Escape Clause

Escape Clause

I like to think that movie makers take a good story and put it together into a good film. But sometimes they don't. Here it seems they wanted the ending to be undetectable so they twisted the story into knots and attached an ending to it that leaves you dazed and confused and wondering why you chose to watch it. The acting is ok but the screenplay is not. It's kind of like playing a game of Clue by yourself. 5/10.

Completely unbelievable. And, to top it off, the CN train doesn't even stop after wrecking a car? Well the conductor was probably calling an insurance company.

"Escape Clause" is a slick made-for-television thriller that is filled with melodramatic twists. An insurance executive named Richard Ramsey (Andrew McCarthy) receives a troubling phone call from a man who claims that Ramsey's life is in danger and that his wife is plotting his death. But it is the wife who is subsequently murdered. The plot is filled with hints that suggest anyone in the cast could be the murderer-extortionist. Police Lieutenant Farrand (Paul Sorvino) is the detective investigating the crime. One of the most nefarious of the characters is Ramsey's father-in-law, the powerful former deputy director of the CIA. The one genuine ally of Ramsey is Leslie Bullard, effectively played by Connie Britton. Leslie was attracted to Ramsey when they were students. Is her motivation to help him genuine? The film finds a way to make almost every one of the professions appear as corrupt. They include the insurance industry, psychiatry, the CIA, and the police force. Virtually every character associated with those fields of endeavor is sleazy and unethical. One of the staples of nineteenth-century melodramatic theater was the cliché device of a victim strapped to the railroad tracks as the train is hurtling toward him or her on a deadly collision course. The writers of "Escape Clause" have somehow found a way to bring back that old convention for a thrilling ending that wraps up the mystery in a tidy package. This is a "guilty pleasure" type of film that includes suspense, but also some laughs, as it brings back the popular melodramas of yore.

This is really a pretty good story. It's a good mystery that has you wondering who dunnit, at least for he first hour and a half. The letdown comes at the end, with a totally implausible ending that's pretty-much an anti-climax. Note: Possible spoilers ahead... There's one really lame part where one cop holds up a semi-automatic pistol and declares, "It's a ballistics match, with three shells expended..." There is no way to know on an auto-loading pistol how many 'shells have been expended', unless you have found the 'shells' at the scene. Simply deducting the remaining cartridges from the capacity is not enough to determine this, as it is unknown how many cartridges were loaded in the first place. The whole premise of the movie with respect to the 'curve' is not plausible... I don't buy the motivation of the killer. It's a good time waster, but the ending will be a letdown.

Here we have the old fashioned formula for suspense, mystery and thrills based on the ordinary mans successful life and what can go wrong? Hidden within the story is a story and then another and the points of view from the different players all keep you guessing as if to ask...are they what they are representing to be or is their more to what we see and hear. It follows in the best footsteps of the who dunnit and surely at some point, no one is above suspicion. I personally thought the sex scenes totally unnecessary and overdone and of course there are those that will now watch this for that reason. But those scenes distract and that is not why I gave this a ten. It is a gripper, edge of your seat, pay attention to what's happening type movie. Popcorn, sunflower seeds or tasty snack recommended to keep fingernails out of mouth. Include a tasty drink...enjoy

My main interest in seeing this film was Andrew McCarthy, as I have been a fan since I was a kid. I found the film to have a good story, occasionally predictable, but you will still want to watch till the end to see how everything plays out. Easily watchable, and Andrew McCarthy is brilliant as always. Paul Sorvino puts in a good turn as the cop, although the children are a bit wooden. As long as you dont have high expectations, it will surprise you.

Note: May contain possible spoilers! Richard Ramsey gets a phone-call from a man who claims that Richard's wife hired him to kill him for $10,000. When he meets him one evening, the hitman is shot to death himself. Not much later his wife Sarah Ramsey is also murdered, and Richard is the main suspect. After that the story gets more complicated, and there are several people who could have murdered both. For example Abe Shinoda, a Japanese partner of Richard's. Also Richard's stepfather Owen Jessop could have had his reasons to do it. And then you have Leslie Bullard, a friend of Sarah and Richard. As I said, complicated. Overall a decent little film, with nice acting by (for example) Paul Sorvino (Lt. Farrand), Connie Britton (Leslie Bullard), Kate McNeil (Sarah) and Andrew McCarthy (Richard), one of the less fortunate Bratpackers. I rate this film a 7/10!

I love this movie, the acting is very strong by Andrew McCarthy. It's awesome to see a movie take place in Connecticut and specifically feature places like Elizabeth park, Hartford, Essex and you can even see Hartford Whalers stuff in the house. its not common to see a movie with a connecticut setting. its not filmed there but that does not matter to me. its the setting that makes it interesting to me as well as the story line and emotions involved.