Writer/director Rupert Wyatt's feature debut begins with lifer convict Frank Perry (Brian Cox) attempting a break-out to be with his critically ill daughter. But what separates this prison thriller from more traditional jailbreak movies is the use of time-shifting flashbacks, as the tale cuts back and forth between the escape and earlier events. Having involved other inmates from the assortment of punks, bullies, drug dealers and drag queens inhabiting the cellblock corridors in key planning aspects, Perry's getaway through tunnel, sewer and underground train systems doesn't go quite as imagined. Unfortunately, the stylised, fractured structure tends to undercut the suspense, even though the redemptive finale reveals the unusual reason for its use. Nevertheless, Cox anchors the drama with a strong, silent mystique and there's sterling support from Steven Mackintosh (as a vindictive psycho) and Joseph Fiennes (as the muscle in Perry's crew).

Frank Perry is an institutionalized convict twelve years into a life sentence without parole. When his estranged daughter falls ill, he is determined to make peace with her before it's too late. He develops an ingenious escape plan, and recruits a dysfunctional band of escapists - misfits with a mutual dislike for one other but united by their desire to escape their hell hole of an existence.