Starring Alexander Siddig, Joshua Jackson
Directed by Ruba Nadda
In 2009s Cairo Time, writer-director Ruba Nadda told the tale of a married American woman and her Egyptian guide wandering around the titular city while desperately quelling their feelings for one another. Nothing about that study in repression suggested that we should expect Naddas follow up to be an action-heavy, vaguely topical version of Taken.
And yet, here we are watching Adib (Alexander Siddig), a Toronto businessman, receiving word that his daughter has been abducted in his native Syria.
Jetting off to her rescue, he enlists the aid of his ex-fiancée (Marisa Tomei), asks pointed questions of his former military intelligence partner (Oded Fehr), and grows suspicious of a shady Canadian diplomat (Joshua Jackson). Could it be that Adibs daughter is now suffering for the past sins of her father? More importantly: could we care any less?
While notably more plot-driven than its languid predecessor, slapdash writing and inept execution deprives Inescapable of both urgency and tension.
While its initially heartening to see an actor of Siddibs calibre headline a film, he soon only elicits our sympathy for being saddled with either stock tough guy quips or less-than-profound musings like, Damascus seems... older.
Only adding to his burden is a glaring lack of chemistry with Tomei (seemingly preoccupied with maintaining her accent) and Naddas uncanny ability to bungle even the most basic of action sequences.
Ultimately, the production teams shoddy attempts to pass off their shooting location of Johannesburg as Damascus prove emblematic of a film that proves unconvincing on every conceivable front.
