Here's my latest review of Owen Wilson thriller "No Escape" for MoviesWithButter.com:
The last thriller from Owen Wilson that I could remember is “Behind Enemy Lines,” an action thriller from 2001 that I liked. Compared to that, “No Escape” is just as tense, but more dramatic because of the family element.
“No Escape” doesn’t waste any time setting up the premise. Once Wilson’s character Jack Dwyer and his family -- wife and two girls -- lands in Thailand, the film gets rolling.
Thailand’s going through one of its frequent coups (which seems to happen every four years or so), and this time, it’s caused by an American water company, for which our hero works. Dwyer has been relocated to fix the region’s water system. Unbeknownst to him, the Thai rebels didn’t like the Americans taking over their country’s water supply, so they went after every American they can find but specifically targeting Dwyer because he works for said company, and there’s a banner with his face and the company’s name on it in the hotel where he and his family are staying.
During the many scuffles between the Dwyer family and the rebels, I was only able to spot one instance of an elbow and knee to someone’s torso or face, so those thinking there’ll be some Tony Jaa action will be disappointed (no, he’s not in the film). I wasn’t but was more surprised that the filmmakers threw one in.
Pierce Brosnan’s role in the film is just to pop in once in a while to provide a few chuckles, and that seems to be it. The filmmakers make up a more substantial reason to tie him to the story, but it’s really unnecessary and doesn’t make much sense.
