As a movie buff who has spent countless hours immersed in the action-packed worlds of Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, I must say that their collaboration in Escape Plan was a delightful surprise. The friendly rivalry between these two titans of action cinema is well known, but it was refreshing to see them act like “kids on a summer camp” during the filming of this movie.
and have always been in competition with each other, something both action heroes will openly admit to. However, when working on the 2013 prison-set action thriller , it seems they competed with each other in a whole new way when starring alongside each other.
The legendary camaraderie-turned-rivalry between Schwarzenegger and Stallone in Hollywood lore is famously known, and a notable instance of this playful rivalry involved the former cleverly persuading the latter to take on the role in the critically panned film “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot“. Yet, according to director Mikael Håfström during interviews for his new movie “Slingshot“, collaborating with these action stars was surprisingly amicable, particularly when it came to a specific contest between them.
Speaking to ComicBook, Håfström said:
“The atmosphere on set was reminiscent of a summer camp, filled with an endearing naivety. These individuals were as sweet as pie, constantly asking, ‘What’s our plan for today? Where should we be?’ They both seemed to compete in being the most courteous colleague. I’m not merely paying compliments or exaggerating; making a movie is tough work. Yet, working with them was an incredibly enjoyable experience. Their professionalism and respect for the process were unmatched.”
Escape Plan Did Not Set the World Alight, but Still Produced a Franchise
In the ’80s, I marveled at the raw masculinity displayed by Schwarzenegger and Stallone in their iconic action flicks. However, during those glorious years, fate seemed to keep them apart on screen. It wasn’t until much later, with their collaboration in Escape Plan, following their team-up in the Expendables series, that I got to see these titans share the silver screen. Unfortunately, this encounter didn’t quite live up to the hype, falling short both for audiences and critics alike.
Fans might be thrilled about the prospect of seeing the pair back on screen together again, but Escape Plan, with its 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, falls midway between The Expendables’ and The Expendables 2’s scores (46% and 67%, respectively). Critics often saw Escape Plan as a familiar film formula from the past couple of decades, filled with overused tropes and lacking the originality needed to truly emulate its previous success.
Contrary to its lackluster performance in U.S. cinemas, the duo of action legends in “Escape Plan” was a global box office success, earning over triple its $50 million budget at $137 million. This allowed Sylvester Stallone to continue the franchise with two more “Escape Plan” movies in 2018 and 2019. Arnold Schwarzenegger did not rejoin for these sequels, but action star Dave Bautista took his place in both direct-to-video releases.
Escape Plan
is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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2024-09-02 20:03