User reviews

This movie shows what can happen when you stand up for the truth and your point of view -- the good and the bad results. You become ostracized and demonized for pointing out what's wrong with things because no one wants to hear it. They'd rather stay deluded and comfortable in their oppression. This is why evil dominates society.

Kudos to making a movie with the guts to tell the truth.

Also, just because you don't like a movie, doesn't mean everyone else who did like it is 'fake.' Lol at the ignorance of a statement like that.

Never saw a film quite like this before. Favorite part was the writing. The lead character goes off about everything in a super deep way. Gotta watch again just to catch everything.

If you actually watch the whole movie (which the people who are hating on it clearly didn't do), you'll see the movie gets better and better. There are parts with the 'shaky-'cam' effect but there are other parts that were shot perfectly. This was the director's intention as to make the movie feel as realistic as possible. Some people don't like that, but shouldn't take their preferences out on the message and meaning of the movie.

This movie is experimental AF and kudos to the director for mixing styles in that way. I enjoyed it. Loved the music as well, which I believe was written first and the movie then developed out of that.

I am definitely looking forward to seeing more from this director. Keep making people mad, it provokes thought.

Also, 'helpful' votes are not 'yes I agree' or 'no I don't agree' votes. Just fyi. ;)

One of the most unique films I've seen. I dont know if the director meant for it go be that crazy or not, but I dug it. A lot going on but always kept coming back to the main theme. I'll probably watch it again to catch more stuff I probably missed. Definitely makes you think.

PSA: The film didn't do everything wrong. There are things that are right with the filming. The camera angles aren't justified but aren't technically incorrect. The sound is okay and the editing is decent. Most (but not all) of the actors can recite lines, and most of the lines are written as they're used in spoken English. However, ideas expressed take longer than they should take, and some scenes run too long. The musical score doesn't work with the film and it is interwoven at a pace and volume that just isn't right. Finally, the piece is not good enough to justify hundreds of votes that have an average rating above 40% of a perfect score. There are nearly eight hundred votes and the average exceeds 8/10. This can only be done by buying votes through fraudulent accounts of hundreds of "registered users." This film will not be seen, and should not be seen, by anyone not connected to the film or its makers, save for a few chumps who have been duped (like myself). Still, the film deserves an 'E' for effort.

This one stood out for me. Never seen these things addressed in a movie before and it made me think a lot about what's really going on behind the scenes and people's unbelievable urge to follow the herd, no matter how bad that can be -- especially for themselves.

It was gritty and rough around the edges but that made for a more realistic feel. Whoever wrote this definitely had a strong message to get out there.

This was definitely an attempt at something ? What ? I have no idea pubey teenage angst who cares seriously do yrself a favor & grow up already get over yrself

I saw the link to this move on a political forum and the person who posted it was asking for everyone to attack it. I guess it "triggered" some people lol.

Especially for the first movie from this director, I thought it was great. It is quite risky to put a film out with such direct political viewpoints but I think those viewpoints were very 'center' and things everyone can relate to. As far as the style of the movie, I thought it was cool how there were music videos laced throughout and the crazy 'Natural Born Killers' type of flashy editing.

A solid 9 for me for daring to do something different.

Escape Artist opens like a sloppy seminar presentation for anxiety-riddled young adulthood infected with naive ideas that 'evil corporations' have stacked the deck against them and the biggest answers can only be found within. While at times the narrative appears to want to reach some genuinely elevated conclusions and falls to a mediocre fail, this movie, at others seems to really be nothing more than a narcissistic promotional piece for James Garrett's borrowed riffs & mediocre music.

The writing is devoid of any true depth of awareness of genuine human experience and is reflected in the total lack of wise context. The acting is boorish, overbearing and amateurish, and at times difficult to tell if the casting or the direction is at fault for some of the films most awkward moments, which are abundant. It reads as if it were an assemblage of comment cards from some 'Democrat Youth for Social Justice' convention - trite, shallow, and unoriginal - certain of all that is bad with no offer of remedy.

