Bullet Points: The Escape of Prisoner 614
Have you ever felt like you were trapped watching a movie? I am talking about after you started watching a movie and there has been nothing to grab your attention but you still find yourself watching but you need to see how it ends. That happened to me when I watched The Escape of Prisoner 614. The movie starts with some inept deputies that are very hard to like but had enough of a hook to make me want to see how it finishes, and this time it worked out because the two dolts (and movie) ended up redeeming themselves.
- Shandaken’s Finest – Thurman Hayford (Jake McDorman) and Jim Doyle (Martin Starr) are two sheriff’s deputies in Shandaken, NY. They are not very good at their job, and in fact they have only arrested one person in the last six years. The Escape of Prisoner 614 tries really hard to make me not like these two bumbling but well meaning peace officers. If you haven’t figured it out at this point, The Escape of Prisoner 614 likes to throw a little comedy in the action mix.
- Once Upon A Time is Now – The Sheriff (Ron Pearlman) is coming to town and he is one tough BA that is pretty obvious is not on then up and up. The Sheriff fires Thurman and Jim and I am immediately liking the Sheriff more than the two leads even though it is clear that Ron Pearlman is playing a bad guy. Part of the reason is that I am more familiar with Ron Pearlman than the other actors, even the numerous Ron Pearlman good guy roles. Who remembers Ron Pearlman as Vincent in Beauty and the Beast with Linda Hamilton? That is a show that I wouldn’t mind stumbling upon one day.
- Prisoner 614 Escaped – In a crazy bit of movie timing, the same day Thurman and Jim get fired they get a call from a prison warden about an escaped prisoner last seen in their jurisdiction. If Thurman and Jim can capture Prisoner 614 (George Sample III) they just might be able to get their jobs back and we just might get an action movie.
- Cuckoo Cats in the Catskills – Thurman and Jim head to the mountains to start their manhunt and prove their ineptitude almost immediately by lacking supplies and wasting the ones they have. Luckily for them there are some even crazier nut jobs in the woods like a trapper and his two Russian friends. They are up to no good, both as the illegal trapping and a speed bump for the momentum of the movie plot.
- The Capture of Prisoner 614 – Prisoner 614 is captured but professes his innocence. He was sentenced to life in prison for murdering a deputy at a protest. As Prisoner 614 tells the store, he was fleeing the protest when the overweight deputy died of a heart attack. As much as we hear about that deputy dying from a heart attack there is no way The Escape of Prisoner 614 won’t pay it off later.
- Mountain Gear – When the Sheriff learns that his two former deputies went after the prisoner even though they were fired he heads to the mountains to two them all down. He keeps his blazer and bolo tie on and finds the threesome immediately and leaves them to meet them back at the office. He makes it back to the office a full day ahead. I suppose that is how he became the Sheriff and why the two deputies deserved to be fired.
- Mountain Bonding – The extra time in the wilderness gives some time for the men to bond, with Prisoner 614 starting to become very believable. When they make it back, Thurman and Jim are reinstated but their thoughts have gone to wanting their jobs back to a second escape of Prisoner 614. We get a nice little action piece to end… and heart attack… I knew it! Predictable, but I did enjoy the “it’s Canada’s problem now” ending.
The characters in The Escape of Prisoner 614 really redeemed themselves and the movie. After a slow start, I grew to like the good guys and the bad guys, although the story still left a lot to be desired. The action is lacking but the Catskills area of New York made for a beautiful setting. You may feel trapped if you don’t like quirky action movies but the good thing is you can leave at any time. You won’t be able to get out of here without some The Escape of Prisoner 614 Bonus Bullet Points.
- Double Duty – Kudos go out to Zach Golden, who is the writer and director of The Escape of Prisoner 614.
- Take That, The Bay State – Prison is better than Massachusetts
- Emetophobia – The Escape of Prisoner 614 is the most recent movie that I have seen in which emetophobia plays a major role.
- Heaters – Don’t watch The Escape of Prisoner 614 if you have a dislike for cigarettes and poor firearm handling because it is filled with both.
- Bills Mafia – If the names Thurman and Jim sound familiar to Buffalo Bills fans, I should also mention the Sheriff’s first name is Marv and Prisoner 614’s first name is Andre.
