No Escape (1994) Poster

(1994)

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7/10
Better Than How It First Looks
ccthemovieman-14 December 2007
On the surface, this looks like a dumb movie which is overly violent and too seedy because it features nothing but hardened criminals plus the normal sadistic warden Hollywood always shows in all modern-day films.

But....it turns out the story isn't as sordid as it looks and the violence, although plentiful, is somehow not overdone. Also, the chief villain " Walter Marek" (Stuart Wilson) is a man with a good sense of humor. The comedic relief he brings is a real plus to the story. By the way, Wilson doesn't look like Mel Gibson but his voice sure sounds similar.

"No Escape" is strictly an action movie with an all-male cast that has a grim atmosphere of convicts fighting it out on an inescapable island in the year 2022.

Profanity isn't as much as you'd except in a tough film like this and - in a real oddity - Lance Henriksen is the nicest guy in the movie! He never utters a bad or angry word. If you know the characters Henriksen usually plays, you know this is a rarity. Ray Liotta, Michael Lerner and Ernie Hudson also star, so it's a decent cast.

You could do a lot worse looking for two hours of "escapist" fare.
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6/10
Mad Max meets Fortress
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews28 January 2004
When I first sat down, to see this movie, I wasn't expecting much; In fact, I was preparing myself mentally for a total flop... but it really took me by surprise. It's actually quite interesting, and has some good action sequences. The plot is pretty interesting, and moves along very nicely, quickly moving on, constantly developing. The acting was convincing enough, there wasn't really any scenes that were terrible, even though a lot of the scenes and lines were very corny; it fit perfectly in with the movie, and as such wasn't out of place. It's pretty much a B-movie, but if you like(or just enjoy mildly) B-movies, you'll probably be at least reasonably entertained by it. It's reminiscent of movies like Fortress, but just a little better in that it's very unpredictable; no matter what you think is gonna happen, you'll be surprised again and again by what happens. It's pretty interesting all the way through, it has some good, 80's style action, corny B-movie lines, a B-movie feel throughout the movie... so, if you can watch it for free, either borrow it from a friend, or watch it on TV... if not, only watch it if you're into movies like Fortress. 6/10
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7/10
strange coincidence?
spman10129 March 2011
decent flick. Definitely better than i thought it would be. however there is one moment in the film that supremely creeped me out. There's a moment where the prison warden is reading the rap sheet of capt. Robbins (Ray Liotta), that includes some of his special forces history. He reads off saying something like "oh so you were in Libya Behngazi, in 2011?" Very creepy for a movie made in 94, given whats gone in in Libya, Behngazi and that its happened in 2011. Also the fact that like Capt. Robbins, in in the American special forces, recently 6 soldiers working for British special forces were captured and deported in Behngazi Libya.

That was the biggest WTF moment in the movie for me lol.

Overall though not a bad flick. Would have been disappointed if I dropped a few bucks on it in theatres, but i saw it cheaply in netflix and it was worth it. check it out!
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Underrated Prison Action
falkar15 December 2004
On the surface, 'No Escape' is just another generic action movie set in a prison environment. An island prison from which escape is impossible? An Alcatraz by any other name... Plus the 'two faction-one nice, one evil' has overtones of Lord of the Flies. While both of the above comments are applicable, the film rises above itself. With good performances from powerful actors such as Ray Liotta and Stuart Wilson, along with a sharp script, 'No Escape' is a hidden gem, and well worth seeking out. Final Score: 7.5/10
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7/10
Big surprise .... An action movie that exceeds expectations .....
merklekranz19 December 2009
Take some pretty good actors, Ray Liotta, Stuart Wilson, Lance Henrekson, Michael Lerner, among others, and put them in an exciting no escape prison situation. That along with a script that keeps the high level of excitement going for a full 118 minutes, and you have a winning combination. Special mention must be made of the excellent Australian location, and the great sets and costumes. Ray Liotta is thrown into the middle of two warring factions, while his only objective is to escape from Michael Lerner's futuristic island prison. Zero women, zero romantic distractions, "No Escape" is 100% action, and exceeds expectations. - MERK
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7/10
Hidden 90's gem
K_Deloz24 October 2021
I saw this in the theatre when it came out and loved it then, still enjoy now after all these years. It is like a Lethal Weapon but for prisoners on a deserted island. It is not Oscar worthy, but it is still enjoyable to watch if you can find it.

