Escape At Dannemora

:

Season 1
  • Network: SHOWTIME
  • Series Premiere Date: Nov 18, 2018
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 65 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 65
  3. Negative: 4 out of 65
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User Reviews

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  1. gray444
    Feb 2, 2019
    4
    I am only on the second episode the acting has been fine but two things bother me Ben Stiller bragged about how he was keeping the movie authentic and also in interviews he told you the whole story before you watched it. The prison's in 2015 did not have bars they have solid doors with just a small polyethene window. That window also had a cover which was kept closed almost all the timeI am only on the second episode the acting has been fine but two things bother me Ben Stiller bragged about how he was keeping the movie authentic and also in interviews he told you the whole story before you watched it. The prison's in 2015 did not have bars they have solid doors with just a small polyethene window. That window also had a cover which was kept closed almost all the time there are cameras in every cell. The inmates appear to be walking around all day all of these things are incorrect and for some reason there is only one guard who is well and ass. The truth is most guards are **** there is no real training you just have to pass the civil service exam. They come in and the truth is the power goes to most of their heads. This movie could not be further from the truth on prison life and to say it is based on a true story is and insult to the viewer. Again this has nothing to do with the actors they did a great job I just wanted to make it known this is not even close to being factual. Also in what prison any where in this country do inmates all have their own cell ? Again I have only watched 1 and 1/2 episodes but the directing and attempt to make it seem real to this point has failed miserably. I will delete this review after I have watched all 7 episodes but as of right now my review is it is a nice non-fiction story.… Expand
  2. idahoprivate
    Nov 19, 2018
    10
    This show is secretly **** hilarious, I think some people just don't realize it yet. First one is amazing and they didn't even start escaping yet.
  3. nbou
    Nov 28, 2018
    0
    I"m writing from Malone. I worked Clinton (Dannemora) for 12 years. I know Palmer, Tilly was married to my cousin (before Mitchell).

    First, what's with the Chicago accents? Second, I've lived in that jail. Inmates don't have "papers" ( I still don't get that scene) and the yard scene is missing CO's. That just doesn't happen. There are CO's all over that yard. The picnic table    I"m writing from Malone. I worked Clinton (Dannemora) for 12 years. I know Palmer, Tilly was married to my cousin (before Mitchell).

    First, what's with the Chicago accents?

    Second, I've lived in that jail. Inmates don't have "papers" ( I still don't get that scene) and the yard scene is missing CO's. That just doesn't happen. There are CO's all over that yard. The picnic table scene makes no sense at all, and the "shakedown" guard's hair touches his collar. Doesn't happen.

    Also, the cell block looks like the old Oz set.

