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The Escape Artist Photos

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Movie Info

After the death of heralded escape artist Harry Masters, his grieving son Danny (Griffin O'Neal) moves in with distant relatives. A talented magician in his own right, Danny aspires to break out from his father's legacy but finds trouble in the form of the delinquent son (Raul Julia) of the town's unscrupulous mayor (Desi Arnaz). The intrigue builds to a peak when Danny dares the local police force to incarcerate him, swearing he'll manage an escape that will rival those of his father.

Rating:

PG
Genre:

drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Caleb Deschanel
Producer:

Doug Claybourne, Buck Houghton
Writer:

Melissa Mathison, Stephen Zito
Release Date (Streaming):

Apr 19, 2016
Runtime:

1h 34m
Production Co:

Zoetrope Studios
Sound Mix:

Surround

Cast & Crew

Griffin O'Neal
Danny Masters

Raul Julia
Stu Quiñones

Desi Arnaz
Mayor Leon Quiñones

Teri Garr
Arlene

Joan Hackett
Aunt Sibyl

Gabriel Dell
Uncle Burke

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News & Interviews for The Escape Artist

Melissa Mathison: 1950-2015

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Critic Reviews for The Escape Artist

All Critics (5) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (1)

The Escape Artist is a heartbreaker, a movie with atmosphere, wit, soul, and absolutely zero narrative logic.

September 10, 2020 | Full Review…

David Denby
New York Magazine/Vulture
The Escape Artist is a glorious idea gone awry, yet it remains a pleasant 98 minutes in the theater.

October 22, 2018 | Full Review…

Bob Thomas
Associated Press
The Escape Artist doesn't always make sense, but the ultimate magic trick is that we don't care.

September 10, 2019 | Rating: 7/10 | Full Review…

Nathanael Hood
The Retro Set
...the movie's pervasive lack of drama or tension results in a palpably flat atmosphere that proves disastrous...

November 2, 2011 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
The Escape Artist is a riveting film about a son trying to prove himself to his father.

February 4, 2004 | Full Review…

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality & Practice

View All Critic Reviews (5)

Audience Reviews for The Escape Artist

Sep 06, 2010

An interesting movie about a young magician, and it has a good cast, but it gets real confusing at times. Good, but it could be better.

Aj V Super Reviewer
Dec 04, 2009

"The Escape Artist" starts promisingly enough with teenager Danny Masters(Griffin O'Neal)walking into a newspaper office, claiming that he can break out of a jail in an hour. This makes sense considering that his father was a master escape artist which runs in the family as Danny runs away from his grandmother towards his Aunt Sibyl(Joan Hackett) and Uncle Burke(Gabriel Dell) who have their own stage magic act that is complicated by Sibyl's psychic abilities. All of which are the ingredients for an offbeat and winning movie but alas that's not the case here as "The Escape Artist" is undermined by pedestrian direction and Danny's convoluted involvement with municipal corruption that he first encounters when he steals a wallet from Stu Quinones(a miscast Raul Julia), the son of the mayor(Desiderio Arnaz). While one could conceivably make a case for Danny and Stu joining forces, it is a tenuous connection at best.

Walter M Super Reviewer