The Escape of Prisoner 614 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

The Escape of Prisoner 614 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 28, 2018

Bumbling policemen have been a staple of cinema since at least the days of the venerable Keystone Kops franchise, and so there’s at least some understandability when The Escape of Prisoner 614 seems to be treading over rather well worn material at times. Writer-director Zach Golden seems to be aiming for something considerably more contemporary in tone than The Keystone Kops (despite the film's supposed sixties time frame), with a kind of Coen-esque anarchism that gives a post-Modernist irony to the proceedings, but unfortunately the comedy here, while minimally effective in dribs and drabs, tends to miss the mark more than it hits the bullseye (perhaps an unwitting allusion to the less than spectacular marksmanship of two addlepated deputies who are the focus of the story). Golden does have one veritable ace up his sleeve, though, and that’s featured player Ron Perlman, once again giving a force of nature performance in an effort that is otherwise at least intermittently under the weather (so to speak).

The seemingly whimsical approach toward law enforcement is in fact itself enforced in The Escape of Prisoner 614’s opening moments, when two apparent idiots are traipsing through a forest with guns. They each hide behind trees and are at what seems to be a “faceoff”, despite the fact that their backs are toward each other. They shout, they cajole, they bargain. They end up pretend shooting each other, and it turns out they are in fact not a lawman and a nefarious criminal, but deputies Jim Doyle (Martin Starr) and Thurman Hayford (Jake McDorman), who haven’t made an arrest in months (if even that short of a time frame), and who spend their days in these silly “competitions” to see who comes out on top. Unfortunately for this less than skilled duo, there is literally a new sheriff in town (Ron Perlman), and he doesn’t suffer fools gladly. The two quickly find themselves unemployed, though the Sheriff needs to leave for an event, and with the two still hanging around the office (what else do they have to do?), they take a call from a nearby warden who tasks them with finding and returning an escaped prisoner, one who is supposedly violent and responsible for the death of a policeman, and one that the warden kinda sorta hints doesn't necessarily to be returned alive.

That’s basically it for the underlying set up of The Escape of Prisoner 614, but Golden attempts to inject the kind of eccentric characters in the film that have been a staple of many a Coen Brothers enterprise. There’s the salty, seen it all waitress at the local diner (a rather funny Sondra James), the maybe - maybe not unfairly incarcerated escapee (George Sample III), and a bunch of hunters foraging through the same forests that seem to be the deputies’ real preferred environment. It’s all played deliberately cheekily, and while on a base level the joking underpinning is at least amiable, there’s not enough meat on these particular bones to sustain the enterprise in the long run. When the film gets into some supposedly racially charged material (the escapee is an African American), there's the threat that things will tip into preachy territory, but it's to Golden's credit that he at least attempts to keep things relatively light and unburdened.

While the writing here may be a bit hit and/or miss, the performances are by and large quite winning, even if the cast is forced to mug at times to overcome some deficits in the screenplay. Perlman is his traditionally gruff, slightly hyperbolic self, but he's the most consistently fun character in the film, despite some good efforts from Starr and McDorman, both playing characters seemingly fated to be finalists for a Darwin Award. The film also has some pretty scenery, locales that in fact are kind of reminiscent of another relatively recent film set in a rural environment and featuring less than competent lawmen, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, though you'd probably be hard pressed to make any further comparisons between those two films.

The Escape of Prisoner 614 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Escape of Prisoner 614 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. There's virtually no technical data available online that I could find (the film's supposed "theatrical release" isn't even listed on the IMDb that I could find), but this is actually a rather nice looking transfer given what I assume was a modest budget. The many forested scenes have good detail levels with regard to elements like foliage or even the dust that is kicked up by interlopers, and other fine detail, like smoke after gunfire, also resolves without any issues. Lighting looks pretty natural throughout the film, supporting a nice looking palette. Golden and cinematographer Adam Lee opt for close-ups quite a bit of the time, an approach that helps to elevate fine detail levels. There are no issues with compression anomalies, and while I wouldn't exactly say this is "knock your socks off" material, it's continually pleasing and offers generally excellent sharpness and detail levels.

The Escape of Prisoner 614 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Escape of Prisoner 614's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 has regular surround activity with regard to both Martin Crane's enjoyable score and a glut of ambient environmental effects when the film ventures out of doors (which it does quite often). That said, quite a bit of this film plays out in cheekier, smaller scale dialogue moments, where surround activity can ebb a bit. Fidelity is fine throughout the presentation, offering dialogue, score and effects (which include quite a few gunshots, at least until the deputies run out of ammunition) clearly and cleanly, and with good prioritization.

The Escape of Prisoner 614 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Don't be fooled by the so-called "Special Features" advertised on the Main Menu of this Blu-ray disc. Those "supplements" turn out to be trailers for other Lionsgate products and a bookmarking feature. Why, if I were the sheriff of a backwater burg, I might consider this false advertising and arrest somebody.

The Escape of Prisoner 614 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Escape of Prisoner 614 could have been a genuine surprise had Golden's writing had a bit more focus. The film offers nice opportunities for Perlman, Starr and McDorman in particular, but it's really in some of the "smaller" supporting performances like James' take on waitress Marla that the film really manages to hone in on a neat combo platter (couldn't resist) of comedy and pathos. This is one of those near misses that some folks may actually love since it does feature the reliable Perlman playing (once again) to the second balcony, and Golden may well have some real surprises in him that will unfold in the coming years. Technical merits are surprisingly strong for such an unheralded releases, for those considering a purchase.