    Palmer never had keys to to catwalk. I never had them ( and he would have reported to me ).    … Expand
  4. EludiumQ36
    Mar 8, 2019
    2
    This film dramatizes the actual 2015 escape from this prison. I was REALLY looking forward to this but the decision to present it as seven hour-long episodes is a Fail, which they seemingly knew since they lopped off one of the typical eight eps. Ben Stiller still struggles in television and film as either actor or director. He does nothing to distinguish himself in the latter role withThis film dramatizes the actual 2015 escape from this prison. I was REALLY looking forward to this but the decision to present it as seven hour-long episodes is a Fail, which they seemingly knew since they lopped off one of the typical eight eps. Ben Stiller still struggles in television and film as either actor or director. He does nothing to distinguish himself in the latter role with this sleep-inducing series which brings you all the gray depression and sordid relationships of the prison environment. You'll be forgiven if you bail after ep1, don't waste yours and others' lives trying to power through it.… Expand
  5. davejohnson
    Nov 30, 2018
    10
    This is a fantastic true crime drama that is unlike any TV show I have ever seen. The texture of the characters is so deep you will need to watch each episode at least twice to take it all in.
    Can't wait for episode 3 as the inmates plan their prison break. I just get the feeling that the writers and director will take us all to some very dark places!!! BRAVO!!!
  6. DEMARCOSBS
    Dec 30, 2018
    10
    El primer capitulo esta genial el resto de la serie tambien muy bien adaptado consigue que añores una libertad y te encariñes, te identifiques con unos personajes a los que en la calle no habriamos dado ni la hora. La musica destaca por el extasis de algunas canciones y el anhelo de otras a destacar.
    favorablemente ese roque country mezcla pop , yo habría metido mas metal pero es mi    El primer capitulo esta genial el resto de la serie tambien muy bien adaptado consigue que añores una libertad y te encariñes, te identifiques con unos personajes a los que en la calle no habriamos dado ni la hora. La musica destaca por el extasis de algunas canciones y el anhelo de otras a destacar.
    favorablemente ese roque country mezcla pop , yo habría metido mas metal pero es mi gusto.
    Un saludo para todos.    … Expand
  7. jgzeger
    Dec 10, 2018
    6
    Despite the good acting, especially Patricia Arquette who may win an Emmy for her performance here, I found this show lacking in appeal. It is gritty and full of unsavory characters as might be expected in a prison film. That makes it realistic, I suppose, but still not my favorite type of story. At times it is excruciatingly boring. They could have reduced the number of episodes by halfDespite the good acting, especially Patricia Arquette who may win an Emmy for her performance here, I found this show lacking in appeal. It is gritty and full of unsavory characters as might be expected in a prison film. That makes it realistic, I suppose, but still not my favorite type of story. At times it is excruciatingly boring. They could have reduced the number of episodes by half and made for a much more interesting and faster paced series. I am being generous by giving it a 6.… Expand
  8. Deisler
    Nov 19, 2018
    10
    loved the first episode, will watch it till the end, great setting, awesome bunch of characters
  9. LamontRaymond
    Nov 19, 2018
    9
    What a fantastic pilot episode! The four lead actors are truly incredible - masters of their craft. So great to see David Morse back in action. And Benicio? This role fits him like a glove. And Arquette? Just give her the Emmy now.
  10. kaitgamer
    Dec 12, 2018
    10
    Do not miss this. The acting is top notch... All three leads give award quality performance. Del Toro is incredibly watchable in his slimy seductive role. I cannot believe Ben Stiller directed this. It looks grimy and claustrophobic and the town is incredibly depressing but also strangely beautiful. More than anything, you feel like you are there in this cold dirty place where nobodyDo not miss this. The acting is top notch... All three leads give award quality performance. Del Toro is incredibly watchable in his slimy seductive role. I cannot believe Ben Stiller directed this. It looks grimy and claustrophobic and the town is incredibly depressing but also strangely beautiful. More than anything, you feel like you are there in this cold dirty place where nobody really wants to be. Once the action starts. (im through 4 episodes) the procedural part of planning the escape is superb. Somehow Arquette is equally pathetic and relatable, I could believe in how she got to this point... The scenes inside the bowels of the prison are really tense even though you know what's going to happen. I'll say it again. Do not miss this. It's fantastic.… Expand
  11. Deanomite
    Feb 27, 2019
    10
    every character was so well developed and played it was like each of them had their own little movie. I think the best overall performance was Patricia Arquette followed by Paul Dano but really everyone was spectacular. no corny fluff added, just superb direction by
    Ben Stiller (had no idea he was such a talented director)
  12. RubyTV
    Feb 14, 2019
    6
    While the acting was perfect in general, the plot was hard and boring to follow. 57/100
  13. Bertaut1
    Nov 13, 2020
    7
    Overlong, but the acting is immense As far back as the late 80s/early 90s, long before "long-form narrative" became the dominant mode of television storytelling, I was a fan of what would then have been called "non-episodic storytelling", the best-known examples of which would have been Michael Mann's Crime Story (1986-1987) and David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks (1990-1991). So, withOverlong, but the acting is immense As far back as the late 80s/early 90s, long before "long-form narrative" became the dominant mode of television storytelling, I was a fan of what would then have been called "non-episodic storytelling", the best-known examples of which would have been Michael Mann's Crime Story (1986-1987) and David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks (1990-1991). So, with that in mind, in an era where long-form narrative has become the norm, I should be in my element. And I am. Except for one thing - "Netflix bloat"; essentially, the phenomenon of shows stretching their stories too thin across too many episodes.

    And so we have the otherwise excellent Escape at Dannemora, a four or five-hour story elongated to eight hours. Ostensibly a prison break drama, the series is more interested in the psychology of the people involved. Excellently directed and beautifully shot, with a quartet of astounding performances at its centre, the show tells a fascinating story, but it moves at a glacial pace that requires serious patience.

    Written by Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin, and directed by Ben Stiller, the series tells the story of the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape, when Richard Matt (Benicio del Toro) and David Sweat (Paul Dano) escaped the maximum security prison with the aid of civilian prison employee Joyce "Tilly" Mitchell (Patricia Arquette), who was involved in a sexual relationship with both men.