I have not been able to find this one for years, pretty much since Blockbuster went belly up back in the day. If you are in the mood for a decent action flick you can veg out to, you can't go wrong.

As another review mentioned, there is some intense irony in the fact he is charged with murdering his commanding officer for ordering him to kill innocent civilians, in Benghazi, Lybia...in 2011! Being a veteran myself, I can imagine vigilante thoughts have gone through many heads over the real Benghazi...alas, that would be wrong...but it is not illegal to think it! (Snowflake disclaimer: Please, do not get any ideas I advocate vigilantism or murder, I do not).
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6/10
Actually This Is Kind Of Fun
no-skyline12 August 2005
Ray Liota stars in this sci-fi actioner, sent to an in-escapable island prison he bands together with a group of fellow inmates to fight off a band of savages. Stuart Wilson plays Marek the psycho leader of the savages and his over the top portrayal fits in with the late night b-movie feel. Also appearing are a whole host of British character actors along with Lance Henrickson and Ernie Hudson who seem to make a living off this type of direct to video fare.

If your not into sci-fi or action you may as well leave now, this is one of those films that regular appears late at night on the movie channel and is worth watching because it's a fun no brainer. The best way to describe it is a cross of Mad Max and Fortress the Christopher Lambert Sci-Fi effort. This film is superior to Fortress but falls way short of Mad Max.

Liota is pretty good but this is no where near his quality of performance in Goodfella's and to be honest it doesn't need to be as this is b-movie action fun not Scorsese. He drives the plot along and carries the action scenes off well. Lance Henrikson is reliable as ever and adds to his impressive list of fantasy/sci-fi appearances, Ernie Hudson is OK but will never escape from the isn't that the fourth guy in ghostbusters who didn't have much to do? One for the late night sci-fi / b-movie fans 6/10
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7/10
solid B movie action flick
Jakethemuss25 August 2007
I've seen this film many times over the years, as it has great re watch value. It is actually surprisingly good for a reasonably unheard of movie, and would be fair to say this is one of those gems your lucky to find.

John Robbins (Liotta) is a decorated marine sent to a ultra strict maximum security prison for killing his superior officer. He does not stay there for long however, as he is banished to 'Absolum' a monitored island in a guarded stretch of water. Here, prisoners are no longer really prisoners, as there are no rules, no bars, no guards, just you and them. By them I mean "the outsiders", a bunch of savages desperately struggling for survival under the leadership of the vicious dread-locked Walter Marrik (Wilson).

Then there are "the insiders", a society of former and somewhat rehabilitated inmates who live a peaceful and structured life, in a makeshift but well guarded fortress. They live under rules and respect each other, unlike the feral outsiders who have no code of honour.

Classic lines, likable characters and solid action make this a film in its own right. The film boasts many good combat/battle scenes, and the gripping feel of the film sets in early and stays till the end.
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5/10
Covers very familial ground, but Martin Campbell's direction, Ray Liotta's lead performance, and a solid ensemble elevate the material somewhat
IonicBreezeMachine17 May 2022
In the year 2022, the penal system is run completely by corporations with prisoners sent to isolated prisons sequestered from society. Former soldier, Robbins (Ray Liotta) is sentence to such a prison after he kills his commanding officer and having since escaped two lower security prisons. When Robbins flagrantly disobeys the orders of the Warden (Michael Lerner), Robbins is sent to the island of Absolom which is feared even more than the prison and consists of savage untamed wilderness where the prisoners fight amongst themselves with the only rule being "might makes right". Robbins soon finds himself between two groups on the island, the savage and sadistic Outsiders ruled over by Walter Marek (Stuart Wilson), and the peaceful and benevolent Insiders ruled over by The Father (Lance Henriksen).

No Escape aka Escape from Absolom is an adaptation of the novel The Penal Colony by Richard Herley. The film was the third American Film for Kiwi/British director Martin Campbell following Criminal Law and Defenseless and was released a year before Campbell's career skyrocketed with the release of the first Brosnan fronted Bond film Goldeneye. Positioned by short lived indie distributor Savoy Pictures as a major Summer release including commercial tie-ins with a SNES and Genesis video game and a three issue comic series from Marvel Comics, the movie did open at the top of the box office, but didn't have much in the way of staying power and quickly fell from the top earners in the coming weeks facing off against films like Four Weddings and a Funeral, With Honors, and Brandon Lee's posthumously released The Crow. The movie received mixed reviews from critics pointing out the familiarity of the film to other previous films like Escape from New York, Mad Max, or various prison films but on a strictly action oriented level there's solid entertainment value on display.

