6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Inescapable is a thriller about a father's desperate search for his daughter and the chaos of the Middle East he left behind.
Starring: Alexander Siddig, Joshua Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Oded FehrDrama | 100% |
Mystery | 33% |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
With interest in Syria at an all-time high because of the ongoing uprising, the low-budget Inescapable—which is set in pre-revolt Damascus— will probably find more of an audience than it might've otherwise. The film is the latest from Toronto-based Ruba Nadda, a filmmaker of Syrian/Palestinian heritage whose previous two features, Cairo Time and Sabah, were both romantic dramas that dealt with the uneasy intersection between Western and Middle-Eastern cultures. Inescapable is thematically similar but takes a drastic shift in tone and pacing—especially in its second half—essentially becoming an indie riff on a Taken-style, I'm coming to get my daughter at any cost thriller. This gambit is not without its risks. Though Nadda clearly has a mind for well-written characters—her other films are simple, elegant, and definitely worth checking out—she seems to have trouble here working them into the framework of a high-stakes action movie. The half-hearted set- pieces, fist fights, and shootouts come at the expense of the story, which fails to engage on any real level besides the immediate less-than-thrilling thrills. Consequently, Inescapable doesn't really work as a thought-provoking drama or a turn-off-your-brain beat-em-up. It's not a bad film by any means, but you can easily imagine it being much, much better.
Inescapable was shot digitally with Arri Alexa cameras, but the 1080p/AVC-encoded image here seems quite a bit softer and—for the lack of a better word—mushier than that of other films I've seen that were shot with the same gear. The difference can be attributed to the lenses used, perhaps, or some step in the post-production process—it could even be an intentional part of cinematographer Luc Montpellier's aesthetic for the film—but it's definitely noticeable up close and in the screenshots here, with fuzzy textures and indistinct edges on what would probably be fine high definition detail in a another movie. That's not to say the film lacks clarity; from a normal viewing distance, on an averaged sized screen, it certainly doesn't look bad at all. It's just not tack sharp. Source noise also plays a part—it's quite intense in some darker scenes—and occasionally the picture has a slightly compressed look. There's no obvious DNR or edge enhancement, though, and no other distractions. Color is nicely graded and—apart from some blown- out highlights when Adib wears his crisp white button-down shirt out in the blazing sun—contrast is decently balanced.
Inescapable defaults to a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that satisfying brings the streets of Damascus—well, Johannesburg standing in for Damascus—to life. While not as action heavy as the film it's most often compared to, Taken, Inescapable's sound design seems bigger than its paltry budget would suggest, effectively utilizing the full multi-channel spectrum. Ambience swells often in the surround speakers —marketplace noise, traffic, checkpoint clamor, pouring rain, wind and insects—and there are few great effect moments, like a car crash that rends metal and sends shards of glass and debris spraying through the soundfield. Rounding it all out is a tense and diverse score from composers Geo Höhn and Jim Petrak, which features the normal orchestral elements along with electronic sounds and Middle Eastern instrumentation. Everything sounds clear, full, and present, with occasional low-end assistance from the subwoofer when necessary. Dialogue remains clean and balanced throughout, with no muffling, drop-outs, or other issues. The disc also includes a Linear PCM 2.0 mixdown, along with English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
The comparison really is unavoidable; Inescapable is the Middle Eastern Taken—I know, that would be Taken 2, but bear with me—only, director Ruba Nadda just doesn't have the action movie chops to pull it off. The film is a routine thriller that just doesn't engage emotionally or viscerally, with a by-the-numbers plot that grows increasingly dependent on wordy exposition. Still, I think Nadda has it in her to make a truly great film about Syria; maybe when the dust clears she'll be able to process the current uprising into something thought-provoking and raw, exposing Western audiences to all sides of a conflict that's not nearly as black and white as the media sometimes makes it out to be. As for Inescapable, I imagine it'll eventually show up on Netflix, so I'd probably hold off on a purchase and wait to see it then.
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