I mean, It's no Shawshank. Radcliff's performance was the highlight for me - even though he didn't really becomes a person, he's just that intense intelligent guy I guess. The story however is just a little too flat to make an impact. It lacks in character immersion, the storyline doesn't have any details that make you go oeh or ah. It's really just a very straightforward flick.

Yes, there is some tension, but It all comes from the same thing, the sense of getting caught. Which is a valid and important one in a prison break movie, but there are no extra layers. Actually, because of the only tension being about things that go wrong while time is running out because the guard comes, It all felt a bit stale at the end, when they actually did make their final run. It even annoyed me a little.

There are so many other jail break movies, and even series, that managed to bring more. And especially with the premise of the actual story, I felt they could have added a bit more flavour. More than just a prison break. Add a bit more politics, apartheid backdrop and character development.

It's not fair to compare It to Shawshank maybe, but that movie was even more about the people than the prison break. Escape from Pretoria had nothing really going on other than quite dutiful tell a story as flat and straightforward as possible. Rather would have watched a documentary about it.