Review of No Escape (2015) by Brittany H — 07 Sep 2015

I don't know if I'm sensitive to this type of material, but this movie was intense as hell for me to watch. Halfway through it, I had to run to the bathroom because I was having a minor panic attack. I regathered myself, but throughout the rest of the movie I still had an empty, sinking feeling in my gut and could only relax during the slight comic relief of Pierce Bronson and his partner. Other than that, it's a pretty typical "feel bad for us because we're a white family with children" movie, with pretty impressive acting and extremely suspenseful scenes (especially the beginning in the hotel). I think the resolution was perfect, although the very end was quite cheesy, but hey, you have to expect that from a family-based film. Worth the see, but, if you're prone to anxiety or panic attacks, you may not want to watch this in a theater - it may be that more intensifying for you, and really feel like there is "no escape".

Also - I wish this movie focused more on how America was in the wrong. I've seen too many movies attacking foreigners with underlying racism and "terrorism", and I was excited to see it was mentioned in the movie how Americans were basically enslaving Laos' people. I wish there was more backstory to it, but at least this wasn't an "American Sniper" situation.