    Aesthetically, Dannemora is exceptional, with director of photography Jessica Lee Gagne's work especially laudable. In the opening scene of the fifth episode, for example, there's a nine-minute single shot following Sweat from his cell to the manhole which they will use to escape. The unedited format really sells the distance they have to travel and the extraordinary effort it took to get out. Also worth noting is that the series is shot in CinemaScope (2.40:1). This format is almost never used on TV, where everything tends to be shot 1.78:1 (Master of None is an exception), but Stiller and Gagne use the format magnificently, with the narrow frame confining the characters. Combined with shooting through windows and having the characters stand in doorways, the compositions visually signify that these people are fundamentally trapped, existentially if not literally.

    From an acting perspective, Arquette is extraordinary. Yes, the physical transformation is laudable, but this is more than an impersonation. She plays Tilly as in a perpetual state of rage and resentment, a woman who feels she's entitled to more than she has. When we first meet her, her frustration levels with her husband Lyle (Eric Lange) are at breaking point, but in the sixth episode, which flashes back to formative moments from the characters' pasts, we learn that Lyle himself was once the same kind of escape hatch for Tilly that Matt and Sweat are in 2015. This episode also demonstrates her cruelty; something which has been on the fringes of the character thus far. Arquette emphasises Tilly's naivete, leaning into her childlike quality; seen in the tendency for her voice to become shrill and nasally, and to start crying whenever challenged. However, she never lets us forget that Tilly is hateful, disillusioned, and dangerous.

    Del Toro plays Matt as a classic sociopath; externally calm, but inherently volatile, and in the flashback episode, we see the extent of his sociopathy. Dano focuses on Sweat's brilliant mind, playing him as calm and thoughtful, but prone to anger when things don't go his way. Lange plays Lyle as blinded by ignorance and loyalty, convinced that Tilly still loves him, and he can weather the current storm. Lange leans into Lyle's inability to see just how much he's being manipulated, abused, and ridiculed, with his adoration for Tilly never wavering. The show unquestionably depicts him as a simpleton, but Lange finds more depth in the part.

    The problem with all of this, is the runtime, which is two or three hours too long. Yes, the deep dive into the characters' psychologies and backstory is fascinating, and the flashback episode is superb, but we didn't need five hours of context to get there, and at times, the plot seems to cease all forward momentum. It's never boring, but so much of it lacks urgency or tension.

    Ultimately, Escape at Dannemora is a brilliant piece of direction, with awe-inspiring performances. Although it gives us a lot of detail about the mechanics of the escape, it's far more interested in the mechanics of people. And in that sense, it's always interesting. It's also good evidence that just because you can use eight or more hours to tell a story, doesn't necessarily mean that you should. As a five hour piece, this could have been sensational. As is, it's above average, saved by its cast and Stiller's fine direction, but it remains always a slog.    … Expand
  14. m15964
    Jan 25, 2019
    7
    As it goes to the final episode, it gets better and exciting to watch. Episode 5 has a collection of the best shots, sequences and acts, and after that, of course, the final episode is so dramatic as it could watch as an absolute movie for itself. You really need to be patient to watch it, but I think it is worth. If you want full of action scenes, don't get to this, but if you want to beAs it goes to the final episode, it gets better and exciting to watch. Episode 5 has a collection of the best shots, sequences and acts, and after that, of course, the final episode is so dramatic as it could watch as an absolute movie for itself. You really need to be patient to watch it, but I think it is worth. If you want full of action scenes, don't get to this, but if you want to be closer to the characters, this is what you get from the series.… Expand
  15. geewah
    May 5, 2021
    10
    Ben Stiller steps out of his comfort zone with great success in this haunting and gripping series.
    While the pace is slow, it pulls you in through the sheer quality of acting, cinematography and direction involved.

Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Best TV Season of 2018
64
#64 Most Discussed TV Season of 2018
2
#2 Most Shared TV Season of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    Dec 5, 2018
    80
    Patricia Arquette’s excellence as Tilly is the strongest selling point of a show where the points of an unsurprising plotline are subordinate to a memorable intensity of performances.
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  2. Vanity Fair
    Reviewed by: Sonia Saraiya
    Nov 19, 2018
    80
    Though the series, directed by Ben Stiller, runs a tad too long, Arquette leads a phalanx of wonderful performances through a discomfiting, true story.
    Read full review
  3. Salon
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    Nov 19, 2018
    60
    Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin structure the eight-part series well enough, scripting crisp dialogue and tense scenes that allow Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette and Paul Dano to rip into every frame with their performances. ... But the ponderous construction involved in getting there places a drag on its energy, to the point that the production asks not for the audience’s patience as much as perseverance.
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