By Rachel Johnson
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Undeniably, two of Hollywood's most iconic action heroes and unforgettable leading men are Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, with both illustrious actors being staples on the silver screen for decades. The duo first skyrocketed to prominence in the '70s, with Stallone becoming a household name when he starred as Rocky Balboa in the Oscar-winning sports drama Rocky and Schwarzenegger serving as the focus for the critically acclaimed docudrama Pumping Iron.
The 1980s saw the cinema legends take on some of their most beloved action heroes, as Stallone went on to portray lone wolf soldier John Rambo while reprising his role as Balboa and Schwarzenegger dazzling moviegoers all across the world as the Terminator and in hits like Commando and Predator. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the two legends would join forces on the screen, finally giving audiences what they wanted in the 2013 action thriller Escape Plan and serving up an exhilarating good time for audiences.
Escape Plan
Two Hollywood Legends Gloriously Team Up
Silver screen legends Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone joined forces to headline the 2013 adrenaline-pumping action thriller Escape Plan. The actioner focuses on former prosecutor-turned-brilliant security specialist Ray Breslin, who is able to masterfully break out of any prison and exploit the facility's weakest points. This attracts a reputation as the world's most gifted escape artist. Breslin (Stallone) and his business partner Lester Clark (Vincent D'Onofrio) are approached by a mysterious CIA operative to test out a new, top-secret prison holding disappeared persons for a lucrative amount, though they cannot know its true location.
Despite having his reservations and going against his personal moral code, Breslin agrees to assess the facility and allows himself to be captured under the guise that he is a terrorist-for-hire. When Breslin shows up at the prison, he begins to suspect that someone doesn't want him ever breaking free of his confinement and is targeted by its malicious warden, Willard Hobbes (Jim Caviezel). While incarcerated, the savvy escapee is befriended by fellow inmate Emil Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger), who agrees to help him concoct a daring plan to find their way to freedom.
A Rip-Roaring Action Extravaganza
For decades, Stallone and Schwarzenegger had discussed the idea of starring in a movie alongside one another, with the idea first originating back in the 1980s with various scripts and pitches being proposed to the two action greats. Their busy schedules were unable to line up and talks of a potential collaboration were put on the back-burner until they both appeared in 2010's The Expendables, with Schwarzenegger making a cameo in Stallone's star-studded flick and reigniting talks of a joint big-screen project.
Escape Plan featured the dynamic duo in all their powerful glory, with the delightfully over-the-top premise and eclectic supporting cast including Caviezel, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Sam Neill, and D'Onofrio all helping make the exhilarating film an even bigger knockout with fans. Old-school action lovers thoroughly enjoyed seeing two of the cinema's most iconic action heroes team up to take down some seriously nasty bad guys, doing so with their rough-and-tumble signature flair and undeniable charisma and humor.
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In the exciting thriller, Breslin learns that Rottmayer had previously been the head security expert for the mystical Robin Hood-like figure known as Victor Mannheim, who stole from the wealthy to benefit those in need and heavily relied on the expertise of Rottmayer. In contrast, Breslin is haunted by the murders of his wife and daughter, who were killed by an escaped convict that he had previously prosecuted, causing him to make sure the world's worst offenders could never do any more harm. It was refreshing to see Stallone and Schwarzenegger tackle characters known for both their brains and brawn and actually have some depth to their counterparts.
Escape Plan's Success Leads to Thrilling Franchise
Escape Plan made its epic worldwide premiere on October 18, 2013, after first debuting at San Diego Comic-Con with both superstars attending, and it went on to gross over $137 million at the box office against a $54–70 million budget. Fans of both Stallone and Schwarzenegger flocked to witness the two cinema heavyweights headline the rip-roaring action movie, which earned a solid B+ CinemaScore and garnered appreciation for paying homage to their '80s classic hits and capturing the heart of their past must-see flicks.
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Despite garnering a mixed-bag response from critics, the impressive commercial performance of Escape Plan helped create a pulse-pounding action franchise that spawned two follow-up films, with Stallone returning for both sequels as the highly skilled Ray Breslin. Though neither was able to reach the success of the original, they did feature Stallone working opposite Dave Bautista and like the first installment are perfect popcorn movies and are some fun and easy viewing.
Escape Plan is now available to watch on Netflix and has already found success on the streaming giant since being added to their dazzling catalog, climbing the ranks on the platform's Top Ten Films list and keeping viewers entertained with its larger-than-life heroes, electrifying action sequences, and charismatic performances of its fan-favorite leading men. In their review of the entertaining extravaganza, Behind the Lens perfectly summed up Escape Plan: "Classic one-liners. Classic buddies. Classic action. Escape Plan is everything that we love about classic action movies and the genre's high gods, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger."
Stream Escape Plan on Netflix.