Akilla's Escape
Vertical Entertainment | Release Date: June 11, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Melissa VincentJun 11, 2021
Akilla’s Escape recasts the monolithic narrative of gang involvement as one that rejects a trope of Black peril in order to tell a multi-dimensional story of resilience – one where keen strategists are developed through unsolvable situations, where the enduring love of Black mothers demonstrates what it means to walk into the line of fire and where, amidst abject tumult, moments of tenderness and triumph persist against all odds. Read full review
85
Paste MagazineIsaac FeldbergJun 11, 2021
Akilla’s Escape offers few answers when it comes to ending the generational traumas its characters carry, but the unique force with which it expresses the life-altering weight of such burdens meaningfully moves the conversation around them forward. Read full review
83
Original-CinJim SlotekJun 14, 2021
Given the accelerated pace of a 90-minute movie whose main narrative happens in one night, Williams gives a powerfully controlled performance, creating a character whose awareness level is high. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJun 11, 2021
A mature crime picture whose decades-hopping action makes the effects of generational poverty obvious without having to spell it out, it lacks some of the flash expected in commercial genre pictures, but makes up for that in seriousness. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesMichael RechtshaffenJun 11, 2021
Although the constant shifts between contemporary Toronto and ‘90s New York can at times cause confusion, the film remains firmly rooted in Williams’ quietly powerful, laser-focused performance. Read full review
60
Time OutWhelan BarzeyJul 28, 2022
The screenplay offers limited room for character development – Akilla arrives pretty much fully formed – and what we’re left with is an uneven puzzle, eye-catching in pieces but not entirely convincing when put together. Read full review
50
VarietyGuy LodgeJun 15, 2021
Williams’ effortless, near-otherworldly presence gives Akilla’s Escape all the grace and mystique it requires; the film strains a little too hard for its own. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonJun 11, 2021
Akilla’s Escape is undone by its own lack of faith in the viewer, opting to explicitly tell rather than rely on its fine actors to show us who their characters are. Read full review
40
The GuardianPhil HoadAug 24, 2022
This tale of freelance underworld fixer Akilla Brown, played with careworn wisdom by Saul Williams, doesn’t live up to its sharp tailoring and has too much faith in fatigued beats from the gangster-film locker. Read full review
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