The Escapist (2002): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2002, The Escapist is an action, thriller, drama and crime film directed by Gillies MacKinnon, running about 88 minutes. “He can escape from anything... except his past.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Denis Hopkins, a pilot, lives with his pregnant wife Valerie and has a comfortable lifestyle. When a gang of criminals led by the sadistic Ricky Barnes breaks into his home, he offers whatever the criminals want to protect his wife and unborn child, but the evil Ricky kills Valerie anyway. Their baby is saved, and later Barnes is arrested and sentenced to life in the maximum security prison, Sullen Voe. Denis fakes his own suicide, then assaults a police car in order to get himself arrested and sent to prison with the intention of tracking down and killing Ricky Barnes. He does not reveal his true name and is called John "What" by the prisoners and guards. Denis escapes from successive prisons, forcing his eventual transfer to Sullen Voe. When he reaches his objective, Ricky Barnes schedules a confrontation, but things do not quite turn out the way Denis had expected.

Who’s in it. The Escapist stars Jonny Lee Miller as Denis Hopkins, Gary Lewis as Ron, Jodhi May as Christine and Andy Serkis as Ricky Barnes, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.5/10, The Escapist has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Escapist page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Escapist tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.