Cert12A Stars 3

Daniel Radcliffe attempts a long walk to freedom in this deft and tense thriller based on a real-life prison escape during the barbaric regime of 1970’s apartheid South Africa.

The Harry Potter star has been in the public eye so long its remarkable to consider he’s still only 30 years old, and is well cast as a committed young political idealist.

As the bearded and bespectacled Tim Jenkin, he’s viewed as a traitor to his country and race, and described as ‘the white Mandela’ due to his opposition to the government.

Serving a 12 years stretch for activism and regarding himself a prisoner of war, he’s out of his depth in the harsh prison regime but with unexpected reserves of ingenuity, resilience and bravery.

Though this lacks the swaggering epic action of classic The Great Escape, or the macho sweaty grit of Clint Eastwood’s Escape From Alcatraz, it’s well-crafted, nicely performed and very strong on the mechanics of the escape and the inventive use of the basic materials the prisoners have access to.

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