It’s interesting that, like the stars of The Twilight series, Daniel Radcliffe seems to have taken the decision to mostly eschew blockbusters in his post franchise career. His latest film is a prison break drama that is both low key and high on tension. He plays Tim Jenkin, an anti apartheid activist in South Africa in the late 1970s. Arrested and imprisoned for 12 years with his friend, Stephen Lee (Daniel Webber), he plots a daring escape.
If the story was not true, you would be forgiven for thinking that Tim’s escape method was a bit far-fetched. However it results in a number of incredibly tense moments. Director Francis Annan keeps things moving well in a movie that is almost completely set in one location and mention also needs to be given to Chris Goodes’ excellent sound design.
It is true that some of the accents are a little wayward and the prison guards are a little caricatured, but this is a gripping film that is worth seeking out.
Rating: 8 out of 10