The Escapist (2008, UK)

This was a great cerebral drama. It's hard to elaborate on the best points without giving away the ending, but suffice is to say that a lot of the elements that don't feel quite right suddenly make way too much sense in the end.

Frank Perry is more than 10 years into a life sentence without parole, and he decides to escape when his estranged daughter becomes ill. He gets a group of cons together and they arrange an escape. After they leave the prison, the rest of the film takes place in the tunnels, sewers, and underground rivers of subterranean London.

The acting is phenomenal, of course. I've never been a huge fan of Brian Cox, but he was pretty great as Frank Perry. Dominic Cooper is strong as the sexually abused young new con, and Joseph Fiennes is, as always, one of the best actors of all time.

Most of the action seemed to be shot with a hand-held camera, and it made it feel like it was a first-person account of the breakout.

I expected a twist at the end, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what pieces weren't lining up. When the twist came, I was floored. It was one of those endings that made the whole film incredible. Good stuff.

Rating: 4.0