10 Intense Movies That Captivated The Hell Out Of You

9. No Escape

Children of Men
The Weinstein Company

"Owen Wilson on holiday in Southeast Asia" doesn't sound like it would make for a particularly intense or captivating film. And yet No Escape - which was unveiled to mixed reviews upon its release back in 2015, and perhaps judged way too harshly - makes for some serious hand-over-mouth viewing.

In what could be the definitive "holiday from hell" movie, Wilson plays a father who travels with his family to an unnamed region in Southeast Asia during a time of political unrest. Before long, the country is revolting, the streets are filled with fighting and gunfire, and tourists are in more dangerous than anyone.

Once the central coup is unveiled, the pace never lets up for a single moment: Wilson and his wife (played by Lake Bell) are flung from one set-piece to another (the most memorable of which involves Wilson hurling his daughter off the roof of a hotel), harrowingly avoiding death at every turn.

No Escape makes for some seriously uncomfortable viewing as a result: it's impossible not to ask yourself, "What would I do?" under the same circumstances. As such, it's a movie that lingers with you long after it's over.

Contributor

Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.