'No Escape' amps the action and keeps the terror taut
鈥淣o Escape鈥� stars Owen Wilson as an American businessman relocated聽to an unnamed Southeast Asian country with his family just as a bloody聽coup d鈥櫭﹖at erupts. Directed and co-written by John Erick Dowdle, the film聽is obviously meant to cash in on the same audience that was so taken with聽鈥淭aken,鈥� which made Liam Neeson such a late-blooming action聽star.聽
The difference, of course, is that Owen Wilson is no Liam Neeson, nor聽is he meant to be here. He鈥檚 a mild-mannered Texan with two giggly聽daughters and a high-strung wife (Lake Bell). Even pre-coup, she would聽much rather have relocated someplace else, and who can blame her,聽especially when their ritzy hotel is invaded and machetes start chopping聽up Westerners.聽
This should all be risible except that Dowdle, who has worked in the horror genre, knows how to amp the action and keep the terror taut. Pierce聽Brosnan shows up as a vacationing British sot, except if you鈥檝e ever read聽any Graham Greene, or John le Carr茅, you know right away there鈥檚 a lot聽more to this guy than carousing. 鈥淣o Escape鈥� is pretty trashy, but it held聽my attention, which is more than I can say for most of the summer fodder. Grade:聽B- (Rated R for strong violence including a sexual assault, and for language.)
