The Escapist

For Parisian-born writer-director Rupert Wyatt, 'The Escapist' is clearly a labour of love. Shot on a small budget, with little to no margin for error during filming, the fact that it has clinched a mainstream release is something in itself. Key to this achievement was Wyatt securing Brian Cox in the lead role, giving the film a recognisable face and an established actor to boot - Cox was reportedly offered only a supporting role initially but told Wyatt it was his time take centre stage. Wyatt duly obliged and ultimately we have a feature that follows Frank Perry (Cox) who is serving a life sentence and decides to break out upon receiving news that his daughter is seriously ill following an overdose. What ensues is a wonderfully cut piece of filmmaking, as action splices between Frank's incarceration and the attempted 'prison break'.

When one thinks of prisons in cinema, what immediately springs to mind are the likes of 'The Shawshank Redemption', 'Prison Break' and a string of other American productions. Think of British prison and you struggle to get past 'Bad Girls' or 'Porridge'. This is what makes 'The Escapist' such a breath of fresh air, it's a new slant on a neglected genre that brings pure grit and brutality to the table, a realism sadly missing from many of its peers. A dark and grim milieu permeates proceedings, conveying superbly the danger facing the characters in the prison itself and also the claustrophobia of the escape effort. Unfortunately this sometimes leads to scenes appearing badly lit but this is a minor flaw in the cinematography, and one almost expected considering the film was made in only five weeks.

Frank is joined in his escape by Brodie (Liam Cunningham), Viv Batista (Seu Jorge), James Lacey (Dominic Cooper) and Lenny Drake (Joseph Fiennes) who all provide fine support for Cox. A strong British cast is rounded off Damian Lewis whose chilling portrayal of Rizza, the prison's top convict, is reason to see the film alone. Wyatt also brought in 200 real ex-cons to star as extras, coupled with a distinct lack of wardens this further adds to the menace, especially in a savage sequence involving Lacey and Tony (Steven Mackintosh). Cox, however, does steal the show. His performance is sublime, near-flawless, whilst endearing Frank to the audience he subtly reminds the us that this man is a criminal and is not to be taken lightly.

If 'The Escapist' achieves nothing else it should secure Brian Cox more leading roles in the future, his repertoire certainly extends beyond the perpetual supporting actor he has become. It will also hopefully lead to more opportunities for Wyatt, a promising young British talent. Not that this film itself is to be forgotten as just a stepping stone, it is a thrilling ride throughout; flashes to the break-out attempt ensure things continue at a strong pace, never losing grip of your attention. The final scenes are touching and your jaw will hit the floor as the penny-drop moment finally arrives. Ultimately, Wyatt has created a fine example of British cinema that is surprisingly refreshing, proving once again that everybody loves a good prison break.

Verdict: Cox may not have the looks of Wentworth Miller, but he can certainly act him off the park. British prison has never looked, felt and sounded this ugly - and that is its charm. Wyatt surely has a brighter future ahead.

Sex and the City: The Movie

Brace yourselves, this could take a while. Sex and the City: The Movie, as if I need to inform you, is the spin-off from the hugely successful HBO series that became a cult hit around the globe. The film picks up where the show left off but four years have now passed, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is in a relationship with her long-term love interest Mr Big (Chris Noth), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is balancing family life with a full-time job, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is still married and has adopted a Chinese daughter whilst Samantha (Kim Cattrall) is enjoying a successful career in Los Angeles. And that is where the 145 minute-long advertisement begins.

I'll admit this now, I was never a huge fan of the television series. Over the years I have caught maybe five or six episodes of the show and they were not to my taste, however, I hadn't ever been really offended by them. Minutes into this vacuous affair I was well aware this was all about to change. Let me make this clear, SATC is not a film to be disliked on gender grounds, it is a film to be disliked if you have a shred of intelligence and moral fibre.

Sexism is prevalent throughout, every male character in the film falls into one of three categories; dumb, homosexual or an utter bastard. The foremost male characters partake in adultery, a light spot of jilting and the other (the nice one) is barely seen or heard from. As one of the only three men in the cinema, I at points wondered whether I would make it out alive. Why confine sexism to men, when women can be offended too, albeit far more subtly. What the film tells you, in it's infinite wisdom, in the opening sequence is that women are interested in only two things: "love and labels". So clothes and men are all that women really care about, how charming, and there was I thinking this was going to be a showcase of female empowerment.

Here comes my second 'ism' of the review, consumerism! This production mustn't have cost HBO and New Line a dime, not with all the cash they must have received from the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Versace, Gucci, Swarovski, Apple, Vogue, Starbucks, Mercedes, Nike and Dior...to name just a few. The product placement is brash and unmissable, not only do they pop up on screen but they are rammed down the viewers throat by close-ups and character endorsements, it is simply vulgar and a crying shame that the products are also allowed to influence the plot. In such testing economic times these placements are not just crass, they are insulting.

Humour is sadly lacking through the entirety of this film, something I did not expect. I'll throw away a few man points here and admit that I have found moments in the television series amusing, mostly from Cattrall and Davis, these moments though were tragically missing in action during the big screen version. Gags are reminiscent of those in a brainless teen comedy; it becomes crystal clear when the biggest laughs are extorted from overgrown pubic hair, a woman soiling herself and a dog that likes to hump things, that it's going to be a difficult two and a half hours (and believe me, that time does not pass quickly).

