No Escape
Encyclopedia
No Escape, released in some territories as Escape from Absolom is a 1994 action
/science fiction
film shot in Queensland
starring Ray Liotta
, Lance Henriksen
, Stuart Wilson and Kevin Dillon
.
It is the story of a former American Marine serving life imprisonment on an island inhabited by savage and cannibalistic prisoners for killing his commanding officer, the commandant of a Benghazi
(Libya
) military base, in 2011.
The movie was directed by Martin Campbell
, and was based on 1987's The Penal Colony by Richard Herley.
s, with prisoners seen as corporate assets.
An ex-marine of the Force Recon named John Robbins is imprisoned for life for the murder of his commanding officer, after a shady military operation in Benghazi (Libya) in 2011. An event that still haunts Robbins more than a decade later.
Robbins had escaped from two "level 5" maximum security prisons
so he has now been imprisoned in a "level 6" facility run by the (unnamed) warden. After the Warden reviews his file and meets him face to face, Robbins is thrown in a cell, where a fellow prisoner offers him food, and hastily tells him about "Absolom", an island where they send the worst prisoners, and which is far more feared than the facility. A place where Robbins is finally sent to by the warden who quickly sees in him an untamable prisoner.
After being dropped off by gunship (a Kamov Ka-27 'Helix'
), Robbins is captured by the 'Outsiders', who are led by a sociopath
called Marek. The island had been previously been a private retreat as there are ramshackle structures including a dilapidated house and a swimming pool
which is where the Outsiders have made their base. Marek informs Robbins that the average life expectancy of a prisoner is six months but he had been there for seven years and then insists he fight one of his men for his amusement. Robbins impresses them by killing the opponent and Marek offers Robbins a position within his gang
, in response to which Robbins knocks Marek into a pool and steals a rocket launcher that Marek carries. He flees from the Outsiders and is pursued through the jungle
, avoiding crude mantraps. However he ends up trapped at the edge of a high cliff and is shot in the neck by a blowgun
dart. He falls into the river
at the cliff's base, washes up on some rocks and retrieved by another group, the 'Insiders.'
At the Insider's camp which is on the edge of the jungle with their backs to the ocean
, he meets the Insiders (including Hawkins, Stephano, Casey, Killian, King and Dysart) led by a man who calls himself 'The Father.' The Father put together a co-operative community
with laws as opposed to the tyranny
of the Outsiders. The Insiders total around 100 citizens while the various Outsider groups total 600. Robbins learns that he is the only person to have ever challenged and escape from Marek and that the weapon he stole has been appropriated for the good of the community. The Father notes his resourcefulness and asks if Robbins will join him. He refuses and says he wants to leave Absolom, and The Father orders to Robbins to be taken to the shore where he learns from the men that there are gunships 50 miles off the coast and that they are closely electronically monitored by satellite infrared equipment.
Nevertheless, Robbins will try to make his escape from Absolom, even if he has to fight all the gangs of Outsiders led by Marek in the process.
published a three-issue comic book limited series
adaptation of the original novel and movie screenplay. The series was written by Roger Salick, penciled by Mike Harris
, and inked by Chris Ivy.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
/science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film shot in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
starring Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta
[File:Ray Liotta is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams...
, Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen
Lance James Henriksen is an American actor and artist best known to film and television audiences for his roles in science fiction, action, and horror films such as the Alien film franchise, and on television shows such as Millennium....
, Stuart Wilson and Kevin Dillon
Kevin Dillon
Kevin Dillon is an American actor.Kevin Dillon is also the name of:*Kevin Dillon , character from Rodman Philbrick's young adult novel Freak the Mighty and the film based on it, The Mighty...
.
It is the story of a former American Marine serving life imprisonment on an island inhabited by savage and cannibalistic prisoners for killing his commanding officer, the commandant of a Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
(Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
) military base, in 2011.
The movie was directed by Martin Campbell
Martin Campbell
-Life and career:Campbell was born in Hastings, New Zealand. He directed two James Bond films, 1995's GoldenEye, starring Pierce Brosnan, and 2006's Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig, and was the first Bond director since John Glen to direct more than one film, as well as the oldest director in...
, and was based on 1987's The Penal Colony by Richard Herley.
Plot
In the 21st century (film taking place in 2022), the penal system is now run by corporationCorporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s, with prisoners seen as corporate assets.
An ex-marine of the Force Recon named John Robbins is imprisoned for life for the murder of his commanding officer, after a shady military operation in Benghazi (Libya) in 2011. An event that still haunts Robbins more than a decade later.
Robbins had escaped from two "level 5" maximum security prisons
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
so he has now been imprisoned in a "level 6" facility run by the (unnamed) warden. After the Warden reviews his file and meets him face to face, Robbins is thrown in a cell, where a fellow prisoner offers him food, and hastily tells him about "Absolom", an island where they send the worst prisoners, and which is far more feared than the facility. A place where Robbins is finally sent to by the warden who quickly sees in him an untamable prisoner.
