No Escape – Unearthed Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1994
Director: Martin Campbell
Writers: Richard Herley, Michael Gaylin, Joel Gross
Cast: Ray Liotta, Lance Henriksen, Stuart Wilson, Kevin Dillon, Kevin J. O'Connor, Don Henderson, Ian McNeice, Jack Shepherd, Michael Lerner, Ernie Hudson, Russell Kiefel

Release Date: October 18th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 118 Minutes 11 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English, LPCM Stereo French
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $34.95

"The Year is 2022. John Robbins (Ray Liotta), a former Marine Captain, has been sentenced for assassinating his commanding officer and is banished to a secret and remote prison island run by The Warden (Michael Lerner). In this prison of the future, inhabited by society's most violent and feared criminals, Robbins is left to the mercy of the elements and his fellow man. He finds the island divided into two camps: The Outsiders, led by the brutal and bloodthirsty Marek (Stuart Wilson); and The Insiders, led by the strong-willed, benevolent Father (Lance Henriksen) and his followers Hankins (Ernie Hudson) and Casey (Kevin Dillon). Robbins doesn't care to join either - his one aim is to break free of an island from which there is no escape. To aid him, he steals a powerful and destructive weapon from The Outsiders, sparking off a major war between the two encampments. Now bloody battle and the brutality of hand-to-hand combat will take many lives before Robbins can think of freedom again. Trapped on an island where nature can be as deadly as man, there is only one thought which keeps Robbins alive... escape...escape...escape." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

No Escape comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.5 GB

Feature: 31.4 GB

Though no information is provided about this transfer's source, the source used for this transfer looks excellent. Colors and flesh tones look correct, image clarity and black levels are solid, and there are no issues with compression.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English), 4/5 (LPCM Stereo English)

This release comes with three audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English; a LPCM stereo mix in English; and a LPCM stereo mix in French. For this review, I only listened to the two English language tracks. And though both English language tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, the DTS-HD 5.1 track sounds noticeably more robust than the stereo track. Included with this release are removable English subtitles, removable English SDH subtitles, and removable French subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include TV spot 1 (30 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), TV spot 2 (30 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), TV spot 3 (30 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), TV spot 4 (30 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a promotional image gallery with music from the film playing in background, an alternate intro (2 minutes 10 seconds, LPCM stereo), a vintage featurette (6 minutes 20 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Making of Escape from Absolom (28 minutes 2 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with screenwriter Joel Gross titled Penal Colony: Writing No Escape (9 minutes 46 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Martin Campbell titled Survival of the Fittest: Directing No Escape (13 minutes 35 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with producer Gale Anne Hurd titled Welcomes to the Future: The Sci-Fi Worlds of Gale Anne Hurd (17 minutes 8 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and a slipcover.

Other extras include trailers for Dark Side of the Moon, Nightwish, The Unnamable, and The Old Man Movie.

Summary:

No Escape is an action/adventure film that blends in some Sci-Fi elements for good measure. The premise of an inescapable island where prisoners are sent is well-executed. And what further enhances the narrative is how there are two distinctive societies that have been formed on the island; the outsiders, a savage group where the survival of the fittest is their rule of law, and the insiders, a group who live in harmony, isolating themselves from the rest of the island.

No Escape was directed by Martin Campbell, a filmmaker most known for his work in the action genre, most notably the two James Bond films he directed, GoldenEye and Casino Royale. With No Escape, he delivers solid direction that shines brightest during the action set pieces. Also, when it comes to the performances, his direction does a good job of giving the actors freedom, never reining them in, even when some performances are dangerously close to going over the top.

No Escape has a solid cast who all deliver strong, enthusiastic performances that elevate the story at hand. Though No Escape can be seen as an ensemble cast, the star of the film is actually Ray Liotta (Goodfellas), whose character Captain J.T. Robbins appears on screen more than any other character. He delivers the most nuanced performance that perfectly highlights a traumatic event from his past with the actions he must take to survive in the present. Another performance of note is Stuart Wilson (The Age of Innocence) in the role of Walter Marek, the megalomaniac leader of the outsiders.

From a production standpoint, No Escape is a film that maximizes its resources. Besides a well-executed premise and a briskly paced narrative, other areas where No Escape holds up really well are its set designs and special effects. Ultimately, No Escape is a solid action/sci-fi film that fans of dystopian cinema should thoroughly enjoy.

No Escape gets an excellent release from Unearthed Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and an abundance of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer