38
Metascore
33 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliNo Escape is a throwback to an era when movies of this genre were defined by suspense and tension. Dowdle isn't interested in providing a safe harbor for those who want a comfortable way to spend two hours. His vision is edgy and exhausting and, for the most part, his execution breathes life into it, tossing a firecracker into the sleepy post-summer movie doldrums.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperChicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperThere’s no denying director/co-writer John Erick Dowdle’s skill set for creating almost unbearably tense and quite twisted suspense pieces in which you’ll find yourself laughing at the sheer unapologetic insanity of it all.
- A Taken-style no-holds-barred family survival action film, with an inevitable side order of xenophobia undimmed by the indictment of faceless corporate chicanery.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonThe Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonNo Escape is a pedestrian but modestly gripping nerve-jangler from writer-director John Erick Dowdle.
- 50Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlNo Escape, while cruel, is often uncommonly suspenseful. And by pitting its white leads against the citizen hordes of Southeast Asia, No Escape is also uncommonly honest about the fears and assumptions that fuel adventure fiction — here, the Other is not abstracted away to orcs or aliens.
- 42The PlaylistNick SchagerThe PlaylistNick SchagerA preposterous, monotonous action saga primarily notable for boasting a miscast lead and advancing a less-than-tolerant geopolitical fantasy.
- 30VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangGrittily propulsive filmmaking and solid performances from Owen Wilson and Lake Bell aside, there’s no escaping the movie’s hand-wringing manipulations and pandering sense of privilege.
- 20TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeBetween the script and the superior editing by Elliot Greenberg (“Chronicle”), there’s an enormous amount of tension and thrills to be found here; unfortunately, they’re all in the service of a movie that’s reprehensible to the core.
- 20Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfNo Escape takes pains to pause for some unconvincing speechifying about Western meddling abroad, but its showbiz racism gets an infuriating pass.
- 0Slant MagazineJake ColeSlant MagazineJake ColeThe only way that this film could be any more racist is if the Dwyer family holed up with Lillian Gish and waited for the Klan to save them.