The true story of the 2015 escape of Richard Matt and David Sweat—two inmates at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York—with the help of Joyce "Tilly" Mitchell, a prison worker who ran the sewing shop, is dramatized in this Showtime miniseries. Benicio del Toro plays Matt, who is serving a life sentence for murder and essentially runs the underground prison economy with the help of a guard (David Morse) who smuggles in contraband. Paul Dano is Sweat, a younger man desperate to get transferred to a warmer prison. The most nuanced performance, however, comes from Patricia Arquette as Tilly Mitchell, who has sexual affairs with both men and whose fantasies of escape from a dull marriage are manipulated by Matt. Directed by Ben Stiller, Escape at Dannemora takes its time to explore both the physical demands of the six-month tunneling process and the complex relationship between the two inmates and Tilly, becoming more psychological drama than escape thriller. The story drags a bit in the middle episodes, but the excellent performances sustain the series until the energy picks up with the escape and flight through the snowy wilderness. One of 2018’s best shows, this powerful miniseries also indicts the prison culture of the facility that failed in its oversight every step of the way. Presenting all seven episodes from 2018, extras include episode commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Escape at Dannemora
Paramount, 3 discs, 443 min., not rated, DVD: $39.99 Volume 34, Issue 4
Escape at Dannemora
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