From a purely technical perspective, No Escape looks great. From the sterile and harsh futuristic aesthetics we initially see of the world to the lush jungle environments filled with savage marauders, the movie feels like a fully realized world of this land that's out of time and out of place where the world's criminal rejects are living in a primitive state of tribal societies and warfare. Admittedly it's very standard dystopian future stakes with the setup of the villainous Outsiders versus the more morally righteous (by comparison) Insiders more or less the same setup we saw in Mad Max: The Road Warrior albeit with the added external element of The Warden, but it's a solid enough setup for action packed futuristic nonsense. The societies of the Insiders and the Outsiders are visually distinct and have some nicely designed sets and culture building with some particularly amusing points coming from Kevin J. O'Connor as the Insiders' salvage expert who has an amusing bit of laying claim to Robbins' boots should he die, or the always reliable Lance Henriksen as the leader of the Insiders. The movie's also quite unique in how it envisions this prison society with only men unlike Escape from New York which just threw in every criminal together and it makes for an interesting approach to this type of material that creates unique dynamics.

One of the drawbacks however is the fact that the movie is cobbled together from familiar parts so you definitely do find yourself remembering what elements of No Escape you saw elsewhere previously. The movie's also too long for the type of movie it is clocking in at just under 2 hours and I did feel there were several moments in the middle of the movie that dragged because while Campbell attempts to create character and a sense of culture to this island prison, the characters and culture aren't all that interesting beneath the aesthetics. Liotta is okay as our lead Robbins though his redemption arc kind of robs him of the mystique you look for in this type of character like you saw in someone like Snake Plissken from Escape from New York. The movie delivers on the action with solid practical effects and some impactful and creative action sequences, but the parts between them drag and just don't have the character or substance needed to sustain the wait between sequences.

There's ambition with No Escape and despite only coting $20 million it looks on par with something more expensive like Waterworld, but it also isn't interesting or substantial enough to justify its 2 hour runtime or avoid comparisons to prior movies of this ilk. It's a decent enough time killer on its own and you'll get some solid action and kill sequences, but you need to sit through some dead space to get to the good parts.
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7/10
RIP Ray!
gabin-0314727 May 2022
ReWhatched yesterday after the announce of Ray Liotta's death. :/ Pretty good SF movie, still hold today with great cast.

Sure it is not at $100M movie but it entertains and has good mix of seriousness and humor.

Ironically, Ray passed away in 2022 which is the timeline of Absolom universe and it's also his movie as the main star.
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5/10
Not as good as most people on here wants to make us believe
deloudelouvain16 February 2016
Okay I know it's from 1994 but that is still not a reason to make No Escape look like it is a very good movie. It might have been entertaining in that time but I honestly think it didn't age well. The acting is not great at all, sometimes even ridiculous. For example how Lance Henriksen faints at the end is really bad acting. And there are a lot of passages like that. The story itself started promising but soon it's going downhill with impossible or ridiculous things happening on the deserted island. How the hell do they have car carcasses or even gasoline on an island that never saw a road before? It's just those little things that make it stupid. If you like movies in the style of Mad Max then you might enjoy this movie, even though Mad Max is thousand ways better.
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8/10
A hidden gem of a B-movie
bowmanblue14 December 2014
'No Escape' is a B-movie. Fact. It has B-movie written all over it. And that's no bad thing. It never really tries to be anything else. It's about a futuristic world where prisoners are big business for corporations. Unless they don't work. Then they get shipped off to this out of the way island where they can kill each other as much as they like.

One such prisoner is Ray Liotta. He may be a convicted murderer, but he did it for just motives, therefore we can root for him. And he bands together with a load of equally supportable prisoners on the island, compared to the other lot – who are basically barbarians. Thus we have our movie – the 'good' (well, just) prisoners, fighting off the 'bad' prisoners on a little island paradise.

