Movie: Escape Plan

I’m seeing as many films as possible at the moment, partly because I’m on birthday holiday (what, you don’t have a birthday holiday?) at the end of the month and partly because there are things to see. And there haven’t always been things to see this year.Having seen Captain Phillips the day before where my expectations were high, I squeeze in this where my expectations were, well, much lower.Yes I’ve course I had to see it, it has Arnie in it. Have you not seen The Last Stand for that reason alone?Well The Escape Plan is much better; it feels like a Stallone film but actually it isn’t. In any case, I’ve never been a fan of Rocky man but in recent years have enjoyed Rocky Balboa & The Expendables. And this is better than the Expendables.So first off, I’m not a fan of prison movies, on the account that I’m claustrophobic and also value my freedom more than any other single thing in this life. I didn’t even know this was a prison break film until the day before. Yes the clue is in the title but you could be escaping from anything. Plus I just had this down as the new Stallone/Arnie flick, paid no regard to what they called it as it makes not a jot of difference to me wanting to see it.But in the middle of Saturday afternoon I get myself comfortable with a coffee and a sandwich - so grown up! -  for what I would not call an action flick.Sly Stallone plays Ray Breslin, a former prosecutor who set up very successful business where he puts his life in danger by checking himself into prison and then proving that he can break out of it. He’s doing this to keep the bad guys in although the motivation is not explained, we’re left guessing there was some incident some time ago.  Only, when he is booked by the CIA to go to the most secure prison of all, the plan goes wrong and his friends don’t know which prison he is in as the tracker inside him is immediately removed as he is drugged unconscious. So how will he get out of this one?Breslin, who literally wrote the book on prison security that is sitting on the warden’s desk, is sent straight to a secret prison where the guards are creepier than ever as they wear Darth Vader style masks whereby no-one can identify them. (The inmates give them nicknames based on their movements like ‘chicken’).He is quickly befriended by Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who notices Breslin is always looking around at the guards movements and as there is no communication with the outside world, eventually they form a team. Trying to figure out their escape plan they go through various forms of torture from the evil warden and his team of sadistic ‘Robocop’ styled guards, performed in full view of inmates, that I had to avert my eyes from. (It’s only a 12a, mind).I did not recognise 50 Cents as the computer hacker but then he had about three lines. Fair play I say. I did not see the twist coming at the end either as I was too busy either covering my eyes or hanging onto my seat.It would have been nice to have a little more humour, to add to the references to 'Taken' and 'Robocop' (although that could be coincidence) but this film had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I would watch again (slightly further back in my seat next time).8/10 (So close to 8½ if I hadn’t seen Captain Phillips the day before)Smile factor: 5/10Coffee rating: Americano