No Escape

Dir: John Erick Dowdle

2015

*

John Erick Dowdle does horror. He's made a film about a serial killer (The Poughkeepsie Tapes), he's covered the Zombie/Outbreak genres in one film (his 2008 remake Quarantine), he's explored the supernatural, the undead, haunting and general spooky goings on in the brilliant As Above, So Below and he's even dabbled with the Devil (in 2010's Devil). He has approached each genre from a slightly different angle compared to most horror directors, Quarantine was an inferior remake of a great little Spanish indie and Devil has many problems with it but he can deliver suspense, dread and the big scares. He knows less is more, he is certainly one of the best directors of the 'found footage' movement and his experimentation are all generally clever, even when they don't always work. So apart from exploring the overdone Werewolves and Vampire genre, who and in what guise could his next villain, bad guy, person of horror be? Johnny Foreigner, that's who. In a day and age where xenophobia, racism and generally ignorant intolerance is taking a rather frightening stand, do we really need this bizarre and rather undeserving suggestion? People are scary, I get that. An angry mob is about as scary as it gets but even though the suggestion is that the people (the poor) are somewhat justifiably fighting back after being wronged by western corporations, it really doesn't make up for the way they are represented. It's never suggested who 'they' are and where they are but the film was shot in Thailand but Vietnam is the bordering nation. Thailand insisted they not be named or the language used after reviewing the script. I wonder if Vietnam's portrayal as the good guys is a way of the film makers of suggesting that 'this isn't about' the Vietnam War but obviously Cambodia were involved in that. By not being specific enough about who the enemy is in the film it kind of just makes all Asians look bad and suggests they could turn into bloodthirsty murders and rapists at any minute. The lack of geography is also stupid and I believe it does matter. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth throughout the entire film. Dowdle is trying to be John Carpenter (even with the music) but he doesn't even come close. Owen Wilson couldn't be more miscast, this isn't him and I think he knows it but Lake Bell however is right at home in the hole of bad roles she's becoming known for (which is a shame because In A World... is brilliant). Their two daughters in the film are beyond annoying, to the point where I have to admit I didn't care what eventually happened to them. The script is abysmal. Abysmal. A family hug scene while under fire never belongs in a film that wants to be taken seriously but to have this same scene repeated over and over is mind-numbing. Dowdle wants to provoke the audience into screaming at the screen, to add tension and edge-of-your-seat thrills but the truth is it all transcended into a big heap of  'don't care' from me. The family is helped by a would-be sex tourist that turns out to be an ex-spy, specifically from the British CIA! If that wasn't dumb or convincing enough as it was, it was decided that ex-Bond Pierce Brosnan was probably best for the role. Brosnan's character is accompanied by the countries only trustworthy Asian, we know he's trustworthy because he is a big Kenny Rogers fan. This is a really good example of a modern film treating its audience as if they are stupid. Zombie films are dumb but they are fun and inoffensive. If you want to be clever then inject a bit of symbolism into it. Dowdle has literally made the year’s dumbest film by trying to intellectualize a basic formula that already worked. The idea that anything or anyone that isn't American is a potential thread is insulting to everyone and is getting rather tiresome. I don't think the film is malicious in any way, I just think it is thoughtless, ignorant and rather boring.