The Escape Artist

Zoetrope. Director Caleb Deschanel; Producer Doug Claybourne, Buck Houghton; Screenplay Melissa Mathison, Stephen Zito; Camera Stephen H. Burum; Editor Arthur Schmidt; Music Georges Delerue; Art Director Dean Tavoularis

Griffin O'Neal
Raul Julia
Teri Garr
Joan Hackett
Gabriel Dell
Jackie Coogan

The Escape Artist is a muted fable [from the novel by David Wagoner] about a gifted child in a never-never-land America. Treatment frequently pushes past the careful to the precious, and the quiet, odd tale never becomes more than mildly intriguing.

After brash but not arrogant youth Griffin O'Neal issues a challenge to the police department that he can break out of their jail in one hour, story flips into an hour-long flashback.

O'Neal imposes himself on his aunt and uncle, small-time vaudevillians, essayed by Joan Hackett and Gabriel Dell, and begins making trouble for himself and the entire Midwestern town by making off with the loot-filled wallet of the corrupt mayor's son, played as a real looney tune by Raul Julia.

It all ends with O'Neal royally turning the tables on Julia and mayor Desiderio (Desi) Arnaz.

In his film debut, O'Neal, who is Ryan's son and Tatum's brother, comes across as spry and able, but seems to come fully alive only in the confrontation scenes with Julia and in a nice flirtation with young waitress Elizabeth Daily.

(Color) Available on VHS. Extract of a review from 1982. Running time: 93 MIN.

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