The Escapist

The Escapist is a 2002 thriller film directed by Gillies MacKinnon and written by Nick Perry. It stars Jonny Lee Miller, Andy Serkis and Gary Lewis. Synopsis Denis Hopkins (Jonny Lee Miller) seems to have the perfect life, a job as a pilot, a beautiful home and wife Valerie (Paloma Baeza) who is expecting their first child. One night, Denis and Valerie's home is broken into by a borderline psychotic thief named Ricky Barnes (Andy Serkis) who shoots and kills Valerie, coldly saying to Denis: 'I'm going to let you live'. Valerie dies while being transported to the hospital, and the baby narrowly survives childbirth, leaving Denis devastated. Barnes is sentenced to twenty years in Sullom Voe Prison, which is on a remote island in the middle of the North Sea. Denis is not satisfied with the sentence, considering Barnes shows no remorse and openly mocks Denis in court. Three months later, Denis has fallen into a pit of depression, refusing to be a father to his daughter; Amy, who is being raised by his brother and sister-in-law, one day he is out flying his plane, and switches off his engines letting it glide through the air, seemingly committing suicide, leaving his home and his daughter to his brother and sister-in-law. Some time later Denis, alive and well, having faked his death, demolishes a police car with a sledgehammer. He is remanded for seven days (taking advantage of the fact that he is not legally alive) and is instructed by his appointed solicitor not to cause trouble, to avoid going aboard 'The Magic Roundabout'; in which if he continues to cause trouble he will be sent to a higher security prison, Denis intends to cause trouble, hoping it will send him to Sullom Voe.