Movie Review: No Escape - Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Tuesday morning, Susan and I walked Salado Creek Greenway 10k (6.2 mi.) Volksmarch again from Lady Bird Johnson Park. You may wonder why we do the same walks over and over. Here's why...San Antonio's temperatures are in the high 90s with high humidity and these walks have SHADE!

The bike/hike/walk trails in San Antonio are very well used. Thankfully on Tuesday morning most of the bikers either verbally warned us they were coming, used a bell, or played music we could hear. Many times on these trails, the bikers whiz by us at a high rate of speed and we don't hear them. If we accidentally walk just a little to the left, we could be run over by these bozos. So we very much appreciate any warning they give us.

After the walk, we ate lunch at Chili's. I had a Caribbean Salad and Susan had their mini-burgers with fries. I raced home, cleaned up, changed clothes, then headed to my hairdresser for a cut. I told her I wanted a pixie cut, textured on top and the hair thinned because I have so much hair. Well, she did all that. I don't have a photo yet. I'm waiting for it to grow out a little, which shouldn't take too long.

Bob thought he could meet me for a movie after my hair appointment, but he couldn't get away from work. I went to see "No Escape" starring Owen Wilson, Lake Bell, and Pierce Brosnan. What an exciting, terrifying, haunting movie. I actually liked it. Because it looked so violent from the previews, I didn't think I would. However, the non-stop action, the portrayal of what a rebellion could look like to Americans in a foreign country, and the way it made me care about the family, all made for a solid movie, in my opinion.

The movie starts out in a luxury hotel in an Asian country. We see a meeting take place between the Prime Minister and another man. As soon as the other man leaves, the Prime Minister is murdered and a rebellion starts in which many people are murdered.

Meanwhile, Owen Wilson and his family (wife and two daughters) are flying to this country. Owen is going to work on a power plant under the aegis of the United States and the whole family is moving there. On the plane, they meet Pierce Brosnan who finds the littlest girl's teddy bear down by his feet. They strike up a friendly conversation. At the airport, when the family's ride doesn't come to pick them up, Pierce offers them a ride to the hotel with his driver.

On the way to the hotel, troops can be seen running to the capital. But we don't know what's happening yet. The family watches but doesn't seem too concerned. After checking in, they head up to their room to sleep after their long flight.

In the morning, Owen heads out to buy a newspaper. He can't find a current USA Today, so he buys one that is three days old. As he is walking back to the hotel with his paper, he sees a group of heavily armed police at one end of the block and a group of armed, angry rebels at the other end of the block. He starts running toward the police as the rebels also surge forward to attack the police. He hides briefly next to a shop and protects a woman and her child. When it looks like there's a small break, they run for it and take off down narrow alleys, away from the fighting. Rebels are killing people all over the place. He stays out of sight as much as possible until he gets back to the hotel.

At the hotel, a screaming gang of rebels has a man surrounded. They're yelling something about Americans. The American they have is forced to his knees and shot in the back of the head. Owen runs away from them. They see him and give chase. There's an old-fashioned fire escape, just a flat ladder bolted into the side of the building. He climbs it as the rebels come up after him. When he gets to the second or third floor, he gives the ladder a hard kick, it comes loose from the wall, and the rebels fall backward.

The plot moves forward at a breakneck clip from this point. Insurrection abounds. Owen and his wife have to get their family to safety. But where is it safe? They are watching everyone get slaughtered. Pierce Brosnan plays an interesting role as he tries to help the family flee for their lives. The movie races along. There are haunting scenes, touching scenes, and the tension is palpable.

I recommend this movie if you aren't too squeamish. It really made me think about "What if?" scenarios. What if we were in a foreign country and there was a rebellion? What would we do? What if anything happened on American soil? Again, what would we do? How would we react? I give the movie four stars; minus one star for violence and sustained tension.

Here are kitty photos...I need a dose of cute after that movie! I hope you don't mind.

Travel Bug out.