Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Forced thrills can't hide this movie's ugly xenophobia.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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No Escape
What's the Story?
In NO ESCAPE, struggling businessman Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson) takes his family to a new country -- an unnamed Asian country, possibly Thailand -- and a new job. Things don't go well from the start: Their ride to the hotel doesn't show up, and nothing in their room seems to be working. The next day, Jack goes out for a paper and finds himself in the middle of what seems to be a revolution, with citizens attacking figures in riot gear. And it becomes apparent that Americans are also being targeted. Jack takes his wife (Lake Bell) and daughters (Claire Geare and Sterling Jerins) on a dangerous path to the American embassy. Just as hope runs out, a mysterious European (Pierce Brosnan) and a local driver (Sahajak Boonthanakit) intervene.
Is It Any Good?
It's horrifying to consider just how this movie operates, generating so-called thrills based on a blind, empty-headed fear of foreigners. Adding dumb plot twists and bad shaky-cam makes for an insultingly poor movie. Coming from the otherwise decent horror director John Erick Dowdle, No Escape is surprising in its blatant xenophobia -- some might go far as to say racism -- with evil-looking, unidentified Asians, none of whom has any honor or dignity, shooting at Americans and attempting to beat up and rape white women.
It doesn't help that the characters are stuck with bad storytelling, including unlikely logic, forced incidents, and flat-out cruelty, as when Jack decides to throw his daughters off a roof, or when he beats a potential informant to death. The unstable cinematography, meant to simulate chaos with lots of shaking, makes things worse. Brosnan's character actually has a purpose, but it's too little and too late to save this abhorrent movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about No Escape's violence. How did it make you feel? How was the impact affected by the fact that kid characters were there/involved?
What does "xenophobia" mean? Does this movie subscribe to that way of thinking?
Why do you think the country in which the movie takes place isn't named? How are its people depicted?
How does the movie depict smoking and drinking? What's the tone of those scenes? Are there consequences?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 26, 2015
- On DVD or streaming : November 24, 2015
- Cast : Owen Wilson , Pierce Brosnan , Lake Bell
- Director : John Erick Dowdle
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Weinstein Co.
- Genre : Thriller
- Run time : 103 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong violence including a sexual assault, and for language
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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