Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson) works for a U.S. water manufacturing conglomerate. He takes his family to Southeast Asia to run the branch there. From the beginning of the eleven hour plane ride; to the car ride that doesn’t meet them at the airport; to the non-working hotel room lights and television, the beginning of their trip already seems doomed from the start. Funny enough, even though the company has erected a huge welcome banner in the hotel lobby featuring him and two other executives, no one from the company ever leaves him a message. You might be thinking no big deal, but once the action starts the lack of messages take on a new, more sinister meaning.

Dwyer ventures from the hotel in search of an American newspaper and on his way back to the hotel, he steps into the middle of a revolution. While racing back to his family in the hotel, he witnesses other Americans being executed in the middle of the streets. Can he reach his family? Can he get them to safety?

I must admit this movie was so intense; there were times I felt like I wanted to leave the theater in order to collect myself. Even with the intensity of the film upon retrospect, however, there were several gaps in the story line. Pierce Brosnan plays Hammond, a mysterious stranger/tourist they meet on the plane who keeps popping up at the oddest times, it's as though his purpose was to follow the family from the States.

If you’re into Owen Wilson, the comedian, this is a true departure from the films you are used to him playing. While there were many times I expected him to deliver a funny line, like he did in Armeggedon, No Escape shows his true acting range from comedy to drama.

Lake Bell gives a credible performance as Dwyer’s wife, Annie. Annie seems incredibly patient and seems to be holding back a secret. At the beginning of the movie Dwyer finds her crying in the bathroom, but we never really learn the reason. It’s during this scene, however, that we discover that perhaps isn’t all it seems with Dwyer and his career.

No Escape is an extremely intense movie with many twists and turns in the plot. Once the action slows down, otherwise known as "when the movie is over", you’ll finally start to put several of the pieces together, however, during the film there is too much going on to do anything but get caught up in the action on the screen.

Overall, I give this movie a 3 out of 5 stars, mainly because of the intensity, but keeping in mind the large gaping holes in the story line.

Director: John Erick Dowdle

Rated: R – Intense violence, execution style kills from American’s being shot in the head, to being lined up and run over by a truck. This means there was a lot of blood.

Time: 1 hour and 43 minutes

I paid for my ticket with my own funds and have not been compensated for writing this review.