Our boy Ray's helped out by a variety of other B-movie actors. You'll recognise him from what's-it-called and that bloke out of Aliens, plus the Ghostbuster who joined last. Anyway, it doesn't matter. It's a fun film with plenty of action and rolls along nicely, helped no small part by the baddie. He's great fun – naturally psychotic, but great fun. In than annals of B-movie baddies, Stuart Wilson deserves a mention – sometimes camp, always bonkers and ready to slaughter anyone just to keep control of the psychos under him.

Despite its 'B-movie' status, it's actually a little longer than your average 'straight to DVD' flick. Yet it never seems to drag. Basically, if you like action, B-movies with a touch of sci-fi and want something to eat popcorn to, give this one a try. You can pick it up pretty cheaply or even stream it from many a website.

Plus, is it just me, or are all the computer terminals straight out of 'Aliens?' It's like No Escape is set in the same universe.
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7/10
A sci fi prison drama that works as a decent action movie
Mcduff360122 June 2021
This one was really surprising. I had forgotten it existed until it popped up on a underrated sci fi movie list. This movie works on so many levels.

You can tell there was a budget for this thing and the crew did an excellent job working with what they had. There are some decent action with splosions and even some epic storming the castle type scenes with tons of extras.

Ray Liotta is great as a soldier gone rogue type. All the characters are defined enough that you want to see what happens to them. The bad guy is GREAT and they give him enough screen time to really want to see him meet his end.

This turned out to be much more touching than I thought it would be. I would recommend to anyone who likes sci fi, Ray Liotta or prison movies.
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3/10
Spartacus Crossed with Papillion for the AIDS Generation
Steve_Nyland8 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I think perhaps I am one of the few sci fi/action pulp fans immune to this movie's charm. Ray Liotta snuffed his post GOODFELLAS career by accepting the role of "Mr. Robbins", a man with a quest to rid the world of corruption and injustice by shooting a superior officer during a drill review for a Haliburton like future armed forces. He is sent to the movie's Devil's Island, a wasteland south seas location where violently dangerous political prisoners are sent to be eaten by the Outsiders, a MAD MAX styled group of prisoners bonded together by their will to do evil. I know the intentions of the filmmakers was to portray Lance Henrikson's "Family" group as the good guys, but frankly they looked like a bunch of monks. The bad guys have all the fun in this movie, as evidenced by the outrageous scene where the leader of The Outsiders (Stuart Wilson, who deserves lifetime free beer for agreeing to be in this movie) tosses the severed heads of his opposition party delegates aside with a joke about having just one head from now on.

How shall I put this ... the movie is derivative and self-important. We have excellent, brutal scenes of action countered by quiet, soul searching discussions where various characters discuss the human condition with Lance Henrikson while trying to look sensitive but not gay. The Outsiders all dress like Kiss and live to hack apart anything that isn't part of their sect. Meanwhile, it turns out that not only is Ray Liotta a Universal Soldier who can kick anybody's ass on the island, but he is also MacGuyver and helps the good people advance their plot to get off the island, which turns not to be a plot to get off the island at all but just a way to give everyone a chance to all get along. Aww.

The movie rips off PAPILLION, SPARTACUS, a hundred Italian Peplum movies, DELIVERANCE, THE EMERALD FOREST, ROBOCOP (yes, ROBOCOP) and every other big budget high tech action film or survivalist yarn that came before it. The film counters brutality with understanding and tries desperately to be inclusive, with minority members of each tribe and even a couple of fat guys. One interesting note is the complete absence of any homosexual subtext beyond a crass line about Liotta's little bunk boy Kevin Dillon: With what, 2000 guys all shackled together on a deserted, woman-less island in the middle of nowhere that are encouraged to revert back to an atavistic animal like state, not one of them ever drops the soap? Nonsense. Put men of any character in such surroundings and they will start to have relations -- not because they are gay, but because if there are no women to be had a certain percentage will inevitably have each other. Sadly the movie was made at the height of the AIDS epidemic, which combined with the rampant hypocritical homophobia of pre-BROKEBACK Hollywood meant no gay survivalist scenes. Too bad: it would have loaned a touch of realism to the village sets of perfect huts, which have as much realism as the supply hut from Gilligan's Island.

