Unearthed Films Looks To Oct. 11 As The Street Date For A New Blu-ray Edition Of Director Martin Campbell's No Escape

Unearthed Films, with sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has locked into Oct. 11 as the street date for a newly-minted Blu-ray edition of director Martin Campbell’s 1994 film adaption of Richard Herley’s dystopian novel, “The Penal Colony,” which was released theatrically as No Escape.

It’s the future.   Well, the 2022 future (ironically) that was envisioned in 1994 when the film arrived in theatres.   In any case, Marine Captain J. T, Robbins (played by the late Ray Liotta) has assassinated his former commanding officer and has been sentenced to prison.

However, the prison structure of the future — 2022 — is built along the lines of filmmaker John Carpenter’s 1981 film, Escape from New York (with was set in the future of 1997), where the condemned are sent to an island prison colony from which there is no escape.  After a little run-in with prison warden (played by Michael Lerner), Robbins is sent to Absolom, where there are no guards, the prisoners run the “asylum.”

Since they’ve been at it for some time now, the prison colony has divided itself into two warring camps, “The Insiders,” which are the brains, who have set up little guilds of craftsmen and thus try to make the most of a bad thing.   The other group are basically the thugs, who call themselves “Marek’s Men,” who are led by Walter Marek (Stuart Wilson — Wetherby, Lethal Weapon 3, Vertical Limit).

Our hero finds himself in the hands of Marek, who seems to enjoy combat-to-the-death amusements and it seems certain that Robbins will be on the menu, but he manages to escape.   Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  

In any case, he ends in “The Insiders” encampment, which is run by “The Father” (played by genre-fan favorite Lance Hendrickson).   Robbins has no plans on staying … escape from the island is his goal.   But Marek has other ideas … war with “The Insiders” for total dominance of this hell on earth!!

Bonus goodies include two newly-prepared featurettes — “Welcome to the Future: The Sci-Fi Worlds of Gale Anne Hurd” and “Penal Colony: Writing to Escape” — plus vintage making-of featurettes and an alternate intro to the film.