Carl Roberts 
Fight Back Or Die with the release of Howard J. Ford’s action-thriller. This gritty survival thriller is coming to digital entertainment.
Coming to digital download on September 30th is the action thriller Escape. The film is written and directed by Howard J. Ford, known for films like The Dead, The Dead 2: India and The Ledge. The film depicts ten abducted women who are being sex trafficked for a wealthy overseas client. As you would expect, this doesn’t go down too well with them, leading to a desperate plan to escape and return to their lives. This survival thriller comes our way from The Movie Partnership. But can the film hold our interest and become a worthy watch or should we just want to escape from it?
PREMISE
After being abducted from a remote island resort, ten trafficked women find themselves in the clutches of a ruthless criminal gang. Desperate to survive in the harsh desert, two of the women devise a bold escape plan, igniting their fight for freedom.
THOUGHTS
Sadly, the film can’t quite rise above being a run-of-the-mill thriller. That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable because it is. Featuring some great performances from the female cast involved, it shows the strength of women throughout. They start off as panicked, frightened damsels in distress. But by the climax, they are empowered and strong. They show their strength against the vile stereotypical men and in some nasty ways to boot. But by the time we get to the final payoff, we find that we want to get to the end, to see the resolution. Not for any other reason than to see how it ends for these women. And that is a shame as there is a lot to admire here.
Don’t let the poster for the film fool you, this isn’t some action film where the women all grab machine guns and go gung-ho. This is a more measured approach, focussing on two of the women in particular. It isn’t a spoiler to say that three of the abducted ladies don’t make it, dying in nasty ways, one in particular. But while we mourn the loss of these three, we cheer on the attempts of our two main protagonists. As usual, though, they go through a lot of crying, high emotion and panic before standing tall. At times, we find it is a bit of a stereotypical depiction of women in peril. However, we find ourselves cheering them on as we head towards the inevitable climax.
SARAH ALEXANDRA MARKS
Our two main protagonists are portrayed by Sarah Alexandra Marks and Sophie Rankin as Karla and Lucy respectively. It is this pairing that we will follow for most of the film as they are chased, threatened and verbally abused by the villains. Of the pair, it is Sarah Alexandra Marks who gets the more meaty role. The first to be abducted on screen, Karla turns from a scared, vulnerable nurse into a strong leader, one who won’t accept her fate without a fight. She also fears for her friend Tamsin (Ksenia Islamova) who while also being a victim, isn’t placed with the other women. She doesn’t know where she is or what’s happening to her. This makes her more determined to escape and to find her, to lead her to freedom with the others.
Sarah Alexandra Marks plays her role really well, giving the audience an emboldened female character to root for. Her grit, guile and hidden strength are one of the film’s highlights. We can see that Karla isn’t such a pushover after all. She also has a logical and rational head on her shoulders. The way the actress plays her role is highly enjoyable from the start, fearing for one minute, and being amazed at her resilience the next. Karla also has a secret side to her family, one that the audience will find out on its own.
SOPHIE RANKIN
Sophie Rankin as Lucy starts off as annoying at first. Her crying, whimpering and all-round demeanour have us all thinking she will be one of the first for the chop. Not so. Lucy has a secret herself, an inner strength she has yet to access. She shows signs of it at around the three-quarters mark of the film before allowing it out by the climax. Ok, so what she does to a certain person will remind the audience of a death in Hostel: Part II.
But that is part of the fun of watching the actress portray her character. What we think we know about her, the kind of person she is, we find ourselves warming to her. We discover what she’s been through and why she will commit a heinous act at the climax. Sophie Rankin brings a warmth to Lucy that we don’t expect. And the film is that much richer for it.
VERDICT
While not being a bad film, Escape tends to fall into the trap of seen it all before. While it does have several interesting and fresh aspects to it, we have come to expect what it contains as standard. Even with a nasty and despicable villain in the form of Sean Cronin, who gives a superb performance as we’ve come to expect, we feel that it will resolve itself without too much fuss. With several unsavoury elements on show, such as the violence and the threat of rape and sexual assault of Ksenia Islamova’s Tamsin, we are never too comfortable. Some of what is on show will leave the viewer feeling queasy. But the added bonus of the film is the tense drama it depicts.
With great performances from the two leading ladies, some stunning scenery, some nasty and inventive kills, and strong female empowerment throughout, the film is worthy of a viewing or two. It certainly deserves to be one to add to your digital library. And I can see it becoming a late-night guilty pleasure watch. It isn’t bargain bin entertainment, it actually has a lot going for it. But with token villains and some unrealistic aspects to it at times, it drags the film down from what could have been a must-watch thriller to a nice little time waster. However, you won’t want to escape from it when you sit down to watch it. Enjoyable.
Escape will be released on digital entertainment by The Movie Partnership on September 30th.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