I refuse to believe that none of the population succumbs to those inclinations of our human nature within some of us to have sex with whatever is handy, and also refuse to believe that Ray Liotta and his outrage at having been duped into committing a war crime can bring down a global hegemony. But this movie asks us to believe it, and paints a convincing backdrop onto which the events are projected. If they had a whiff of originality or substance to them I might be willing to buy into it, but unless you are about 14 (in which you should be too young to watch this gory R-rated film) and never seen a big budget action adventure film before this movie will seem strangely familiar, rather hokey, and much longer than it's stated duration.

Nice sets though: somebody must have dug up those old plans from Gilligan's Island for the village design.

3/10
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Very underrated Entertainment
liammurphy129 March 2004
Soldier Ray (Goodfellas) Liotta is sent to Prison for shooting one of his commanding officers in the year 2022- but it's no ordinary Prison, they send if to a deserted Island where bad ass criminals are taken and left alone to fend for themselves FOR EVER. When he arrives he realises there are two tribes one a violent and sadistic one known as the 'Outsiders' led by Marek (a great performance from British Actor Stuart Wilson and a Peaceful, loving and tight-knit community run by 'The Father' (a tailor made role for Lance Henriksen) who would live the rest of their lives in Peace and Harmony if it wasn't for Marek and his dirty,Ugly band of bad asses. Liotta needs to find his way off the Island which is 200 miles from the nearest coastline and is constantly watched by The Warden who will kill anyone who attempts to get off as well have having to fight with the good guys against the Outsiders who are becoming more and more fierce with each attack, This is a very well made Sci-fi actioner from Martin Campbell who has since made 007's Goldeneye (1995), The Mask of Zorro (1998) and Vertical Limit (2000) and is currently working on the Zorro Sequel due out Next Year. There are also plenty of faces to spot for British Viewers including Jack Shepherd (Yes! Wycliffe himself) who is suprisingly good the as the village mechanic who has tried for years to build a contraption to get them off the island, and The late Don Henderson who stars as the resident beer Maker.

Unfortunately the film bombed on both sides of the Atlantic taking a measly $15m in the states and a pathetic £500,000 here in the UK on it's original release 10 years ago but don't let that put you off it's very well acted with plenty of action and Drama.

My Rating:- **** out of *****
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6/10
Escape From The Island Is Impossible... Unless.
WalkdenEntertainment14 January 2020
Please note - This film has also been known as "No Escape" or "Escape From Absolom" in selected Countries.

Set in the year 2022 (so a couple of years from now...) our film follows former Captain J.T Robbins (Ray Liotta) who is sentenced to prison. Robbins has been sentenced for assassinating his own commanding officer (his reason for committing the crime are unknown until the film goes on). While in prison, Robbins is pushed in the wrong direction which causes the prison warden to send Robbins somewhere far worse. Robbins is then sent out via a helicopter to an unknown island known as "Absolom".

You see, Absolom isn't just another prison. It's an island where the most dangerous criminals are free to roam around and only the strongest men survive. Can Robbins stay alive and more importantly can Robbins find a way to escape Absolom and be free once and for all?

To my surprise, this film was directed by Martin Campbell who would later direct such popular films such as James Bond Goldeneye and Casino Royale.

Robbins as a leading character is enjoyable and it's a surprising performance from actor Ray Liotta. Based on the films I've ever seen of Ray Liotta in, he's normally playing a villain or a terrible person. Here, I personally enjoyed seeing him be the leading hero with many skills that are believable throughout the film. He's dangerous and a leader, but he's also mysterious. The film does a great job at setting up his character and has the audience members questioning why he killed his Commanding officer at the beginning of the film. Is he a good guy or does he actually deserve to be in prison? Thankfully our film is gracious enough to reveal answers to all its questions.

Ray Liotta isn't the only one with a good performance here. I also enjoyed the film's villain, Marek (Stuart Wilson). Marek is the leader of a dangerous group known as "The Outsiders" and orders around the most savage criminals on Absolom. It's obvious that the actor enjoyed playing this role and he also manages to bring some fun light humour to the film. It's never over the top- it's just enough. It's also fun to see Marek and Robbins interact with one another as the film progresses to a final showdown. Other than our hero and villain, some of the film's side characters play a weaker role in the film's story. One such character in particular is the scrape collector. While I understand side characters are needed, sometimes they are just given too much screen time only to repeat the same actions or material over and over.

While watching this film I found myself appreciating the sets as well as the general scenery and gorgeous background shots. After the film I did some research and according to IMDB, the location for filming was North Queensland, Australia (Awesome!).

