The second half of the feature is stronger than the first, so if you feel yourself fading, you’ll want to hang in there. Ian Hart as Denis Goldberg doesn’t feature a great deal either, again because the political backdrop of the story isn’t the focal point. As Tim Jenkin, he is excellent, a kind of everyman type that works in the context, though, unfortunately, his South African accent is inconsistent.ĭaniel Webber’s performance doesn’t add much but Mark Leonard Winter steals every scene he stars in as Leonard Fontaine. In the lead role, Daniel Radcliffe has well and truly moved away from ‘Harry Potter’ (though it is fun to see him back in glasses again). The drama of the incarceration and momentum of the escape are the focus, even though the characters’ motivations are political. One of its shortcomings, arguably, is that the context of apartheid in South Africa isn’t particularly delved into. It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly worth a watch. In ‘Escape from Pretoria’, Francis Annan establishes an effective pace and some gripping sequences. The underrated Irish drama ‘Maze’ aside, we haven’t had a good prison escape drama along the lines of ‘The Great Escape’, ‘Escape from Alcatraz’, or (the most famous example) ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ in a number of years now. Tim figures out the (literal) key to their getaway. They get sent to Pretoria Prison, and in spite of being advised that escape is impossible, they start to plan how they will break out. In 1979, after carrying out a number of anti-apartheid missions in South Africa, Tim Jenkin (Daniel Radcliffe) and Stephen Lee (Daniel Webber) are arrested. 'Escape from Pretoria' isn't perfect, but with an effective pace and gripping sequences, it works We haven't had a good prison escape drama in years.
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