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Escape From Pretoria

Play trailer 2:31 Poster for Escape From Pretoria PG-13 Released Mar 6, 2020 1h 41m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
73% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Sentenced to a South African prison for 12 years, anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin and his fellow inmates devise a daring plan to escape.
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Escape From Pretoria

Escape From Pretoria

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Critics Consensus

Escape from Pretoria doesn't quite do justice to the fact-based story it's dramatizing, but that lack of depth is offset by suitably gripping jailbreak action.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald The pleasure here is in the fine detail, and Annan makes sure we feel every scrape of chisel on wood. The characterizations are not deep, but that's part of the genre. Rated: 4/5 May 27, 2020 Full Review Danny Leigh Financial Times Annan knows how to grip, his story accelerating with a jittery rhythm, while Radcliffe's eternal earnestness fits the bill neatly. Rated: 3/5 Mar 18, 2020 Full Review Wendy Ide Observer (UK) It's the nervy camera, hugging the characters at hip height, the better to scrutinise each locked barrier to freedom, that most successfully builds the tension. Rated: 3/5 Mar 9, 2020 Full Review Olly Richards NME (New Musical Express) For the most part, Escape From Pretoria works well, but it's a shame Annan didn't take more time to dig into the ordinary men who made this extraordinary escape. Rated: 3/5 Apr 29, 2021 Full Review Deirdre Molumby entertainment.ie We haven't had a good prison escape drama in years. Escape from Pretoria isn't perfect, but with an effective pace and gripping sequences, it works. Rated: 3.5/5 Feb 23, 2021 Full Review Pablo O. Scholz Clarín Like those classic prison movies. [Full review in Spanish] Oct 26, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (119) audience reviews
Iain F Left me in need of a wee lie down. Intense suspenseful edge of your seat thriller Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/14/24 Full Review Georgan G Good acting. Interesting, but slow. Despite living through the era, I am surprised to not recall this story. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/28/24 Full Review Kelly K Well done, suspenseful. Shameful state of the world with apartheid. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/24/24 Full Review Jeremy A A little slow for a prison escape movie but the last act is good. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/09/24 Full Review Laurie S So it seems the guards were sub- humans in a system run by non-humans. I really, really hope karma came their way and they all died of pain of death. It was a good suspenseful film. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/22/24 Full Review M7AMD A boring and very rushed, i hate all the characters on this movie Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Escape From Pretoria

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Sentenced to a South African prison for 12 years, anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin and his fellow inmates devise a daring plan to escape.
Director
Francis Annan
Producer
David Barron, Neal H. Moritz, Toru Nakahara
Screenwriter
Francis Annan, L.H. Adams
Distributor
Momentum Pictures
Production Co
Arclight Films, Premiere Picture, Spier Films
Rating
PG-13 (Some Disturbing Material|Language|Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 6, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 6, 2020
Runtime
1h 41m
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