Escape At Dannemora: Season 1

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Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 65 Ratings

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7.8

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7.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 65 Ratings

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Season Details & Credits

SHOWTIME | Season Premiere Date: November 18, 2018

Summary: The Ben Stiller-directed eight-part limited series dramatizes the 2015 Dannemora prison break in upstate New York, where convicted murderer Richard Matt (Benicio del Toro) plans an escape with fellow inmate David Sweat (Paul Daon) with the help of Tilly Mitchell (Patricia Arquette), the married prison shop supervisor who had become involvedThe Ben Stiller-directed eight-part limited series dramatizes the 2015 Dannemora prison break in upstate New York, where convicted murderer Richard Matt (Benicio del Toro) plans an escape with fellow inmate David Sweat (Paul Daon) with the help of Tilly Mitchell (Patricia Arquette), the married prison shop supervisor who had become involved with both of them.… Expand

Genre(s): Drama, Movie/Mini-Series

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Season 1 Episodes

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S1:E8. Part 8
Air Date: January 30, 2019
tbd
S1:E8. Part 8
Air Date: January 30, 2019
tbd
S1:E7. Part 7
Air Date: December 30, 2018

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Kelly Lawler

Nov 15, 2018

A transformative work that so vividly brings the drama to life it might as well be brand-new to its audience. ... [Ben Stiller's] gorgeous and haunting work, combined with a career-best performance from Arquette, helps Dannemora transcend into one of the best TV experiences of the year. Read full review

100

Collider Allison Keene

Nov 13, 2018

Though there are moments throughout Dannemora where Stiller shows off his talent for creating thrilling, tense sequences regarding the machinations leading up to the escape, the series is perhaps even more dynamic in its quiet character moments. It’s an acting showcase for the leads. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

Nov 8, 2018

Riveting and superbly acted seven-part true-crime docudrama. [12-25 Nov 2018, p.11]

Matthew Gilbert

Nov 14, 2018

Stiller and the writers get a little carried away with the dull work these men had to perform before they escaped. But still, the acting carries us through, as if we’re under a dark spell. Read full review

Robert Lloyd

Nov 16, 2018

A smart, watchable, elegantly made fact-based drama. Read full review

Carlos Valladares

Nov 12, 2018

It’s to the credit of everyone involved (especially director of photography Jessica Lee Gagné and her love of humble Kelly Reichardt grays) that they stick to the story, tell it with not an ounce of bombast and leave this post-Altman purgatory the way they found it. Some stones unturned, but otherwise a hollow, puttering husk of existence is left thoroughly gleaned. Read full review

Tim Goodman

Nov 13, 2018

Unfortunately, all the top-notch acting can't quite overcome the pacing problems of Escape at Dannemora. It takes five episodes to get out of the prison and even Stiller's most impressive and creative efforts at illuminating all the discovery, digging and sweat it took to get there can't make it more exciting. Read full review

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User Reviews

davejohnson

Nov 30, 2018

This is a fantastic true crime drama that is unlike any TV show I have ever seen. The texture of the characters is so deep you will need to watch each episode at least twice to take it all in.
Can't wait for episode 3 as the inmates plan their prison break. I just get the feeling that theThis is a fantastic true crime drama that is unlike any TV show I have ever seen. The texture of the characters is so deep you will need to watch each episode at least twice to take it all in.
Can't wait for episode 3 as the inmates plan their prison break. I just get the feeling that the writers and director will take us all to some very dark places!!! BRAVO!!!… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

DEMARCOSBS

Dec 30, 2018

El primer capitulo esta genial el resto de la serie tambien muy bien adaptado consigue que añores una libertad y te encariñes, te identifiques con unos personajes a los que en la calle no habriamos dado ni la hora. La musica destaca por el extasis de algunas canciones y el anhelo de otras aEl primer capitulo esta genial el resto de la serie tambien muy bien adaptado consigue que añores una libertad y te encariñes, te identifiques con unos personajes a los que en la calle no habriamos dado ni la hora. La musica destaca por el extasis de algunas canciones y el anhelo de otras a destacar.
favorablemente ese roque country mezcla pop , yo habría metido mas metal pero es mi gusto.
Un saludo para todos.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

idahoprivate

Nov 19, 2018

This show is secretly **** hilarious, I think some people just don't realize it yet. First one is amazing and they didn't even start escaping yet.

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

LamontRaymond

Nov 19, 2018

What a fantastic pilot episode! The four lead actors are truly incredible - masters of their craft. So great to see David Morse back in action. And Benicio? This role fits him like a glove. And Arquette? Just give her the Emmy now.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

Bertaut1

Nov 13, 2020

Overlong, but the acting is immense As far back as the late 80s/early 90s, long before "long-form narrative" became the dominant mode of television storytelling, I was a fan of what would then have been called "non-episodic storytelling", the best-known examples of which would have beenOverlong, but the acting is immense As far back as the late 80s/early 90s, long before "long-form narrative" became the dominant mode of television storytelling, I was a fan of what would then have been called "non-episodic storytelling", the best-known examples of which would have been Michael Mann's Crime Story (1986-1987) and David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks (1990-1991). So, with that in mind, in an era where long-form narrative has become the norm, I should be in my element. And I am. Except for one thing - "Netflix bloat"; essentially, the phenomenon of shows stretching their stories too thin across too many episodes.