Heaven knows how a show that lasted six seasons can have four lead characters so vastly undeveloped. All four are so self-absorbed and superficial that it really strains one to wonder how they have endeared themselves to millions of fans. The actresses clearly know their characters inside-out, and to their credit, all of them appear un-phased by the change in format. The stand-out performance comes from franchise newcomer, Jennifer Hudson, as Carrie's assistant. She is the shining star in this morbid affair, doing a fantastic job of making some terribly written scenes almost watchable.

The character arcs for the four protagonists can be summed up in a sentence each, but I won't bore you with such trivialities. Each character starts happy, gets upset, blames men, blames themselves, cheers up and has a happy ending. It is quite a remarkable feat that so little happens in such a long film. Surely there is a reason the usual rom-com/chick flick rolls in at around 90 minutes, why add another hour when the plot plainly does not warrant it? So at the end of this torrid ordeal, let us all keep our fingers crossed - because there have already been rumours - that this is the last we see of Carrie and Co on the big screen.

Verdict: Awe-inspiringly bad, the absolute epitome of cinematic bilge. An extended and hugely inferior version of the television series. Avoid at all costs!

The Incredible Hulk

Let's clear this up right from the offset, 'The Incredible Hulk' is not a remake of Ang Lee's 'Hulk' (2003), neither is it a sequel, the film is billed as a reboot of the franchise - which quite frankly means that it is a little bit of both. The film picks up five years after its disappointing predecessor, complete with a brand new cast, director and slightly altered back story. Confused? Don't worry, it's easier from here on in.

To it's credit the film isn't concerned with what has come before, Hulk's past being explained fleetingly yet effectively in flashes during the opening credits. We are introduced to Bruce Banner (Edward Norton), alter-ego of the titular character, hiding in Brazil from General Ross (William Hurt) who wishes to use him as a military weapon. The early scenes set the plot up well and introduce the Hulk early which will delight fans frustrated with the last film.

Norton deals with his role capably but one can't help but feel short-changed by an actor who has played the dual-personality role so well in 'Fight Club' amongst others, yet the script gives him little chance to convey this inner-conflict. Things really take a turn downhill when love-interest Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) is introduced. Tyler and Norton enjoy little to no chemistry, their dialogue seems forced and the occasional attempts at humour fall dreadfully flat. Tyler is distinctly insipid and struggles to match the efforts of her fellow cast-members.

Banner transforms on four occasions during the course of the film and provides us with three prolonged sequences of Hulk-smashing action. Hulk's nemesis is The Abomination (Tim Roth), alter ego of the stereotypical English/Russian villain Emil Blonsky. It is their final showdown which provides the best action, including the piece de resistance as Hulk uses a car as boxing gloves. But here in lies the films greatest flaw, neither The Incredible Hulk of The Abomination look even slightly like the actors playing them, consequently all we are treated to is two large CG-blobs having a big of a ruck on the streets of New York.

Bringing Hulk to the big screen, as proved before, is a difficult job and director Louis Letterrier has made an admirable attempt but yet again Hulk fails to shine, albeit for different reasons. Die-hard fans of the comic book and television shows may feel more satisfied with this version but for most viewers this will likely disappoint. Perhaps it is time Marvel accepted that although Hulk is a fantastic character with copious potential, that potential does not translate to the big screen.

Verdict: Hat's off to all involved for trying something different and having the guts to change things completely. Commiserations for not pulling it off.

Wanted

Timur Bekmambetov, director of the Russian fantasy 'Night Watch' and it's sequel 'Day Watch', makes his Hollywood debut with the release of 'Wanted', a film loosely adapted from the comic books of the same name. The premise; everyman Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is torn from his monotonous life in order to follow in his fathers footsteps, joining The Fraternity, a league of super-assassins.

McAvoy is thrown into action at the deep end, an actor we are used to seeing play mostly strong character roles, at first seems an unlikely action hero. But the Scot embraces it well, his transition from office loser to super-assassin is seamless, a performance we have come to expect from a man destined for Oscar greatness. Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman also provide solid support as Fox and Sloan respectively, adding A-List appeal to the blockbuster. Sadly, however, the casts' strong performances are about the limit to this films believability as the plot becomes so far-fetched that you simply pass caring.

Wanted sacrifices a potentially intriguing plot in favour of action, succumbing to the now irresistible urge of a plot twist (and a thoroughly predictable one at that) to give the story any life whatsoever. One cannot help but feel that the film could have been so much more had it struck the balance between it's visuals and it's narrative more effectively. There really isn't much to the story whatsoever, what does exist spirals so far out of control that the final scenes become utterly irrelevant and at some points laughable (exploding rats, anyone?).

The film's bias towards action ahead of plot may on the one hand be it's downfall, but on the other perhaps it's saving grace. The film certainly looks beautiful and the action flows flawlessly, each sequence building at a perfect pace with the climax to said sequences never disappointing. Wanted can also boast it's own signature action shots, following bullets forwards and backwards through the heads of the hapless targets is brutal yet brilliant and the 'pulsating camera' is innovative if not slightly headache-inducing.

Where Wanted quite clearly would like to be compared to, and reach the heights of a film like 'The Matrix', it really struggles to get anywhere near. It can be more accurately compared to a copy of Heat Magazine; it has the glossy exterior and the big stars, but look a little closer and there's no real substance and will just be tossed aside and forgotten about by next week.

Verdict: Whether it be car chases, curving bullets or Angelina Jolie's naked behind; Wanted certainly looks superb. It may not hold your attention to the very end, but a decent, if not forgettable watch.