Escape From Pretoria | Rotten Tomatoes

Escape From Pretoria

PG-13

Released Mar 6, 2020

1h 41m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Escape From Pretoria: Trailer 1

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73%

Tomatometer

44 Reviews

87%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

Sentenced to a South African prison for 12 years, anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin and his fellow inmates devise a daring plan to escape.

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Critics Consensus

Escape from Pretoria doesn't quite do justice to the fact-based story it's dramatizing, but that lack of depth is offset by suitably gripping jailbreak action.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

The pleasure here is in the fine detail, and Annan makes sure we feel every scrape of chisel on wood. The characterizations are not deep, but that's part of the genre.

Rated: 4/5

May 27, 2020

Full Review

Danny Leigh

Financial Times

Annan knows how to grip, his story accelerating with a jittery rhythm, while Radcliffe's eternal earnestness fits the bill neatly.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 18, 2020

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

It's the nervy camera, hugging the characters at hip height, the better to scrutinise each locked barrier to freedom, that most successfully builds the tension.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 9, 2020

Full Review

Olly Richards

NME (New Musical Express)

For the most part, Escape From Pretoria works well, but it's a shame Annan didn't take more time to dig into the ordinary men who made this extraordinary escape.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 29, 2021

Full Review

Deirdre Molumby

entertainment.ie

We haven't had a good prison escape drama in years. Escape from Pretoria isn't perfect, but with an effective pace and gripping sequences, it works.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 23, 2021

Full Review

Pablo O. Scholz

Clarín

Like those classic prison movies. [Full review in Spanish]

Oct 26, 2020

Full Review

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M7AMD A

boring and very rushed, i hate all the characters on this movie

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/24

Full Review

Adam R

I place this title right next to my favourite Shawshank Redemption. Radcliff and the two other escapees show so much intensity I was worried that the actors will get a heart attack. Either them or me. Photography is also top notch. The story also largely reflects what is said to have actually happened. Radcliff consulted the real life Jenkins. I was shocked to realise that Apartheid only ended in the 1990s. I originally reviewed it on IMDB (which, btw, is not my jam anymore after I realised Amazon took it over and messes around with some of the reviews) and have noticed that some critics actually give one star to this movie arguing that it misrepresents facts (as if apartheid wasn't actually so bad?). Well, why not give it a try and have your own opinion?

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/11/24

Full Review

Emilliano Jr S

So underated. With its political theme, it was full of excitement.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/27/23

Full Review

Courtney K

i really love what Daniel Radcliff has been doing post-HP & this role is no exception, but like a few others have pointed out, it was kind of just "meh" overall. not because of the actors but because of the story; not a lot happens to keep your attention. watching them escape is similar to reading a newspaper article. pretty un-invigorating.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/21/23

Full Review

Ricky P

I liked this film. Although not a huge Daniel Ratcliffe fan I think he did justice to the role. The film could have dug deeper into the plot and characters but it decided to lighten things up a bit. It didn't really detract from the story. It's a good indie film that wants you to cheer for the apartheid prisoners over the smug, bullying guards. I've watched it three times and I ll probably watch it another three.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/26/23

Full Review

jennifer k

great classic prison movie. loved it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/21/23

Full Review

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Francis Annan

Director

Daniel Radcliffe

Tim Jenkin

Ian Hart

Denis Goldberg

Daniel Webber

Stephen Lee

Nathan Page

Mongo

Stephen Hunter

Peter Jenkin

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Escape From Pretoria: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Sentenced to a South African prison for 12 years, anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin and his fellow inmates devise a daring plan to escape.

Director: Francis Annan
Producer: David Barron, Neal H. Moritz, Toru Nakahara
Screenwriter: Francis Annan, L.H. Adams
Distributor: Momentum Pictures
Production Co: Arclight Films, Premiere Picture, Spier Films
Rating: PG-13 (Some Disturbing Material|Language|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 6, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 6, 2020
Runtime: 1h 41m

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