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The Escape Artist

Play trailer Poster for The Escape Artist PG 1982 1h 34m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
After the death of heralded escape artist Harry Masters, his grieving son Danny (Griffin O'Neal) moves in with distant relatives. A talented magician in his own right, Danny aspires to break out from his father's legacy but finds trouble in the form of the delinquent son (Raul Julia) of the town's unscrupulous mayor (Desi Arnaz). The intrigue builds to a peak when Danny dares the local police force to incarcerate him, swearing he'll manage an escape that will rival those of his father.
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The Escape Artist

Critics Reviews

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David Denby New York Magazine/Vulture 09/10/2020
The Escape Artist is a heartbreaker, a movie with atmosphere, wit, soul, and absolutely zero narrative logic. Go to Full Review
Bob Thomas Associated Press 10/22/2018
The Escape Artist is a glorious idea gone awry, yet it remains a pleasant 98 minutes in the theater. Go to Full Review
Nathanael Hood The Retro Set 09/10/2019
7/10
The Escape Artist doesn't always make sense, but the ultimate magic trick is that we don't care. Go to Full Review
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 11/02/2011
2/4
...the movie's pervasive lack of drama or tension results in a palpably flat atmosphere that proves disastrous... Go to Full Review
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice 02/04/2004
The Escape Artist is a riveting film about a son trying to prove himself to his father. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Steve D 03/10/2023 There isn't enough here to engage. See more 12/13/2015 Like quite a few of Coppola's American Zoetrope productions, this film is more interesting than good. It's got a really interesting cast (Raul Julia, Teri Garr, Desi Arnaz, John P. Ryan, Jackie Coogan) and a fairly eccentric plot, but nothing seems to ever really click. There's a lifeless quality to the whole enterprise, as if all these great actors are playing their parts in separate rooms. See more 06/06/2014 on amazing great fucking movie and all time classic, a film u watch as a kid and never forgot, great ensemble cast, i tear up when i see this film makes me feel young again. man I miss raul julia, and griffin oneal, one joan hackett greatest films before she passed away a year later. See more 11/02/2013 As a fan of magic and Raul Julia, I figured I had to check this out. Griffin O'Neal is the son of a famous magician and wants to make a name for himself. He ends up befriending a sketchy Raul Julia and hatches a plan to break out of prison and break a safe. A few things felt like there was missing scenes, particularly in the final escape. Otherwise, this film is incredibly boring. It felt like nothing was going to happen and it just took forever to get there and the buildup was not worth the wait. See more 07/13/2013 You wanna know what you need? You need an education.' See more 01/23/2013 (***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] An odd and confusing film (at times), but I enjoyed watching it anyway. Good cast of characters. See more Read all reviews
The Escape Artist

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Movie Info

Synopsis After the death of heralded escape artist Harry Masters, his grieving son Danny (Griffin O'Neal) moves in with distant relatives. A talented magician in his own right, Danny aspires to break out from his father's legacy but finds trouble in the form of the delinquent son (Raul Julia) of the town's unscrupulous mayor (Desi Arnaz). The intrigue builds to a peak when Danny dares the local police force to incarcerate him, swearing he'll manage an escape that will rival those of his father.
Director
Caleb Deschanel
Producer
Doug Claybourne, Buck Houghton
Screenwriter
Melissa Mathison, Stephen Zito
Production Co
Zoetrope Studios
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2010
Runtime
1h 34m
Sound Mix
Surround
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