Escape From Pretoria 2020

The 2020 film Escape from Pretoria is a true story directed by Francis Annan and filmed in Australia. Based on the title you can probably take a guess at the plot line. While the general direction of the movie is rather predictable, the suspense and true nature of the story keep it very captivating until you know what happens in the end.

If for no other reason, I would recommend watching to see a real event under the 1970's South African apartheid. It does a good job at showing some of the extent to which the government was committed to systemic racism, as well as what some of the great activists had to overcome during that time.

This is a suspenseful, emotional, and honestly crazy true story of a few activists learning how to survive prison, while also devising an escape plan 1 piece at a time. You'll see as the film begins with events of the main characters spreading information that the government did not want citizens to have and this causes them to be arrested and thrown in jail. While in jail they befriend a few groups that assist in various ways to help develop their plan. It's obvious that this was a different era and you can see how many things have changed in the incarceration process since then.

While there were a few moments that I question the true nature of, the constant suspense keeps you watching very closely to what happens next. Daniel Radcliffe and his colleagues deserve some applause for their performances as well.

I'll be looking for what Francis Annan does in the future to see what he brings to the table. I had some questions about the reality of some scenes, but I didn enjoy the roller-coaster it provided. 7/10.