![]() Still, for a viewer who accepts that getting caught remains a possibility, Annan does find the usual ways to generate suspense - and once or twice, he and co-screenwriter L.H. That guard isn’t used for comic effect, really, so it’s hard to say why the pic makes him so unthreatening. Then there’s that Keystone Kop who seems to be the only lawman in the jail after lockup: He wheezes and waddles on his rounds, in no hurry to investigate noises he surely hears if he sees a clue that something’s amiss on the cell block, you can be fairly sure he’ll ignore it so he can get back to his chair and his opera records. If you can’t get to the button, you could probably just pry the chain off its gear. Security cameras would have made it impossible, for instance the highest-tech thing in the jail seems to be the big button that controls a barred door via a motor and bicycle chain. Viewers who find this quaintly low-tech will have many opportunities in the film’s second half to observe how this breakout could never have happened today. (The film mostly eliminates what must have been an agonizingly long trial-and-error phase.) Tim, who has a job in the wood shop, takes every opportunity to scrutinize the shape of guards’ cell keys, then carves little replicas to try on his own cell. (In real life, it seems Goldberg was willing to join the attempt, only backing out after practicalities interfered.) From day one, Tim is fixated on plans to escape, but Goldberg argues vehemently against it: They’re prisoners of conscience, he argues, who must play that role stoically and anyway, getting out is impossible. This is Denis Goldberg (Ian Hart), who’s serving an impossibly long term for armed support of Nelson Mandela. Escape from Pretoria is produced by Arclight Films and distributed in the United States by Momentum Pictures.On the inside, the film quickly settles into a familiar mode: An older prisoner takes the men under his wing, warning them of which inmates to avoid and explaining how eager guards are to shoot if they’re given a reason. Escape from Pretoria could have explored their backgrounds further, and why they chose to risk everything for the subjugated. Jenkin and Lee had beliefs worth fighting for and getting imprisoned. The purpose of this film isn't just an interesting get out of jail thriller. ![]() The opening primer on apartheid violence, social injustice, and repression needed to elaborate further. It's an unnecessary crutch, the acting and story don't need the assistance. Radcliffe, as Jenkin, provides a running commentary that explains everything they do. ![]() First and foremost, there's an over-reliance on voice over narration. I had a couple of minor issues with the film. Radcliffe looks like he's about to jump out of his skin, but remains cool in several sticky situations. You'll watch nervously as the vicious captain (Grant Piro) searches his cell for contraband. Daniel Radciffe is especially good under duress. They skillfully hide their tools in plain sight, but have multiple set-backs. Jenkin, Lee, and Fontaine could be caught at any moment. The nuts and bolts of the escape dominate the runtime. They were cut off from the outside world, but saw daily how the guards beat and cruelly mistreated the black servant prisoners. They shared their beliefs, especially Denis Goldberg, and contributed to their plan. ![]() Jenkin and Lee's time in the prison is spent with other political prisoners. But shows why men of conscience, who were born in the ruling race and upper-class swore to fight against it. Tim Jenkin, after observing the guards, and the locks on their cells devises an ingenious plan to escape.Įscape from Pretoria opens with shocking footage of apartheid violence. While other prisoners accept their fate, a belligerent Frenchman, Leonard Fontaine (Mark Leonard Winter), refuses to be broken. Jenkin and Lee are looked after by Denis Goldberg (Ian Hart), a political prisoner and ally of Mandela serving a life sentence. They had sold out their sacred white heritage to fight for the inferior blacks. The Afrikaner guards, fueled by their racial animosity and superiority beliefs, despised Jenkin and Lee. ![]()
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