief Ricky Barnes (Andy Serkis), is thrown into an Alcatraz style prison for 20 years. For Denis, this sentence isn't enough; as he achingly muses, if he were given the option of visiting his wife for 2 hours once a week, a month or even once a year, that would be better than what he has now… nothing. He cannot get past his need for revenge; not even his baby girl, delivered by C-section, can coax him out of this fog. And so he devises a plan to get himself thrown into the same high-security prison as Barnes, and get his revenge.

    Revenge is the central theme of this fantastic film, written by Nick Perry and directed by Gillies MacKinnon. It isn't always an edge-of-your-seat drama, more it is an intrinsic look into the creation, hungering and devouring need for revenge…. The high-stakes drama comes in the last half hour or so, when Denis's plan is tangible as he gets thrown into Barnes's prison. The film doesn't try to show that light exists at the end of the tunnel, or that every cloud has a silver lining. Denis's thirst for reprisal is depressing; he has such tunnel-vision that not even his baby girl and the hint of a fresh start can coax him out of his ebb. And the really sad thing is that as we watch Denis strive toward his realized vengeance, we as the viewer know that what comes after he succeeds is not going to be pretty… he will be left with nothing, no life, nothing to drive him, just the realization of all that he has lost. So while rooting for Denis to get payback on the evil Ricky Barnes, there is also a devastating knowledge that things will only get worse from here on in.

    Johnny Lee Miller is a relatively unknown actor who never made good on his break-out performance in the film "Trainspotting"; if he is known at all, it is as Angelina Jolie's first ex-husband whom she constantly says she regrets divorcing. Miller doesn't always captivate and command the screen, but he is adequate in this lead role as a tough, driven lover whose sadness is really eating him alive. The real star in this film is the wicked Andy Serkis, best known for his role as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films and as the monkey in another Jackson film "King Kong". Surprise, surprise; Serkins can actually act sans the tight-blue lycra and CGI wires – his brilliance is measured by his loathsomeness – and trust me, it's always at breaking point!

    Great little straight to video gem that would go totally unnoticed if it wasn't always on cable television.
    helpful•7
    6
    • Sweet_Ophelia
    • Jun 6, 2006

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 17, 2006 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 獵殺大行動
    • Filming locations
      • Ireland(filmed on location in)
    • Production companies
      • Jolyon Symonds Productions Ltd.
      • Little Bird Productions
      • Sky Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Jonny Lee Miller and Andy Serkis in The Escapist (2002)
    Top Gap
    What is the English language plot outline for The Escapist (2002)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.