Year: 2013
Runtime: 115 min
Language: English
Director: Mikael Håfström
A structural security specialist, Ray Breslin, finds himself wrongly imprisoned in the supposedly inescapable "Tomb" facility. Forced to use his expertise, he must devise an elaborate escape plan while navigating the prison’s complex defenses. He unexpectedly teams up with fellow inmate Emil Rottmayer to challenge the seemingly impenetrable security measures and fight for their freedom in this action-packed thriller.
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Ray Breslin, portrayed by Sylvester Stallone, is a former prosecutor who co-founds Breslin-Clark, a specialized security firm located in Los Angeles, dedicated to evaluating the security measures of maximum-security prisons. His mission is to infiltrate various penitentiaries, examining their layouts and the behavior of the guards to identify vulnerabilities, which he exploits to facilitate his own escape while preventing criminals from slipping through the cracks of the justice system.
His life takes a significant turn when he and his business partner, Lester Clark, receive an enticing multi-million-dollar offer from a CIA agent named [Jessica Miller](Jessica Miller) to evaluate a secret prison designed to contain terrorists, hidden in remote areas across the globe. This facility, funded and built by the CIA, remains unacknowledged by the US government. Compelled by a promise of double his usual fee, Breslin surprisingly agrees to the assignment, disguising himself as a Spanish terrorist named “Anthony Portos” in New Orleans. However, complications arise when his captors remove the tracking device from his arm and administer drugs during transport, causing him to lose his ability to prove his true identity.
Upon awakening, Breslin finds himself in a complex of glass cells with no visual connection to the outside world. Here, he meets fellow inmate Emil Rottmayer, and together they stage a performance to analyze the solitary confinement cell’s use of blinding halogen lights meant to disorient and dehydrate the inmates. They also encounter the prison’s physician, Dr. Kyrie, who shows a surprising amount of empathy for their plight, offering medical assistance after their repeated infractions.
As Breslin explores the prison’s layout, he notices that the floor consists of aluminum, yet the rivets are made of steel. He devises a plan for Rottmayer to obtain a metal plate from Warden Willard Hobbes’s (Jim Caviezel) office prior to being thrown back into solitary confinement along with Javed, a fellow inmate. Unbeknownst to Breslin, Hobbes pursues the notorious Victor Mannheim, whom he believes to be Rottmayer’s superior. In solitary, Breslin shares his true identity with Rottmayer and reveals he’s been betrayed, expressing his intentions to escape and uncover the traitor.
Utilizing the procured metal plate, Breslin discovers he can reflect light onto the rivets to heat and eventually pop open a floor panel leading to an underground passageway. He sneaks through this passage and uncovers that the prison is situated inside a cargo ship amidst the ocean, heightening the challenge of an escape.
Breslin and Rottmayer meticulously observe the guards’ daily routines while Breslin feeds Hobbes false information regarding Rottmayer’s connections. Clark and Hobbes keep in contact, with Clark insisting that Breslin remain locked up. Meanwhile, colleagues Abigail Ross and Hush grow wary of Clark’s agenda following the sudden freeze on Breslin’s paycheck. Their investigation into hacked documents reveals that the prison, dubbed “The Tomb,” is tied to a for-profit organization linked with a private security agency; Clark is being lured into betrayal with a lucrative salary.
Concurrently, Hobbes makes it clear that he recognizes Breslin’s true identity, and alongside Chief Security Officer Drake, he intends to ensure Breslin remains incarcerated for life. Rottmayer cunningly persuades Hobbes to allow him on deck for his nightly prayers under the pretenses of using a makeshift sextant to pinpoint the ship’s coordinates. By combining this information with weather observations, Breslin calculates that they are in the Atlantic Ocean nearby Morocco.
Breslin approaches the infirmary, convincing Dr. Kyrie to assist him and Rottmayer by transmitting a disguised email to Mannheim. Breslin fabricates a message signaling an impending riot, tricking Hobbes into concentrating security in cell block C. This distraction facilitates Javed’s instigation of a real riot in cell block A, granting Breslin and Rottmayer a critical opportunity to escape towards the deck while alerts echo throughout the facility.
In a fierce confrontation, Breslin takes down Drake, but tragically, Javed loses his life in the crossfire. As Breslin navigates to the engine room to reboot the power systems, Rottmayer hatches a plan to access the deck while a helicopter sent by Mannheim engages in a dramatic gunfight with the guards. Although they manage to board the helicopter, Breslin is caught in a torrent of water that forces him downwards. In a daring move, he eliminates Hobbes by igniting an explosion near a cluster of oil barrels, paving the way for their escape.
They ultimately land on a beach in Morocco, where Rottmayer reveals his true identity as Mannheim, with Miller being his daughter. The earlier disguise of “Portos” had been a signal indicating Breslin’s allegiance. Back at a Moroccan airfield, Ross informs Breslin that Clark has gone missing, but Hush has traced him to Miami, securing a plan to confront him aboard a shipping container.
Last Updated: October 27, 2024 at 16:46
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories where brilliant strategists must outsmart inescapable confinement.If you enjoyed the intellectual puzzle of Escape Plan, you'll like these movies about cunning escapes from high-security prisons or elaborate traps. This list features films where brilliant protagonists use strategy over brute force to achieve their freedom, perfect for fans of tactical problem-solving and high-stakes thrillers.
The narrative follows a highly intelligent protagonist who is trapped in a meticulously designed prison or situation. The plot unfolds as a series of intellectual challenges, where the hero must study their environment, identify weaknesses, and execute a complex, multi-stage plan, often with the clock ticking and the risk of discovery ever-present.
Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on intellectual prowess as the primary tool for survival and escape. They blend high-tension scenarios with the satisfaction of watching a meticulous plan come together, appealing to viewers who enjoy strategic problem-solving within a thrilling context.
Claustrophobic stories where advanced technology becomes the ultimate prison.Fans of Escape Plan's advanced prison setting will enjoy these movies where technology creates the cage. Discover similar stories of survival against intricate security systems, omnipresent surveillance, and futuristic confinement, offering a tense and action-packed viewing experience for those who like high-tech stakes.
The narrative conflict is defined by the characters' struggle against a technologically superior and often automated environment. The story explores the vulnerabilities and paradoxes within complex systems, as protagonists use both ingenuity and force to turn the technology of their prison against itself.
These films are united by their use of advanced technology as a central source of tension and confinement. They share a claustrophobic, high-stakes vibe where the battle is against a system rather than a single person, creating a unique blend of intellectual and physical thrills.
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