An escape drama based on an actual prison break is liable to incarcerate viewers.
Clinton Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in a bleak tract of upstate New York, has a cold, caged, clanging hopelessness that seeps into the skin of inmates and staff alike. “Out in nature there are no right angles, but in here it’s all right angles,” muses prisoner Richard Matt. “Bars up, bars down, bars across.”
The place is not, so far into Soho’s Escape at Dannemora, any more cruel or violent than you’d expect. In fact, we see chief protagonists David Sweat (Paul Dano) and Matt doing serious time for crimes as yet undisclosed, painting, reading and listening to music. When corrections officer Gene Palmer (David Morse) suddenly headbutts Sweat and smashes his head on a toilet, it’s shocking but really just for form. Palmer mostly colludes with his favourites. In the case of Matt, it is to get the pretty pictures he paints to take home to his wife. Everyone knows the score.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
