Escape from Pretoria
Premise - Two South African men become prisoners of war in the 1970s after they spread government information on behalf of the African National Congress during the apartheid. Based on true events, this film details the unbelievable tale of their escape using a combination of keys crafted from spare pieces of wood.
Review - Okay, so this film is actually really freakin' amazing? I mean, okay, I've seen all of Daniel Radcliffe's films and I am a massively biased fan, but there are certain films of his I would never watch had he not been the star. There are films that I fully acknowledge were subpar (even if I still enjoyed his performance!). This is one of those films that I thought would be very subpar, along the lines of Beast of Burden or maybe Jungle. It's gone all but unnoticed as a low-budget foreign film. But holy crap it's freakin' amazingly well done.
I mean, I think it is still noticeable that it's relatively low budget, but that does not negatively impact the film because you do not need any special effects for this true tale. It's all about the practical effects - sculpting the keys, building the contraptions, etc. And for a film that has been pieced together by a million different small film companies, it still feels very much like it has a strong central thread.
I loved the music, the shots, the directing. Seldom have I ever seen a thriller that can get my heart pumping so wildly. Even knowing the ending (obviously Tim Jenkin escaped and lived to both tell the tale and write a book about it), I was so on edge that I had to pause the film and deflate a few times. Prison escape films must exist a dime a dozen, so other viewers may think "been there, done that" but for me, this was entirely new territory. This is not a genre I seek out. And even those who have seen other prison escape films, have you ever seen one that required so much attention to detail? After this film though, I do plan on watching other prison escape films. I was reminded so deeply of how much I despise the prison system and how immoral I find it to keep people captive. The desire for freedom is so powerful I can barely stand to watch it.
Most importantly, this is a prison escape film with high social meaning. It's not a bunch of questionably moral convicts who outsmarted their guards and saved themselves - these were prisoners of war who were determined to fight back against their racist government. These men wanted to escape not for their own benefit, but for society's. If they were in jail, then they couldn't fight on behalf of black people. Though every prisoner wishes to escape, rarely are they motivated to do so by moral principles. And we see how this makes a difference in outcome - part of their ability to escape was because of the help they received from black people (through Tim's girlfriend and the janitor).
So praise to Daniel Radcliffe! His acting was spectacular, some of his best - beautifully subtle performance. I know the real-life Tim Jenkin was proud of Daniel Radcliffe’s performance not just because of his acting, but because his own personal political motivation to do the film justice. Tim Jenkin admitted that it takes a certain political ideology to fully embrace the role. So the real praise goes to opening my eyes to the South African apartheid and motivating me to read more into this historic movement to liberate black people. (92/100)
Quote - "Anything short of escape is a pact with the devil himself. You know that. One by one this government is hacking everything we stand for to pieces and our inactivity is complicit."
What to watch for - Definitely not those 1970's glasses, my goodness. Actually though, there's good music in this to keep an ear out for.
If you liked this movie, I'd recommend Colonia! That is the Emma Watson equivalent of this film.
Based on true events detailed in Inside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison by Tim Jenkin
Directed by Francis Annan
Distributed by Signature Entertainment
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