Batman and Superman. Iron Man and Captain America. Deadpool and Wolverine. Superhero team-ups are box office events. Two alphas joining forces for one mission may be a tale as old as time, and that’s because it’s an effective way of telling a story. At one point, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger felt like real-life superheroes. Had they teamed up at the peak of their powers decades ago, it would have been a “stop everything and go watch” event. While Escape Plan did not have that cultural impact, the film has become a surprising hit since its 2013 release.
Directed by Mikael Håfström, Escape Plan stars Stallone as Ray Breslin, a former lawyer-turned-security expert who tests the security measures inside prisons. Breslin is purposely incarcerated to study prisons from the inside out. When the time is right, he then escapes and reports his findings. After being double-crossed and sent to a maximum-security prison, Ray meets Emil Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a fellow inmate who agrees to help execute an escape. Standing in the way is Hobbes (Jim Caviezel), a ruthless warden who wants to keep Ray behind bars for the rest of his life.
Escape Plan is now streaming on Netflix. If you missed this 2013 action film, here are three reasons to watch it.
Two action legends finally join forces
The idea of Stallone and Schwarzenegger teaming up in a movie would have never happened in the 1980s and 1990s. The action icons were bitter rivals for two decades, with each star trying to one-up the other to stay on top. Stallone even took a role in the terrible Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot after Schwarzenegger tricked him into doing it.
Time heals all, and as these two men (and their star power) aged, they finally worked together on The Expendables franchise before expanding their partnership to Escape Plan. While fans would’ve loved to have seen these two titans several decades ago, Stallone and Schwarzenegger still leaned into what makes them great in Escape Plan. Stallone has always been the superior dramatic actor, while Schwarzenegger is much better at delivering comedic lines. Ray is the brains, and Emil is the comedian. But both provide the brawn. This yin and yang combination works for their characters, who reluctantly team up to plan an escape.
Escape Plan embodies the spirit of a 1980s action movie
It’s not a coincidence that Escape Plan feels like a 1980s action movie. When you have two of the most important action stars of the last 50 years, you stick with a formula that works. The 1980s action films were unapologetically over-the-top, from the names and costumes to stunts and fights. The larger-than-life heroes were jacked, aggressive, and vigilant. Most importantly, they were always ready for a fight. Rambo, Rocky, the Terminator, and Dutch all became cultural icons.
While the characters in Escape Plan won’t live on forever like the four mentioned above, Ray Breslin and Emil Rottmayer still embody the spirit of the 1980s. Despite their age, Stallone and Schwarzenegger still had more muscles than most football players. The duo didn’t shy away from a fight, showing off their hand-to-hand combat skills in multiple prison riots. Escape Plan also features a loud, explosive final scene that (literally) goes out with a bang. If that’s not an ode to something in Predator or First Blood, then I don’t know what is.
Action films are escapism at its finest
Escape Plan is good old-fashioned popcorn entertainment. With all due respect to the film, no analytical thinking is required. Scouring Reddit to see if the penal system in Escape Plan is a reflection on class in America would be a waste of time. This is a movie where two men try to stage a breakout from an inescapable prison in the middle of the ocean.
Despite the lack of critical thinking, Escape Plan is not just some “dumb action movie.” The scenes of Ray explaining how to escape prison are extremely well done, aided by the use of 3D blueprints and easy-to-understand terminology. But yes, Sly and Arnold still beat people up at a breakneck pace. Movies like Escape Plan might be unrealistic, but they are fun to watch, easy to digest, and warrant repeat viewings.
Watch Escape Plan on Netflix.