Escape (Norway: Flukt), 2012.
Directed by Roar Uthaug.
Starring Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Kristian Espedel, Isabel Christine Andreasen and Milla Olin.
SYNOPSIS:
Ten years after the Black Plague ravaged their country, a poor family sets out on a journey for a new home. On a remote mountain pass, they are attacked by a band of merciless killers led by the vicious Dagmar (Ingrid Bolso Berdal) and the only one spared is young Signe (Isabel Christine Andreasen), who is taken hostage. At the gang’s camp she meets fellow kidnap victim Frigg (Milla Olin) and learns about a terrible fate that awaits her. There is nothing for it but to escape, but Dagmar will not let Signe go that easily…
When this was first offered to me there wasn’t much of a synopsis as all the editor had in the way of info was “Norwegian Thriller”, so I raised my hand and accepted. When it arrived I was rather happy to discover that I actually had a “Viking” film (those that know me may understand why this made me happy and if you don’t, read my signature at the bottom). The “Fast Sell” on my drop sheet read as “the best of The Hunger Games and Mad Max…”; now here I have a conflict as The Hunger Games film bored me witless and I enjoy Mad Max, so hoping it was more of the latter I ploughed on. I can confirm that the only whiff of Katniss and Peter’s dystopian world is that our heroine is running away from people, in this case a bunch of sex starved Norwegians and their female leader called Dagmar, who is a few barrels of mead short of a Valhalla knees up, and the similarities to Mad Max see our protagonist being chased by leather wearing, crazy hair cut styling killers.
The film isn’t great but nor is it bad. What holds this film back is time. We are given just over 70 minutes and I never felt like I was allowed to care about our heroine (Signe) or have an understanding of the bad guys/gal troupe that chased Signe around the forests of Norway, which to be honest (all be it beautiful) seemed to stay within a small radius of ground to film in. Perhaps this is another similarity to Hunger Games as that too felt like they were in another generic forest from any Stargate SG-1 episode.
Turning back to the issue of time this also generated an outburst from my wifey. During the rather rushed final 5 minutes of the film we witnessed Signe go from a whimpering drip of a girl to a clued up stalking killer. This just can’t be allowed to be classed as “believable” in my mind and I’m sure dear reader you’ll have the same problem as did my wifey when she announced “this is stupid!” in the final few moments.
So to sum up, Escape just breaks as okay, but I don’t think it’s the fault of the director or cast – more those that hold the purse strings, and the allotted time given for the movie. Perhaps with half an hour more we would have had a good film on our hands here.
Flickering Myth Rating: Film ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★
Villordsutch is married with kids and pets. He looks like a tubby Viking and enjoys science fiction. Follow him on Twitter.
Originally published July 29, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
