Inescapable came across as nothing substantial in it's trailer: A fairly simple clone of Taken, with some gritty fight scenes and a hard-nosed ex-military protagonist who has to confront his past to save the damsel in distress. Nothing groundbreaking there, but still, fair popcorn material.
So it came as no surprise that Inescapable arrived on screen as an overwhelmingly lacklustre thriller, worse than could have been predicted. It doesn't waste a moment getting the ball rolling but fails to stoke any emotion in the cast, even from the usually capable Siddig, who just seems uncomfortable with the role and ill-fitted to be an action hero. It was almost embarrassing to watch him grimace and grunt his way through dialogue and stifle lines that were meant to be shouted or spoken with passion, as if it's simply not his style so he doesn't bother trying.
Interaction between characters is awkward and haphazard, lacking connection. Western actors put on their best middle-eastern impressions but only come out sounding like caricatures. Siddig too, fails to provide a convincing Canadian accent and his speech feels laboured and inauthentic.
Acting aside, Inescapable is actually more of a sleuth film than it is a thriller. The first half of the film involves Siddig going through the motions of looking into clue after clue, each less interesting than the last, bumping into old nemesis Oded Fehr or an uptight consular official along the way who have agendas of their own.
Ultimately, Inescapable wastes its potential through a plodding pace, unengaging story, and poorly conceived ideas. Don't even waste your time downloading it. Watch Taken instead.
So it came as no surprise that Inescapable arrived on screen as an overwhelmingly lacklustre thriller, worse than could have been predicted. It doesn't waste a moment getting the ball rolling but fails to stoke any emotion in the cast, even from the usually capable Siddig, who just seems uncomfortable with the role and ill-fitted to be an action hero. It was almost embarrassing to watch him grimace and grunt his way through dialogue and stifle lines that were meant to be shouted or spoken with passion, as if it's simply not his style so he doesn't bother trying.
Interaction between characters is awkward and haphazard, lacking connection. Western actors put on their best middle-eastern impressions but only come out sounding like caricatures. Siddig too, fails to provide a convincing Canadian accent and his speech feels laboured and inauthentic.
Acting aside, Inescapable is actually more of a sleuth film than it is a thriller. The first half of the film involves Siddig going through the motions of looking into clue after clue, each less interesting than the last, bumping into old nemesis Oded Fehr or an uptight consular official along the way who have agendas of their own.
Ultimately, Inescapable wastes its potential through a plodding pace, unengaging story, and poorly conceived ideas. Don't even waste your time downloading it. Watch Taken instead.