Escape Plan (2013)
Escape Plan (2013) is an action-thriller film directed by Mikael Håfström, starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie revolves around Ray Breslin (played by Stallone), a former prosecutor turned structural-security expert who specializes in breaking out of high-security prisons to test their reliability. He co-owns a firm that ensures prisons are escape-proof by embedding himself as an inmate and then analyzing flaws in their systems from within.
Ray is approached by a CIA representative offering a lucrative deal to test a top-secret facility—one that operates off the grid and holds high-risk detainees. Despite some reservations, Ray accepts the job under the condition that his team will always know his location and ensure his extraction if needed. However, once inside the prison, known as The Tomb, Ray realizes he’s been betrayed—the prison staff have no knowledge of his mission, and communication with the outside world has been severed.
The Tomb is unlike any prison Ray has encountered: a high-tech fortress filled with glass cells, armed guards in black masks, and surveillance at every angle. The prison warden, Hobbes (Jim Caviezel), is ruthless and intelligent, having studied Ray’s background. Realizing he’s been set up to disappear permanently, Ray must rely on his experience and a fellow inmate, Emil Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), to plot a daring escape.
As Ray and Rottmayer build trust, they secretly gather intelligence on the prison’s layout and routines. Ray discovers that Rottmayer is more than he seems—he’s connected to a wealthy and powerful family that Hobbes is trying to exploit for information. With Rottmayer’s help, Ray deciphers the prison’s location, eventually learning it is housed inside a retrofitted cargo ship in international waters, making jurisdiction and rescue nearly impossible.
Together, they stage a bold and violent escape, using misdirection, calculated manipulation of the guards, and their deep understanding of human behavior and prison systems. The climax involves a massive confrontation, with Rottmayer revealing his true identity as Victor Mannheim, the man Hobbes had been hunting all along.
Escape Plan combines gritty action with a clever, high-stakes plot about trust, betrayal, and survival. With solid performances from its veteran action stars and a unique prison setting, it delivers a satisfying mix of intelligence and explosive thrills.
