Sylvester Stallone and Dave Bautista reunite in the red band trailer for Escape Plan: The Extractors. The original Escape Plan was a prison escape thriller that hit theaters in 2013, bringing Sly and Arnold Schwarzenegger together for their long awaited solo team-up. Although the pair had previously shared the screen in The Expendables films, this was the first time they’d led a movie all on their own. And while it made for good schlocky fun overall, it was far from the smash success it might’ve been, had it released in the 1980s or ’90s (when both actors were at the peak of their careers as action stars).
Thanks to its performance at the global box office, however, a sequel titled Escape Plan 2: Hades was green-lit a few years later. Schwarzenegger didn’t return for the film, but that turned out to be a smart move; Escape Plan 2 was widely dismissed as a lazy followup, and Stallone has since admitted he feels it was “beyond awful”. Sly actually announced plans for the third movie while Escape Plan 2 was still in production, and shooting got underway five months later. Fortunately, the marketing suggests it’s a step up from its predecessor, if only because Stallone and Bautista are the real stars this time.
Directed by John Herzfeld (Don King: Only in America) from a script he co-wrote with Escape Plan 1 & 2 writer Miles Chapman, The Extractors picks up with security expert Ray Breslin (Stallone) as he’s hired to rescue a Hong Kong tech mogul’s kidnapped daughter from an infamous Latvian prison. However, shortly after, Breslin’s girlfriend Abigail Rose is also captured, as it turns out the kidnappers are led by a man who’s out for revenge against Breslin. Screen Rant is exclusively premiering the film’s red band trailer, as you can see in the space below.
As the trailer reveals, The Extractors pits Ray against Lester Clark Jr. (Devon Sawa), the son of his treacherous former partner (whom Vincent D’Onofrio played in the first Escape Plan). Bautista and Jaime King reprise their Escape Plan 2: Hades roles here as, respectively, former Breslin Security associate Trent DeRosa and Abigail, who’s also the VP of Breslin’s company. Elsewhere, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is back as Breslin Security super-hacker Hush, and joins Stallone as the lone carryovers from the original film in the series. Finally, the new additions this round include martial arts expert and actor Max Zhang (Master Z: Ip Man Legacy) and Glee veteran Harry Shum Jr., who previously demonstrated his action chops in movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.
Based on the trailer footage and cast/crew, The Extractors should have pretty decent fight scenes for a direct to video release. The film itself has the same throwback vibe as its predecessors (complete with a “This time, it’s personal” twist to the formula), but seems more on the level of the first movie, as far as quality goes. Admittedly, the original Escape Plan didn’t set the bar too high in that respect, but it was entertaining enough for what it was. Here’s hoping Part Three provides more of the same for the franchise’s fans - or, at the very least, delivers on its promise of a true Stallone-Bautista team up this time (following their reduced roles in Escape Plan 2).
Escape Plan: The Extractors arrives on Digital 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital) and DVD on Tuesday, July 2.