Overall, this is an enjoyable blast from the 90s. Escape From Absolom brings some new and some similar things to the screen. It's also exciting to see actor Ray Liotta take on a different role, such as a leading action hero. The film's audio track is a solid compliment. In the end, I can't deny that this is a fun flick from the 90s despite some issues I have with the film.

6.2/10 Walkden Entertainment
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6/10
Two Roads Diverge
refinedsugar21 August 2023
'No Escape' aka 'Escape From Absolom' is a 1994 venture into prisons run by corporations and all about profit. It's a theme that's been done in other films, but not this exact same way. Prisoners who can't be rehabilitated are sent to this island in the middle of nowhere with almost no chance of escape.

Newly arrived ex-military man Robbins (Liotta) quickly learns about the two factions. The obvious evil group of criminals who would fit right at home in a Mad Max sequel with Marek (Stuart Wilson) as their pseudo leader. Violent, dirty, dark costumes, etc. Then there's the Insiders. A more peaceful group of cons who are massively outnumbered and lead by Father (Lance Henriksen). They try to live a normal existence of necessary tasks and defense from their foes.

It's primarily an action flick - with an emphasis on hand to hand combat - but also the regulatory prison-break yarn (especially for Liotta's character). It's really a case in what you see is what you get. Robbins isn't a hard guy to route for or understand, but he's one note (like most of the movie). Some unnecessary stunts he pulls I guess to show how fearless, cool or tough he is.

He goes through most of the story having perfected the thousand mile stare too. Marek is a decent bad guy with some flair, but isn't new territory. Father (Henriksen) provides a moral compass while a bunch of familiar faces in the cast - Ernie Hudson, Kevin Dillon, Kevin J. O'Connor and Michael Lerner - provide color or cliché moments.

'No Escape' works on a basic level. It's certainly made well. Nice production values. However it doesn't have anything new to say. Everything felt like it was going through the motions. Fellow fans of Liotta or Henriksen will be satisfied though.
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6/10
Ray Liotta's Prison-Island Programmer
TheFearmakers29 May 2022
An action-packed b-movie that takes itself way too seriously, which is what makes NO ESCAPE great fun as Ray Liotta's only in an actual futuristic Fascist-future prison for a brief time, ironic since it's a prison-genre flick that takes place on a penal island like PAPILLON following the do-or-die rules and ragged costume design of THE ROAD WARRIOR...

Genuinely cool and fit, Liotta is, of course, the toughest and strongest and a completely handy stranger in a fortress world run by a passive yet formidable Lance Henriksen, polar opposite of British actor Stuart Wilson ruling the woodsy outskirts, whose insanely overboard, monologue-spouting dictator makes Dennis Hopper's WATERWORLD performance seem tame (and all but drowns out the prison's computer-monitor-monitoring warden Michael Lerner)...

Barking orders at his natives while making threatening jokes like a sarcastic game show host at an unflinching Liotta in one of the post GOODFELLAS leading roles, maybe the reason why Liotta never became a really huge star, here in what almost resembles a Straight-to-Video flick...

Which really isn't such a bad thing since, for better or worse, you'll wanna stick around to find out if the film's title is really true: because the one thing the director's able to convey is that Liotta... alongside dependable sidekick Ernie Hudson, token doomed naive kid Kevin Dillon, token offbeat favor-man Kevin J. O'Connor and shifty turncoat Ian McNiece... are genuinely stuck in one helluva pickle.
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7/10
A Throw-Back
LeonLouisRicci12 February 2013
This is a semi-expensive Film with a B-Movie feel and it is better for it. The slickness is not done in an in your face manner as it just unfolds unpretentiously and is beautiful to behold. The costumes are also quite "attractive" and proudly display their "freak flags" high.

The story is somewhat simple and yet some of the complexities and Philosophy about corporate prisons and civilized society are lost in the action and some less than adequate script involvement. But not enough to keep this from being enjoyable escapism.

There are some well done, violent battles and some witticisms that are quite amusing. The villain is venomous and quite the psychopathic comedian. In all, this is quite entertaining stuff that never pretends to be more than it is. A kind of throw-back to Matinée fare of a by-gone era.
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5/10
Not good, but pretty watchable.
Pavel-825 May 2003
Warning: Spoilers
**Warning! Mild Plot Spoilers Ahead!**

When "No Escape" was pitched to a studio, I'm sure it sounded like a great idea. Once in a while during the movie, the excellence shines through. But for the most part, it's an average at best action flick.

