Escape Plan

I wouldn't overstate it with the return. Stallone is far from the intensity of the new Rambo. This is neither a comedy, nor action-packed enough, nor a clever heist film. There are too many coincidences and it is too straightforward with various plot inserts that are too obvious and for effect. There is little action and you have to wait for it for a long time. There are a few solid scenes, but they don't raise the adrenaline as much as you would expect from an old action school flick, and that has nothing to do with the age of the protagonists, they are completely fine. Only the screenplay should have been much better – even in honor of the 80s B-movies. Jim Caviezel is brilliant. (26/10/2013)

B-movie; straightforward and entertaining, originally conceived and refreshed by two veteran icons who in their old age have become even more deeply aware of their role in a colossal movie marathon. But a B-movie nonetheless, predictable, with a stale, truncated and unsurprising plot (starting with the escape plan and ending with Arnie's final "asshole"), and it's more appropriate in this case than elsewhere to play the critic and point out that playing for fun is different from actually being fun. The biggest impression is left by the unpleasantly slimy James Caviezel, who perhaps has never been so good. 65% (09/01/2014)

Not just a long awaited meeting of two forgotten legends, but a good movie too. As far as possible, of course, there are so many coincidences, stupid decisions taken by the villains and unshocking surprises. But no matter. The structure is old, but the shell is newly painted. An enjoyable struggle between old procedures and modern methods throughout the entire picture, which gave me a pleasant feeling while watching. Stallone appears as a seasoned inmate and escape artist, Schwarzenegger knows how to get his hands on what’s needed and Caviezel represents the assiduous slipperiness so popular today (and he really enjoys it). The other characters are just there to make up the numbers, the most hilarious being “50 Cent" Jackson as a hacker with morals. The final punch-up is very nicely done and when Arnold picks up the machine gun, a smile spreads across the face of all orthodox fans. I don’t want to dwell on the resilience of the helicopter and the subsequent exploding barrels... I suppose it had to be included. Overall I’m satisfied, something that I couldn’t imagine originally. Old school on its best form. + Arnold’s Austrian way of distracting attention - that’s definitely the high point of the movie. (23/10/2013)

The script is just stupid enough. I'm simply fascinated by the studio's policy of bringing these over-serving tandems on set under the baton of directorial routinists who operate with the given material more than casually and can only make it work in a few catchy lines and, regarding this film, a unique religious Germanic outburst. Otherwise, it’s essentially a very sterile and fleeting spectacle. (15/08/2014)

Damn, I know that this film has its flaws, like characters that are essentially unnecessary and a plot that doesn't significantly impact anything. Or how it plays on the cliché that action heroes played by action stars simply don't die. But still, this is a fantastic idea that was well executed. There isn't as much humor as you would expect, but the ending is quite light-hearted. Additionally, you don't often see or hear Arnold speaking in his native German. Entertaining, although quite lengthy, great main roles. It's evident that Sly and Arnold really enjoy playing together, and they are doing it immensely well. I look forward to their future collaboration. (27/10/2013)