Escape From Pretoria

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2:31

Escape From Pretoria

PG-13,

2020,

1h 41m,

Mystery & Thriller/

Drama

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73%

44 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

44 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Sentenced to a South African prison for 12 years, anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin and his fellow inmates devise a daring plan to escape.

Critics Consensus

Escape from Pretoria doesn't quite do justice to the fact-based story it's dramatizing, but that lack of depth is offset by suitably gripping jailbreak action.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

May 27, 2020

4/5

The pleasure here is in the fine detail, and Annan makes sure we feel every scrape of chisel on wood. The characterizations are not deep, but that's part of the genre.

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Danny Leigh

Financial Times

Mar 18, 2020

3/5

Annan knows how to grip, his story accelerating with a jittery rhythm, while Radcliffe's eternal earnestness fits the bill neatly.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Mar 9, 2020

3/5

It's the nervy camera, hugging the characters at hip height, the better to scrutinise each locked barrier to freedom, that most successfully builds the tension.

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Julian Singleton

Cinapse

Jul 12, 2025

In execution, the film’s pretty decent; though one can’t help but feel like its dedication to the minutiae of Jenkin and Lee’s escape comes at the cost of a more thorough and needed exploration of its own ideals.

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Olly Richards

NME (New Musical Express)

Apr 29, 2021

3/5

For the most part, Escape From Pretoria works well, but it's a shame Annan didn't take more time to dig into the ordinary men who made this extraordinary escape.

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Deirdre Molumby

entertainment.ie

Feb 23, 2021

3.5/5

We haven't had a good prison escape drama in years. Escape from Pretoria isn't perfect, but with an effective pace and gripping sequences, it works.

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Francis Annan

Director

Daniel Radcliffe

Tim Jenkin

Ian Hart

Denis Goldberg

Daniel Webber

Stephen Lee

Nathan Page

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Escape From Pretoria: Trailer 1

2:31

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Synopsis

Sentenced to a South African prison for 12 years, anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin and his fellow inmates devise a daring plan to escape.

Director: Francis Annan
Producer: David Barron, Neal H. Moritz, Toru Nakahara
Screenwriter: Francis Annan, L.H. Adams
Distributor: Momentum Pictures
Production Co: Arclight Films, Premiere Picture, Spier Films
Rating: PG-13 (Some Disturbing Material|Language|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 6, 2020, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 6, 2020
Runtime: 1h 41m

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