After being dropped off by gunship (a Kamov Ka-27 'Helix'
Kamov Ka-27
|-See also:-External links:*...
), Robbins is captured by the 'Outsiders', who are led by a sociopath
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
called Marek. The island had been previously been a private retreat as there are ramshackle structures including a dilapidated house and a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
which is where the Outsiders have made their base. Marek informs Robbins that the average life expectancy of a prisoner is six months but he had been there for seven years and then insists he fight one of his men for his amusement. Robbins impresses them by killing the opponent and Marek offers Robbins a position within his gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
, in response to which Robbins knocks Marek into a pool and steals a rocket launcher that Marek carries. He flees from the Outsiders and is pursued through the jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
, avoiding crude mantraps. However he ends up trapped at the edge of a high cliff and is shot in the neck by a blowgun
Blowgun
"Blowpipe" and "blow tube" redirect here. For other uses of the terms, see GlassblowingA blowgun is a simple weapon consisting of a small tube for firing light projectiles, or darts....
dart. He falls into the river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
at the cliff's base, washes up on some rocks and retrieved by another group, the 'Insiders.'
At the Insider's camp which is on the edge of the jungle with their backs to the ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
, he meets the Insiders (including Hawkins, Stephano, Casey, Killian, King and Dysart) led by a man who calls himself 'The Father.' The Father put together a co-operative community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
with laws as opposed to the tyranny
Tyrant
A tyrant was originally one who illegally seized and controlled a governmental power in a polis. Tyrants were a group of individuals who took over many Greek poleis during the uprising of the middle classes in the sixth and seventh centuries BC, ousting the aristocratic governments.Plato and...
of the Outsiders. The Insiders total around 100 citizens while the various Outsider groups total 600. Robbins learns that he is the only person to have ever challenged and escape from Marek and that the weapon he stole has been appropriated for the good of the community. The Father notes his resourcefulness and asks if Robbins will join him. He refuses and says he wants to leave Absolom, and The Father orders to Robbins to be taken to the shore where he learns from the men that there are gunships 50 miles off the coast and that they are closely electronically monitored by satellite infrared equipment.
Nevertheless, Robbins will try to make his escape from Absolom, even if he has to fight all the gangs of Outsiders led by Marek in the process.
Cast
- Ray LiottaRay Liotta[File:Ray Liotta is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams...
as Robbins - Lance HenriksenLance HenriksenLance James Henriksen is an American actor and artist best known to film and television audiences for his roles in science fiction, action, and horror films such as the Alien film franchise, and on television shows such as Millennium....
as The Father - Stuart Wilson as Marek
- Kevin DillonKevin DillonKevin Dillon is an American actor.Kevin Dillon is also the name of:*Kevin Dillon , character from Rodman Philbrick's young adult novel Freak the Mighty and the film based on it, The Mighty...
as Casey - Kevin J. O'Connor as Stephano
- Don HendersonDon HendersonDon Henderson was an English actor whose film and TV work covered many years but is best remembered for his role as the fictional detective George Bulman...
as Killian - Ian McNeiceIan McNeiceIan McNeice is a prolific English screen, stage, and television character actor.-Early life:McNeice was born in Basingstoke in Hampshire. McNeice's acting training started at the Taunton School in Somerset, followed by two years at the Salisbury Playhouse...
as King - Jack Shepard as Dysart
- Michael LernerMichael Lerner (actor)-Life and career:Lerner was born in Brooklyn, New York of Romanian Jewish descent, the son of Blanche and George Lerner, who was a fisherman and antiques dealer. He was raised in Bensonhurst and Red Hook. His brother, Ken Lerner, is also an actor...
as Warden - Ernie HudsonErnie HudsonErnest Lee "Ernie" Hudson is an American actor known for his roles as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters film series, Sergeant Albrecht in The Crow, and Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's Oz.-Early life:...
as Hawkins - Russell Kiefel as Iceman
- Brian M. Logan as Scab
- Cheuk-Fai Chan as Skull
- David WenhamDavid WenhamDavid Wenham is an Australian actor who has appeared in movies, television series and theatre productions. He is known in Hollywood for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Carl in Van Helsing and Dilios in 300 and Neil Fletcher in Australia...
as Hotel Guard
Adaptation
In 1994, Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
published a three-issue comic book limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
adaptation of the original novel and movie screenplay. The series was written by Roger Salick, penciled by Mike Harris
Mike Harris (comics)
Michael Jay "Mike" Harris is an American comic book artist who was active in the industry from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s.Harris was able to use his personal interests in weapons and martial arts to establish himself as an illustrator for characters like The Punisher and G.I...
, and inked by Chris Ivy.