The concept is quite interesting. In 2022, the prison reserved for the worst criminals is actually an island called Absalom. Within that island, a dominant chief (Stuart Wilson) has formed a twisted. In opposition to his brutality, a minority has broken away as 'freedom fighters' of an ilk.

The environment of the island is the highlight of the "No Escape." The flora is lush; the costumes are natural and rugged; the look of the prisoners is fitting. Unfortunately, not enough history of the island is provided. Rather than explain how the prison came into existence, the movie simply presents it as fact without exposition. Some movies have too much backstory, but this one needed more.

Stuart Wilson as Merak is the undisputed highlight of the cast. He gleefully oozes evil confidence throughout the movie, appearing to know that his situation borders on ludicrous. Ray Liotta is slightly above servicable as the action hero; he brings more cerebral qualities to the role, but in a part that requires a little bit of thinking, that works. Everyone else is adequate, providing what the role asks and not much more. Everyone except Kevin Dillon that is. He whines throughout the entire movie and serves little to no purpose. When he meets his fate, it's a relief, not a disappointment.

The storyline is typical. If you've ever watched a movie, you know more or less what will happen, especially over the last thirty minutes. There wasn't much else to do with the ending, given the situation, but the process of getting there isn't strong enough to support the cliches.

Bottom Line: Mediocre but fairly watchable entertainment. 5 of 10.
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7/10
Lord of the Flies meets Lock-up
The-Sarkologist26 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
To simply describe this movie, it is a version of Lord of the Flies. The idea is that isolated from civilisation, people become like animals. This is partially true in this movie but moreso it seems to fall apart when we see one group of people who are developing their own civilisation. Still, this is similar to Lord of the Flies were one group became savage and hostile, while the others tried to become more civilised.

This movie, though, is based on another book: The Penal Colony by Richard Herley and supposedly it is supposed to be a critique on the prison system. In the film, the prisons are supposed to be money making corporations where prisoners assigned there are reduced to slave labour. Basically there is a hierarchy, and the island Absolom is at the top. Prisoners who prove to be too troublesome to turn into slave labourers are banished to the island and are left to fend for themselves. The prison is nice to drop in small amounts of food, but most of the time the inhabitants must scrounge for themselves.

If this is supposed to be a critique on the prison system, there seems to be a huge lack of it. What I saw in this movie was a treatise on the savagery of humanity, and the warden is actively trying to encourage the savagery. If they are civilised then they might turn against him, so if they are busy fighting, then all the better. The weird thing I noticed, is that the warden personally came to the island to deal with the problem. Thus he was sticking his neck out in a way that was purely illogical. It seemed to be an excuse to get him there to kill him.
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5/10
A Laughable Attempt at Serious Sci-Fi
natmavila4 January 2024
Dear No Escape, I wanted to like you, I really did. Your premise seemed thrilling - a futuristic prison island where the worst criminals are left to fend for themselves, a concept dripping with potential. But oh, how you squandered it. From the opening scenes, it's clear that your budget must have gone mostly into Ray Liotta's intense stares, leaving little for credible set designs or effects. The 'futuristic' technology looks like it was borrowed from a low-budget 80s TV show, and the action sequences... well, let's just say they're more likely to induce laughter than suspense.

Then there's the plot. It's like a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces don't quite fit. Characters make decisions that defy logic, and not in a fun, zany way, but in a 'did the scriptwriter take a nap here?' kind of way. The villains are as menacing as cartoon characters, lacking depth or genuine threat. And the attempts at deep philosophical musings? They feel as out of place as a penguin in the Sahara. You aimed for profound and landed squarely in the territory of pretentious.

