Akilla's Escape

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Akilla's Escape

2021

1h 30m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

47%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A drug dealer finds his moral code challenged when he interrupts an armed robbery and captures one of the gang members who is a 15-year-old boy.

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Critics Consensus

Akilla's Escape occasionally loses sight of its strongest assets, but solid acting and a smart story make this a neo-noir worth watching.

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Whelan Barzey

Time Out

07/25/2023

3/5

It’s an uneven puzzle: eye-catching but not entirely convincing when put together.

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Leslie Felperin

Financial Times

08/25/2022

3/5

The editing and cinematography are heavily stylised, which can make the film feel like a flighty distended music video at times, but Williams and Mpumlwana’s alert, compelling performances keep things grounded in grit.

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Phil Hoad

Guardian

08/23/2022

2/5

It’s all not quite enough to get Officer’s film to live up to its pretensions, which are also present in the overlong opening credits discoursing on Jamaican history and corruption; themes hinted at later but which never entirely bloom.

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Shakyl Lambert

CGMagazine

07/12/2024

7.5/10

Although it suffers from slow pacing, Akilla’s Escape remains an engaging neo-noir mainly off the strength of its two lead performances.

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Edward Porter

Sunday Times (UK)

09/13/2022

2/5

Williams is a strong presence, but the story’s elements — past and present — blur together in a monotonous whole.

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Josh Parham

Next Best Picture

06/05/2022

4/10

The themes explored lack nuance, the storytelling doesn't craft an engaging pace, and the performances are near-universally bland.

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10/01/2021

A hauntingly beautiful tale of redemption and fatherhood. Saul Williams is a movie star. Highly recommend. Take it in.

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07/12/2021

Pretty conventional on many levels and on most of its story beats. Has some good acting and ideas but it's stuck in usual gang story.

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Charles Officer

Director

Saul Williams

Akilla

Thamela Mpumlwana

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Donisha Rita Claire Prendergast

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Synopsis

A drug dealer finds his moral code challenged when he interrupts an armed robbery and captures one of the gang members who is a 15-year-old boy.

Director: Charles Officer
Producer: Jake Yanowski
Screenwriter: Charles Officer, Wendy Motion Brathwaite
Distributor: Vertical Entertainment
Production Co: Canesugar Filmworks
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 11, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 11, 2021
Runtime: 1h 30m

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