And so we have the otherwise excellent Escape at Dannemora, a four or five-hour story elongated to eight hours. Ostensibly a prison break drama, the series is more interested in the psychology of the people involved. Excellently directed and beautifully shot, with a quartet of astounding performances at its centre, the show tells a fascinating story, but it moves at a glacial pace that requires serious patience.

Written by Brett Johnson and Michael Tolkin, and directed by Ben Stiller, the series tells the story of the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape, when Richard Matt (Benicio del Toro) and David Sweat (Paul Dano) escaped the maximum security prison with the aid of civilian prison employee Joyce "Tilly" Mitchell (Patricia Arquette), who was involved in a sexual relationship with both men.

Aesthetically, Dannemora is exceptional, with director of photography Jessica Lee Gagne's work especially laudable. In the opening scene of the fifth episode, for example, there's a nine-minute single shot following Sweat from his cell to the manhole which they will use to escape. The unedited format really sells the distance they have to travel and the extraordinary effort it took to get out. Also worth noting is that the series is shot in CinemaScope (2.40:1). This format is almost never used on TV, where everything tends to be shot 1.78:1 (Master of None is an exception), but Stiller and Gagne use the format magnificently, with the narrow frame confining the characters. Combined with shooting through windows and having the characters stand in doorways, the compositions visually signify that these people are fundamentally trapped, existentially if not literally.

From an acting perspective, Arquette is extraordinary. Yes, the physical transformation is laudable, but this is more than an impersonation. She plays Tilly as in a perpetual state of rage and resentment, a woman who feels she's entitled to more than she has. When we first meet her, her frustration levels with her husband Lyle (Eric Lange) are at breaking point, but in the sixth episode, which flashes back to formative moments from the characters' pasts, we learn that Lyle himself was once the same kind of escape hatch for Tilly that Matt and Sweat are in 2015. This episode also demonstrates her cruelty; something which has been on the fringes of the character thus far. Arquette emphasises Tilly's naivete, leaning into her childlike quality; seen in the tendency for her voice to become shrill and nasally, and to start crying whenever challenged. However, she never lets us forget that Tilly is hateful, disillusioned, and dangerous.

Del Toro plays Matt as a classic sociopath; externally calm, but inherently volatile, and in the flashback episode, we see the extent of his sociopathy. Dano focuses on Sweat's brilliant mind, playing him as calm and thoughtful, but prone to anger when things don't go his way. Lange plays Lyle as blinded by ignorance and loyalty, convinced that Tilly still loves him, and he can weather the current storm. Lange leans into Lyle's inability to see just how much he's being manipulated, abused, and ridiculed, with his adoration for Tilly never wavering. The show unquestionably depicts him as a simpleton, but Lange finds more depth in the part.

The problem with all of this, is the runtime, which is two or three hours too long. Yes, the deep dive into the characters' psychologies and backstory is fascinating, and the flashback episode is superb, but we didn't need five hours of context to get there, and at times, the plot seems to cease all forward momentum. It's never boring, but so much of it lacks urgency or tension.

Ultimately, Escape at Dannemora is a brilliant piece of direction, with awe-inspiring performances. Although it gives us a lot of detail about the mechanics of the escape, it's far more interested in the mechanics of people. And in that sense, it's always interesting. It's also good evidence that just because you can use eight or more hours to tell a story, doesn't necessarily mean that you should. As a five hour piece, this could have been sensational. As is, it's above average, saved by its cast and Stiller's fine direction, but it remains always a slog.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

m15964

Jan 25, 2019

As it goes to the final episode, it gets better and exciting to watch. Episode 5 has a collection of the best shots, sequences and acts, and after that, of course, the final episode is so dramatic as it could watch as an absolute movie for itself. You really need to be patient to watch it,As it goes to the final episode, it gets better and exciting to watch. Episode 5 has a collection of the best shots, sequences and acts, and after that, of course, the final episode is so dramatic as it could watch as an absolute movie for itself. You really need to be patient to watch it, but I think it is worth. If you want full of action scenes, don't get to this, but if you want to be closer to the characters, this is what you get from the series.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

nbou

Nov 28, 2018

I"m writing from Malone. I worked Clinton (Dannemora) for 12 years. I know Palmer, Tilly was married to my cousin (before Mitchell).

First, what's with the Chicago accents? Second, I've lived in that jail. Inmates don't have "papers" ( I still don't get that scene) and the yardI"m writing from Malone. I worked Clinton (Dannemora) for 12 years. I know Palmer, Tilly was married to my cousin (before Mitchell).

First, what's with the Chicago accents?

Second, I've lived in that jail. Inmates don't have "papers" ( I still don't get that scene) and the yard scene is missing CO's. That just doesn't happen. There are CO's all over that yard. The picnic table scene makes no sense at all, and the "shakedown" guard's hair touches his collar. Doesn't happen.

Also, the cell block looks like the old Oz set.

Palmer never had keys to to catwalk. I never had them ( and he would have reported to me ).… Expand

5 of 9 users found this helpful54

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Seasons & Episodes

78

Series Overview
Season 1

78
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: November 18, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E8. Part 8
  Air Date: January 30, 2019
- tbd
  S1:E8. Part 8
  Air Date: January 30, 2019
- tbd
  S1:E7. Part 7
  Air Date: December 30, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E6. Part 6
  Air Date: December 23, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E5. Part 5
  Air Date: December 16, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E4. Part 4
  Air Date: December 9, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E3. Part 3
  Air Date: December 2, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E2. Part 2
  Air Date: November 25, 2018
- tbd
  S1:E1. Part 1
  Air Date: November 18, 2018