Sadly Over-hyped

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Blistering performances.

Inescapable is a low budget generic action thriller with a Taken vibe. It is set in a Syria before they had civil turmoil with the Assad regime.Alexander Siddig is Adib Abdel Kareem a man who fled Syria some years earlier as he was accused of being an Israeli spy. He has made a new life for himself in Canada.He receives news that his daughter Muna (Jay Anstey) has gone missing in Damascus and must return to Damascus many years later to confront his past.Adib enlists the help of an his ex-fiancée Fatima (Marisa Tomei) to help him while he is in Syria. He gets help from the Canadian embassy Paul (Joshua Jackson) and tracks down old associates and rivals such as Sayid (Oded Fehr.)The unusual setting of Syria which is reality a police state gives the film some intrigue as you always have the sense of being watched and betrayal not being far behind.The plot however does feel like Taken without much of the action and violence. Siddig is very effective in a meaty role but not a lot happens as he looks for clues to track down his daughter and stay one step ahead of his pursuers and double crossers. Its tense and watchable enough, Marisa Tomei lends it a lot of credibility but I felt it should had been a lot better.

Inescapable (2012): Dir: Ruba Nadda / Cast: Alexander Siddig, Marisa Tomei, Joshua Jackson, Oded Fehr, Fadia Nadda: This is the film that Taken failed to be. It regards how we cannot escape our past or sins. Alexander Siddig delivers a strong performance as Syrian Canadian businessman who receives the news that his daughter has gone missing while visiting Damascus. He dreads the return after thirty years especially since he could be arrested for his previous conduct. At any rate he braves the trip and contacts an ex-fiancé, played by Marisa Tomei who is angry after he disappeared without a trace. However, she agrees to help him in his search for his daughter. Joshua Jackson plays a Canadian Embassy official whom Siddig learns was involved with his daughter and he forces some answers. Other shady characters enter whom are searching for photos that they believe Siddig's daughter had in her possession. He also enlists help from a previous friend within the law who is also reluctant to get involved. Acting is powerful and director Ruba Nadda makes good use of locations as well as provide realistic suspense and action, which Taken never delivered. What works best is the fact that the hero has left this place thirty years ago to renew in Toronto only to be forced to confront his prior life. Siddig captures this sense of desperation and determination very well as he is aware of the dangers that linger and close in. It also demonstrates what a parent will do for the good of their children. The result is an excellent film the life worth fighting for and the sins that need buried. Score: 10 / 10

Over complicated and taking itself way too seriously Inescapable tries to craft an intelligent and complex thriller but despite a few twists and turns and a leading man that does well enough it just failed to really grab my attention. It certainly wasn't that the film dragged, in fact the hour and a half flew by and there is plenty of action and intrigue and yet for some unknown reason I just didn't care about any of it. I wish I could explain it better but there isn't any one reason why it doesn't work. It is just missing something. At times I felt like I was losing track of what was going on and what this mysterious background was of this father desperately looking for his daughter. It felt like it was trying to be a more political version of Liam Neeson's Taken. It very loosely touches on the political turmoil of Damascus but then at the same time I'm not sure they used it as much as they could have. The cinematography felt bland and empty and some of the supporting characters felt underdeveloped. I do feel like there was a lot of potential here because the script is decent and as I said there is plenty of action but it all comes across as being without any real merit and that's unfortunate.Alexander Siddig is excellent in his role. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his performance as the protective father with an old secret that he has been running from. He is believable and shows a lot of intensity in his role. Joshua Jackson is much better of an actor than you would think from his performance in this. I feel like he sincerely misses his mark and almost seems bored in this performance. There is no chemistry between him and Siddig and he absolutely does not give this his all. Marisa Tomei is borderline pointless in this film. Her bad accent and deer in the headlights performance is annoying and barely existent. A great character actor, Oded Fehr is very good in his role but its such an unfortunately small part. I feel like he should have had a far more vital part in the whole story but sadly he does not though he has one very good scene towards the end when he is getting the truth out of Siddig.To call the story convoluted is an understatement. There is a lot of intrigue and back story and to be honest I am not sure I even understand a single thing that happened. And yet at the same time, I never got even remotely invested enough to really try and understand it. I didn't feel like everyone was putting their entire heart into the film and I think that's where it falls apart. Ruba Nadda is apparently a very well respected writer and director but I simply felt like this was poorly shot and put together. Even the climatic reunion of father and daughter felt like it was lacking any depth. I'm not sure what drew me to try this and I'm not sorry I did because I have seen worse but this just felt so very empty. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for any sort of powerful story because it misses the mark in a big way. 5/10

It was such an emotional, fast paced ride. Loved it, tells a personal story with Syria as a backdrop. I liked this. If you want more politics, go read a book - but if you want something that is emotional, a character study of an Arab man living in Canada - whose daughter goes missing, see this. A little bit of thriller, mystery, action - and so emotional. The ending ripped my heart out. Loved it. Also looked like a big Hollywood movie, found out it was Canadian - which made even more sense. As its politics and the violence don't hit you over the head. Instead, it's a very universal story about how far a father would go and the past he needs to delve back into. Loved it.