This was a great jail break thriller. It has some shortcomings but really interesting stuff too.

This is first and foremost a jail-break film. It includes clever and satisfying breakthroughs as they their escape. The tension you feel up and down is great.

However, some parts feel very fabricated because of this. I have not read the book, but the parts of ex-machina misdirection, terrible guards, cover-it-up-just-in-time bits etc. Makes it feel a bit tropey.

The apartheid sub-plot/message kind of takes a backseat. Mostly delivered in VO and on-screen texts. I think it could be more incorporated here but that also includes character development. There was so little dialogue about the characters. They could've achieved bigger catharsis if you knew more about them personally. I think the shorter run-time had an effect on this.

The acting was pretty good. Radcliffe can have some hot or misses but I liked him in this. Same goes for the other cast, I just wish there was more time to get to know them all better.

The cinematography I really liked. The colours were immaculate. They hade some overexposed images when they were outside which added to the story. Some shots hade dual focus planes done in post which was interesting. I don't know if they were the first but it was incorporated well. It's not as fine-tuned like in "The Queen's Gambit" (2020) but I still love the creativity.

If you want to see a good jail-breaker, you have one. Just don't expect a Shawshank.