Escape From Pretoria

I have to admit I had a compelling reason to see this movie, two actors I really admire are in it; Daniel Radcliffe and Nathan Page.  Escape from jail movies to be honest are not really my thing, but that is how much I respect these two fine actors.

It is a very intense, thought provoking movie, I was a teen during the apartheid era in South Africa, I remember it, it was a horrible time.  So the opening stirred a lot of memories for me, I know this is a first look at what it was like to any younger viewers. (Some say that it is not explained enough but I thought it was quite clear in the film.)

This movie was based on a book by one of the escapees, Tim Jenkin, called “Inside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison”, the film tells the true-life story of political prisoners Jenkin  and Stephen Lee, two white South Africans who, along with other prisoners, hatched a plot to break out of Pretoria Central Prison in 1979 after being imprisoned on charges of producing and distributing 18 different pamphlets on behalf of banned organisations.

There are some spoilers in here…

Daniel Radcliffe as Tim Jenkin, Daniel Webber as Stephen Lee and Mark Leonard Winter as Leonard Fontaine were the three escapees, they were all really wonderful. 

Daniel Radcliffe as Tim Jenkins was the narrator of the film, which gives it a lot of it’s intimacy, it helps to know what it is going on in his mind as he plans. One look into his eyes and they are shining with emotion.  When he is on screen you literally can’t take your eyes off him.  (He has made such brilliant choices in his career since leaving behind his; Harry Potter character, this is really a great choice and he does brilliantly.)  The most touching part is after he pretends that the key is a photo holder and he looks at the picture of his family when you know his Dad is so very sick.

I actually have never seen Daniel Webber who played Stephen Lee before, he is an excellent actor.  Other then being one of Tim’s best friends and a fellow freedom fighter you don’t know much of his back ground, but his bravery and sense of humor shine through.  He was fiercely loyal to Tim and would do anything for him and their cause.

I have seen Mark Leonard Winter before but this is a very different part in this he played Leonard Fontaine, he gave an really intense performance, yet he was very likable and relatable,  with his sense of humor, his devotion to the cause and his love of his family.  I think I really was the most touched by him, in the scene with his son.  It made cry my eyes out.

They were aided by the legendary Denis Goldberg  played by Ian Hart (I have seen him before in several movies, an excellent actor) who explained how the jail works and all the things that could go wrong for them.  He really protected and helped them in important ways but he would not take part in the escape even though he had three lifetime sentences and might never see his wife and child again. (He was arrested at the same time Nelson Mandela was and he was a legend in the movement.) One of his most touching moments is when he turns down a chance to escape from Tim, after Tim leaves he cries over the photo of his wife and daughter.

Despite the fact these men were freedom fighters and they were using non lethal means of distributing flyers against apartheid, they received very harsh sentences and were treated as equal to the murderers that were also in the prison. 

 

The guards were no better then the convicted murderers; violent, harsh, bigoted, cruel and tormenting prisoners, they took pleasure in torturing all in their charge. They treated the black prisoners who cleaned the jail much worse. One of the worse the bunch was Mongo (played by Nathan Page, in an intense and completely convincing performance, I forgot the real person  and was completely immersed into the film. I despised the character. My favorite scene was the last scene, I won’t tell you what it is but it was a great transition and he played it superbly. ) 

 

My only criticism was how dark some of the scenes were, I know it was prison at night but sometimes it was hard to see what they were doing.  But in my opinion, it is very much a must see film. I highly recommend it. It is in limited release in theaters and On Demand on most cable channels.