The meme that there is some viral element to the lead character, James Patrick's weak intellectual grievances is the only mechanism that the viewer is provided, and simply too bold a demand on the part of James Garrett, to make of the viewer to suspend disbelief. I didn't. You shouldn't. ...'change', 'move forward', progressivism, collectivism, socialism, move on .org, open society, communism ~ these are all calls for definitive threats to the most foundational elements that makes the US the place of unparalleled potential in the world - which are the individual, freedom and liberty. While the film alludes to enlightenment around this principal as it's concluding soliloquy, the lack of context is the failure in the commitment. This leaves the 'believer' rudderless like a lifeboat in the north Atlantic... or a visitor to the local Krishna Consciousness Center with too many days overdosing on the free meals of pure carbohydrates to know they have stumbled into the abyss of suggestive mind control. Think for yourself... but learn something of and timeless value that gives this story from Hillsdale College and a study of our Constitution

So glad I found this movie. The writing is amazing! So many important issues discussed. How many people even bother to think about these issues today, let alone put them in a film. Kudos for that! The only thing I didn't like was how things turned out in the end. Although I guess they were going for the realistic angle of that's what would happen. Anyways, thumbs up!

There's so much wrong with this film and I don't know where to begin.

There's no clear message.

The camera operator needs a Xanax.

The music doesn't do anything except drown out the dialogue.

Scenes drag on too long.

Repetitive.

It was choppy, jumped all over the place.

I kept hoping that it would live up to the high ratings- it did not. Just another hokey movie trying to be artsy.

An honest view on flaws and blindness of people, influenced by trends and what they've been told without even processing the information. The story is there, the cast was great, and what i loved about this movie is it's original music, written and produced by the director. The only suggestion i could give to the director as a viewer - movie was a little bit too long, some scenes were repetitive and to cut it for about 15 min would be perfect. Otherwise, well done James, and I wish you success on this one and future projects.

The new film "Escape Artist" passionately poses the question of whether one person can still make a difference in contemporary America, in which the government, military, corporations and the media call the shots for the happily distracted masses.

Alex Miller plays James Patrick, a young man with a troubled past whose teenage rebelliousness turns into a personal crusade, then a social media-fueled cultural phenomenon and finally a massive rebellion that threatens to bring down the nation in the film produced by James Garrett.

The timely political drama was also written & directed by James Garrett and created based on his music album "Escape Artist" under his artist name "Only Now Existing (O N E)."

That's also the name of the movement – the O N E MOVEMENT -- complete with de rigueur stylish tats – that's driven by social media and captures the hearts and minds of disenfranchised Americans and sets the stage for a climactic Election Day showdown in the film.

In the aftermath of a tawdry 2016 presidential campaign, a film that puts the spotlight on the issues that truly matter to us, the power of social media to sway presidential elections and expose corrupt power structures, and stumps for individual thought rather than swallowing bromides, "Escape Artist" could not be more relevant.

-- Todd Cunningham, 'The Wrap'

Came across this movie last night and started watching out of curiosity and loved it! Very realistic feel due to the handheld camera style juxtaposed with super high quality news scenes. Loved the writing and related to the main character A LOT. Excellent commentary on what is happening politically right now. Could have used some more excitement but still holds your attention with a nice surprise (and not so surprising) ending.

I had the chance to see this movie at the New York premiere and I gotta say, I've never seen anything like it. The movie has a Fight Club-ish feel but what's cooler than that is the soundtrack came first when the guy wrote it, so the music is a major component... like Pink Floyd The Wall but more movie than music video.

Very cool, very deep movie about the power of social media to expose what's really going on behind the scenes in politics. Highly recommended.

Perceptive and wise, "Escape Artist" tells the tale of a young man trying to make sense of a world that he doesn't fit into. A great analogy for the trying times that we now find ourselves in, it gives the warning that you may want to inspire others but there is an inherent price in everything. I look forward to what comes next.