No Escape

In december last year, me and my wife went on a honeymoon to Thailand. I have to say we made the perfect choice. So many beautiful locations, wonderful beaches, amazing food and so friendly people. I did hurt myself just a few days before we were going back home to Sweden, when i hit a big sharp rock in the ocean with my left foot, and got a big flesh wound. But i was alright, just had to sew a few stitches, bandage over my foot, and i was ready to go. By the way, the medical treatment in Thailand was very cheap, and the pills for pain worked very well. I was really dizzy when i took them, but felt great, why don´t we have pain pills like that in Sweden ? If i ever need medical care help, i would gladly go back for help in Thailand. I did laugh also at certain details, lady boys are everywhere, and especially older men seems to love them. I suppose that they like the idea of having tits and a penis at the same time, and maybe that is a great combination ? Speaking of Thailand, remember seeing the riots in Bangkok ? Is it right or wrong ? I can understand why the people of Thailand would start riots, when they feel that their country is falling apart. I remember reading about this in may, last year, when the people who were in the riots, demanded the senate to replace the cabinet with an appointed administration. When i visited certain areas of Thailand, especially in smaller villages, you could clearly see how poor many people are. They might own a house, but in such a bad condition, it looks like it could fall apart if a bad weather would show up. I also remember smaller fishing houses, where families were trying to sell dried fish, or fish products, in a store that smelled like a sewer. I personally think it is good to go outside the tourist areas and see the real world, things may not be as perfect as you may think. I have seen a lot of poverty, in many places in this world while travelling, but i have to say that the thai people i met were so nice. Even if they did not have much money, or lived in houses with a lot of problems, they were so kind to care for us. So i suggest you never judge anyone if they are poor, they are usually better people than rich people. Let´s think for a moment, imagine if you were right in the riots in Southeast Asia, and were selected as a target ? This is one of the things that the film No Escape brings up, an action thriller with Owen Wilson ( finally doing something different from his usual category ). We even have Pierce Brosnan here, in a smaller role, who both try and survive a very serious situation. Last time i saw Owen Wilson do something different, from his usual comedy releases, was last years film Inherent Vice. A very odd film, but worth watching. No Escape looks good in the trailer, but is this really as good as it seems, or is the trailer only showing the best parts and leave us with nothing else ?

American engineer Jack Dwyer ( Owen Wilson ), is about to arrive to Southeast Asia, with his wife Annie ( Lake Bell ), and their 2 daughters, Lucy ( Sterling Jerins ) and Beeze ( Claire Geare ). Jack is here to begin a new career with an American engineering firm. At the airport, they meet Hammond ( Pierce Brosnan ), who give the family advices on how things work in this country. Jack is excited to have his family in a far away country, starting a new life. One day, Jack goes out on his own on the city streets to find a newspaper stand. He gets lost, but finally find what he was looking for. Suddenly a big riot begins on the same street that Jack is walking on. All hell breaks loose, and people are getting killed. Jack manage to locate the hotel where his family is, but need to get everyone into safety. Not knowing what is going on, or what these riots are all about, Jack have to find a way out, before more victims will be assassinated.

While watching No Escape, i get the feeling that the image of the Southeast Asian people might be portrayed wrong. I doubt that most asian people would be this cruel, as this film try to show us. Of course this is just a film, so you have to look outside the box and focus on what the film is trying to bring to the audience. As an action thriller, No Escape manage to deliver entertainment, if you just want a popcorn moment with friends. Great to see Owen Wilson back into the action genre, he have actually not been in this genre since the year 2001, with Behind Enemy Lines. I would say that i actually prefer him in a film like this, because we have seen him in so many comedies, it can get a bit too much of his usual performances. Pierce Brosnan is of course a legendary actor, who have been in many action films, so there is no doubt he fits in here. He does not have a lot of screen time, unfortunately, but in the scenes he shows up, he gives his piece of the cake. If you have been to Thailand, or perhaps to Bangkok, you will recognize the scenery. Especially in a scene when Owen Wilson goes out to buy a newspaper, as he gets lost and find small streets with food supplies, cooking meat stands, and small stores. As the riots begin, and all chaos breaks out, this is where the film really takes off. Director John Erick Dowdle, is mostly known for being the director of the REC remake called Quarantine. But he also directed the good horror film Devil, based on a story of M. Night Shyamalan. No Escape does have a little bit of horror influences here, but since this is more of an action thriller, you could say director John Erick Dowdle tries another path. He manage to capture the feeling of chaos, that is supposed to be represented in riots. To see the thai people kill tourists, is of course a disturbing detail, but who knows, in these days anything seems possible. The story itself may not be very interesting, since it is a pretty basic story. A family tries to survive, and that´s pretty much it. But it is the intensive action scenes that makes this film work. Could this film have been better with a more complicated story ? Maybe, but at the same time, sometimes it is nice just to enjoy an action film for what it is. No Escape does not bring anything fresh, or different than other films in this genre, but it does work from an entertainment perspective. I will go back to Thailand again, and if i ever happen to end up in riots, i will wear my Mustache Ride Tom Selleck t shirt. Why ? Because thai people love Tom Selleck mustache, ask anyone from Thailand and they will confirm that.

Rating: DDD