South Africa, 1978. Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white political activists from the African National Congress imprisoned by the apartheid regime, put a plan in motion to escape from the infamous Pretoria Prison.
- HakihikoJune 25, 2025Solid Premise, Flat Execution "Escape from Pretoria" tells the true story of a daring prison break during apartheid-era South Africa. The premise is genuinely intriguing, and the historical context adds weight to the events. Daniel Radcliffe delivers a committed performance as Tim Jenkin, and the attention to the mechanics of the escape provides some suspenseful moments. However, the movie struggles to fully capitalize on its potential. The pacing is uneven, with long stretches that feel repetitive or lack urgency. The character development is minimal, making it harder to become emotionally invested in the protagonists beyond their cause. There's a sense of detachment that prevents the tension from truly landing. The production is competent, and there are a few gripping sequences, especially involving the handcrafted wooden keys and tight prison routines. But overall, the film feels a bit too safe and straightforward for such a potentially nail-biting story. Overall, "Escape from Pretoria" is a decent watch with a strong concept, but it misses the mark in terms of emotional depth and narrative tension. It's worth seeing for the true story, but don’t expect a fully gripping thriller.
- fhe82June 13, 2026Escape from Pretoria is one of those movies where I understand why it should work, but for some reason it did not fully click with me. On paper, it has everything: a prison escape, political prisoners, real stakes, danger, patience, planning, and the added weight of being based on a true story. But even with all that, I never felt completely pulled into it the way I expected. It is not The Shawshank Redemption, and maybe that is an unfair comparison, but it is hard not to think about it when watching another prison escape movie. This one is more mechanical, more focused on the process, the keys, the locks, the doors, and the tension of every small mistake. In that sense, it works very well. Every lock-picking scene is stressful. You can feel the heartbeat, the high adrenaline, and the fear that one little sound could ruin everything. That was probably the best part of the movie for me: the suspense. The escape itself is handled with real tension, and the movie knows how to make a small action feel huge. A key turning inside a lock becomes more intense than an action scene in many bigger movies. But emotionally, it did not land as strongly. By the time they finally make it out and the movie tries to give you that feeling of relief and triumph, I was already tired. My emotional tank was empty. I respected what happened, and I understood why the escape mattered, but I did not feel it the way the movie wanted me to. So overall, I would not call Escape from Pretoria a bad movie. It is tense, well made in parts, and the true story gives it value. But for me, it was not especially memorable. Good suspense, decent execution, but not something I see myself returning to.
- jackmeatMarch 20, 2025My quick rating - 6.5/10. As good as this movie is done, the whole time all I could think about was all the idiots out there that watch ASMR channels. I mean really people, if you need 20 minutes of someone crumpling up paper, pick up a piece of paper and do it. Soon after, call a therapist. The reason I say this is the planned escape of these three men is very methodical and precise. So when things such as sneaking around halls and not be heard, which is the MAIN example of the ASMR thing, a guard walking down a hall can take forever, and the obnoxiously loud breathing during said scene gets almost unbearable. But it keeps the tension going, that is for sure. Aside, from being massively distracted by this fact, the story is simple yet effective. And also based on the truth. Get locked up for your political ideals in South Africa, and immediately start plotting your escape. Worth the watch though, and quite interesting in how they go about it. Radcliffe definitely turns in one of his better performances here.
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Escape from Pretoria was released on March 5, 2020.
Escape from Pretoria was directed by Francis Annan.
Escape from Pretoria has a runtime of 1h 45m.
Escape from Pretoria was produced by David Barron, Mark Blaney, Jackie Sheppard, Gary Hamilton, Michelle Krumm.
South Africa, 1978. Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white political activists from the African National Congress imprisoned by the apartheid regime, put a plan in motion to escape from the infamous Pretoria Prison.
The key characters in Escape from Pretoria are Tim Jenkin (Daniel Radcliffe), Stephen Lee (Daniel Webber), Denis Goldberg (Ian Hart).
Escape from Pretoria is rated PG-13.
Escape from Pretoria is a Thriller, Drama, History film.
Escape from Pretoria has an audience rating of 8.6 out of 10.
Escape from Pretoria has made $2.4M at the box office.