However, I can't deny that you have a certain 'so-bad-it's-good' charm. The over-the-top performances, particularly from Stuart Wilson, are oddly captivating in their absurdity. And there are moments, albeit fleeting, where the film almost reaches the heights of the sci-fi thriller it aspires to be. In the end, you're like a B-movie that doesn't know it's a B-movie, and that in itself is worth a chuckle. So here's to you, No Escape - a cinematic misfire that's bad enough to be somewhat enjoyable.
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8/10
A forgotten movie
bsinc1 February 2002
I totally agree with the comment given by Slurpee 7. I first saw it as a young teen and thought it was OK, but every time I saw it afterwards it just kept getting better and better. I don't know why. The story is very simple, but Campbell's movies just make you forget about that(e.g. Vertical limit- with a rather stupid story). This is the first movie I ever saw Ray Liotta and the man just has such powerful and "vicious" eyes.Great for the part. And the villain(excellently portrayed by Wilson), referring to his "habitat" as a first class hotel and making constant jokes - gotta love it. A movie about survival, and what a man is actually prepared to do for it. 9/10
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7/10
And then big Poppa Bear ripped off the little kid's arm!
Coventry21 September 2008
Ah, the glorious early nineties! Back when big stars were still appearing in incredibly violent action movies and when over-anxious kids like myself had to secretly sneak into cinemas because you weren't allowed to see these movies under the age of 16. "Escape from Absolom" is a childhood favorite of mine, so my views and opinions may be a bit biased, but still I think they don't make action flicks like this one anymore nowadays. The script may perhaps contain a few gigantic holes and completely illogic twists, but at least it's continuously fast-paced, politically incorrect and spectacular. The year's 2022 and prisons have turned into private companies without government interference. Absolom is the name of a prison colony island where the sadistic warden (Michael Lerner) plays off the Outsiders against the Insiders. The former are an unorganized bunch of savages wearing masks and hunting with primitive weapons, led by the relentless but charismatic Walter Marek. The Insiders, however, attempted to found a peaceful community where they grow crops and seek for moral redemption. The newly arrived and military trained prisoner Robbins would make a great asset for the Insiders, since he's the only one to have ever escaped from the Outsiders, but he's stubborn and anti-social and solely intends to get off the island alone. The concept of "Escape from Absolom" is very reminiscent to copious other (futuristic) prison movies, like "Fortress", "Papillon", "Blood Camp Thatcher", "Escape from NY" …, but this one definitely benefices from good production values, staggering filming locations, a devoted cast and the professional direction of Martin Campbell. The battle sequences as well as the violent ordeals Robbins meets in the Outsiders' camp are robust and grisly, including a lot of decapitations and swashbuckling. The high tempo and adrenalin-level is only occasionally overshadowed by overly sentimental biographies and redundant flashbacks. Obviously in a prison colony, everybody has a story to tell about why he ended up there and the film tells too many of them. Ray Liotta's character is an interesting anti-hero, since he remains unreliable and somewhat aloof. The most fascinating character is undoubtedly Walter Merak. He's an insane and power-obsessed dictator with menacing facial expressions and a deranged sense of humor. Merak also narrates R-rated versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and eliminates the members of his own "parliament" to gain even more power. It's a stupendous performance from Stuart Wilson; an actor whose other works I'm not really familiar with. The always reliable Lance Henriksen, Ernie Hudson, Kevin J. O'Connor and Ian McNeice deliver awesome roles in the supportive cast. Granted, the movie is far from flawless and the sudden ending is a bit stupid and implausible, but "Escape from Absolom" nevertheless remains one of the highlights of early 90's Sci-Fi/action cinema.
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2/10
NO ESCAPE (DIDIER BECU)
Didier-Becu14 April 2004
Martin Campbell is the kind of director who should know better, he made "Goldeneye" so why he ever gave us crap like "The mask of Zorro" or this pathetic "No escape" is beyond me. The problem is that this movie doesn't take their viewers in a serious way. They all let us believe that we are a sort of dummies and with a stupid SF=scenario we are put in some future in where prisons are privatised. As soon as Ray Liotta is taken as prisoner they realise that they won't be able to handle this ex-mariner and drop him in the woods at where he is delivered to the brute Outsiders, a sort of primitive tribe that can only be found in movies at where Kevin Costner is Robin Hood. Luckily enough Liotta found a new peaceful breed who try to build up some new society in where elements like love and peace still have their place. Are you still following? I guess not, but it is Lawrence's fault, not mine... The worst thing is that it sounds like some episode from The Ewoks (Star Wars-spin off, remember?) and that this sort of s*** has been filmed with a big budget. Straight to video of course and it is a real waste that a top actor like Ray Liotta is exploited for such crap.
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