The Escape Artist

PG

1982

1 hr. 34 min.

Drama

List

80%

5 Reviews

Tomatometer

63%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Steve D

There isn't enough here to engage.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

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.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

You wanna know what you need? You need an education.'

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

(***): [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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

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Caleb Deschanel

Director

Griffin O'Neal

Danny Masters

Raul Julia

Stu Quiñones

Desi Arnaz

Mayor Leon Quiñones

Teri Garr

Arlene

Joan Hackett

Aunt Sibyl

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Melissa Mathison: 1950-2015

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

The Escape Artist is a heartbreaker, a movie with atmosphere, wit, soul, and absolutely zero narrative logic.

Sep 10, 2020

Full Review

Bob Thomas

Associated Press

The Escape Artist is a glorious idea gone awry, yet it remains a pleasant 98 minutes in the theater.

Oct 22, 2018

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

The Retro Set

The Escape Artist doesn't always make sense, but the ultimate magic trick is that we don't care.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 10, 2019

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...the movie's pervasive lack of drama or tension results in a palpably flat atmosphere that proves disastrous...

Rated: 2/4

Nov 2, 2011

Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

The Escape Artist is a riveting film about a son trying to prove himself to his father.

Feb 4, 2004

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Roos
Screenwriter: Melissa Mathison, Stephen Zito
Production Co: Zoetrope Studios
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2010
Sound Mix: Surround

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