To those who persevered with the seemingly endless yarn that wasPrison Break, congratulations, your resolve and patience in the face of such repetitive, boredom-inducing predictability is admirable. To those that managed to break free from the chains, shackles, and iron bars thatPrison Breakbecame, your efforts are understandable and should be rewarded by never having to watch or speak about such a monumental blotch on a genre that was once supremely revered again. While a storyabout breaking out of prisondoesn’t translate well beyond a single season, movies are a different kettle of fish altogether.
Escape movies, from prison or otherwise, have been a popular mainstay among filmgoers; some of the best films of all time have been about breaking free from the strong, often corrupt arms of the law and evading their grasp. While the eventual escape is always captivating, it is the build-up, and diligent planning process undertaken in advance that truly adds to a movie’s suspense and makes it great. Let’s take a look at the best escape plans in film…
The Shawshank Redemption
“Never announce your next move before making it," as the saying goes. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) embodied that sound piece of advice, an utterance that would subsequently lead him to freedom and to his dream paradise, Zihuatanejo.
While his plan was kept very much concealed by a Rita Hayworth poster inTheShawshank Redemption, his savvy ability to withhold all escape plans he had and sail firmly under the radar (all while posing as a model inmate) made his getaway even more ingenious. Falsely convicted of his wife and her lover’s murder, Andy hid in plain sight as a man who had accepted his fate.
That typical hypothetical scenario many will have potentially spent hours of their lives mulling over is the issue of an escape from a desert island, one that is surrounded by sharks, with minimal food and water supplies are minimal. Henri “Papillon” Charriere (played by Steve McQueen) faces more-or-less, that exact predicament in 1973’s screen adaptation of the Charriere memoir. He finds himself attempting to escape the infamously perilous French penal colony, not once, twice, but three times inPapillon(French for ‘butterfly’).
While three attempts certainly don’t imply efforts of a particularly scrupulous nature, Papillon’s sheer determination, creativity, and innovative ways of fleeing Devil’s Island all possess standalone worthiness, with his final method being the most simplistic, yet most effective, using coconuts as a makeshift float.
Escape from Alcatraz
Clint Eastwood starsin this beautifully composed adaptation of J. Campbell Bruce’s novel, which concerned the various escape attempts made by prisoners from the confines of the ill-famed, high-security jail, Alcatraz. The central character, Frank Morris (Eastwood) is locked up for bank robbery.
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From the use of papier-mâché dummy heads and Frank’s untouchable knowledge about concrete and metal corrosion to whittling open a ventilation shaft using just a file,Escape from Alcatrazconceives one of the most fascinating true prison-absconding efforts in modern history.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Arguably, the most anomalous entry on this list, John Hughes’ 1986coming-of-age comedyflick,Ferris Bueller’s Day Offis a spirit-lifting affair, but it is a kind of gleeful little escape film. Playing truant is something most kids and adolescents have done at some point or another, brandishing the sickness card is a common trait to trade a day of English, Math, and Science for a day in front of the TV.
In Ferris Bueller’s (Matthew Broderick) unique case, his carefully and meticulously orchestrated plan is to not only bunk school, but enjoy it by cruising around in his friend’s dad’s Ferrari, and breaking his other mates out of their strict educational establishment.
Public Enemies
Director Michael Mann’shistorical biopic concerning the escapades of a notorious outlaw, John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), and his two accomplices, Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum), is wonderful.Public Enemiesfollows them as they try to elude law enforcement after a series of bank heists, as well as their daring prison break where Dillinger and John “Red” Hamilton (Jason Clarke) pose as a prison guard and prisoner in a drop that aims to free the rest of their gang.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up there withGuillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchioas one of the best stop-motion animation pictures ever,Fantastic Mr. Foxcomprises some of most Wes Anderson of Wes Anderson-y idiosyncratic quirks with the uniformity of its vibrant color palette, punctiliously symmetrical set design, and a methodical, almost mathematical approach that creates a flawless cinematic harmony.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (George Clooney) escapes a plethora of close-shaves while evading the merciless farming trio and their army of rabid dogs, yet it is specifically the film’s finale, whereby Mr. Fox out-foxes those that pursue him in an ultimate act of trickery through his use of diversion techniques, losing nothing but his tale.
The Great Escape
The Great Escapeis really just remembered through a mental list of Steve McQueen iconography, predominantly of him sporting a leather jacket on the back of a motorcycle. Adapted from author Paul Brickhill’s 1950 novel of the same name, a stellar ensemble cast was summoned at the behest of the director, John Sturges.
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From McQueen and James Coburn to Charles Bronson and James Garner, the master escape plan aside,The Great Escapeis a superbly acted picture. The action adventure, considered the best escape movie of all time, follows an assembly of Allied prisoners of war, who find themselves in an inescapable Nazi penitentiary and rely on their tunnel-digging and an assortment of motor vehicles to aid in their getaway.
Cool Hand Luke
Paul Newman is effortlessly cool in Stuart Rosenberg’s Academy Award-winning 1967 flick,Cool Hand Luke. Luke Jackson (Newman), a convicted felon has made a mockery of his time in incarceration, following several successful escapes. While the warden’s net closes in on him, Luke is forced to devise a risky plan.
