ESCAPE PLAN (2013)

If, back in the late 1980's, it was announced that Stallone and Schwarzenegger were making an action movie together it would have been the biggest news in the universe to a young teenage boy like me who had grown up endlessly watching COMMANDO and RAMBO:FIRST BLOOD PART II.  But now, 25 plus years later, they have both pissed all over their legacies so much (by releasing weak clunker after weak clunker) that outside of a little nostalgic interest I had zero excitement going into this film.

Stallone is a security expert whose specialty is escaping prisons and then suggesting improvements to the facility, but when he gets himself stuck in a top secret government prison, he realizes that he's been double crossed.  He then teams up with fellow prisoner, Schwarzenegger, to bust out of...well, wherever he is.  That sounds very exciting and a good writer and director could make a film out of that story that would cause viewers heads to explode, but instead nearly everything about this film is unoriginal and tired.  Also the budget seemed to be surprisingly low...I have no idea what the actual budget was, but the film at least looked more like something suitable for a Lundgren/Van Damme pairing than a Stallone/Schwarzenegger one.

Great story idea that never goes anywhere, stale action scenes, lame looking prison, Sam Neill on autopilot, non-threatening evil warden (this would have been an ideal role for Lundgren or some other 80's bad guy), bland everything else.  Some action movie fans might like it, but I can't see myself ever wanting to watch it again.  Highly disappointing.

Part 2 - Escape Plan 2: Hades (2018)
Part 3 - Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019)

THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE (1975)

Two years after he won the Academy Award for his heartbreaking performance in SAVE THE TIGER as a man on the verge of ruin, Jack Lemmon returns to the same emotional territory, but this time with a dark comedic edge to it.  Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft are a middle-aged couple living in New York City.  Both are stressed due to a heat wave, but when their apartment is robbed and Jack looses his job he has a nervous breakdown and Anne is forced to work to make ends meet.

As depressing as that sounds the screenplay by Neil Simon based on his own play is pretty funny and I really enjoyed seeing Lemmon flipping out and screaming at his wife, his neighbors and pretty much anybody within earshot.  Lemmon has always had a talent for expressing his character's inner emotions and that talent is on full display here.  That said, I think Anne Bancroft's performance might have been even better!  The entire movie she's toe-to-toe with with Lemmon and holding her own. They were both fantastic.  It was almost like they were feeding off of each others awesomeness.

The movie might be a product of it's time (living in NYC in the 70's), but I think it still holds up well today.  I've never been to NYC, but I still identified with both Lemmon and Bancroft's stressed out existence.  Recommended.

CLIFFHANGER (1993)

Hotshot mountain climber/rescue ranger/stud/'rock jock" Gabriel "Gabe" Walker (Sylvester Stallone) is having a bad day.  First, in the morning, while eating his breakfast, he watched ROCKY V on cable (this might not have actually happened in the movie) and then later, while on a rescue call, he drops his best friend's girlfriend off a 4,000 foot tall cliff.  D'oh!.  Gabe is riddled with guilt even though it wasn't his fault.  He gives up the mountain climbing rescue biz and splits town.

Eight months later, he returns to see if his girlfriend wants to join him.  Meanwhile, while Sly is packing his shit, an exciting mid-air robbery happens onboard a government airplane.  Long story short, three suitcases containing $100 million in cash are accidentally dropped at various locations around the mountain range.  The bad guys (John Lithgow and company) make a fake rescue call and then kidnap Sly and fellow rock jock Michael Rooker in order to force them to climb and get the suitcases.  Things don't go as planned.

For an older action movie, CLIFFHANGER looks surprisingly good and is pretty exciting.  Beautiful scenery, steady pace, a bunny rabbit, endearingly cheesy 90's special effects, awesome stunts and a impressive supporting cast including John Lithgow who does a good job as the bad guy despite having an annoying accent, burning stacks of money to keep warm despite literally being…in a forest.

Recommended for fans of older action movies.