The film and its setting is hard, cold, muted, and oppressive, and after the inmates escape by painstakingly sawing through steal walls, steam pipes, and more, the outside world is no more forgiving as they try to make their way to the Canadian border. Gene is wowed by Richard's artistic abilities and trades him favors for paintings. One thing becomes abundantly clear: Like the inmates, Tilly, Lyle, and escort guard Gene are as much prisoners in their jobs as the inmates, and in Tilly and Gene's case, they make the terrible mistake of befriending Richard and David. In contrast, both Richard and David are crafty and devious. In fact, the only character who seems less intelligent is her husband, Lyle, who tries to make Tilly happy but literally has no clue. Tilly's clearly unhappy in her marriage-conniving but not too smart. Some viewers might find it a bit slow with its seven approximately hour-long episodes, but that time allows the characters to fully develop and the audience to get an idea of just how patient and hardworking the inmates were in their long and difficult escape. Bonnie Hunt stars as Catherine Leahy Scott, the New York state inspector general, who questions Tilly about her role in the escape. In addition to Richard, David, and Tilly, we have Tilly's husband, Lyle (Eric Lange), a maintenance worker at the prison, and escort guard Gene Palmer (David Morse). The gritty, masterful escape thriller was shot on location at the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York, the facility where the actual escape took place, which adds to the realism of this engrossing story that feels more like a character study of its five principals than anything else. DESPERADOS Richard Matt (Benicio Del Toro, left) and David Sweat (Paul Dano, right) conspire to escape from a maximum security prison with help from their lover, Tilly Mitchell, a civilian who runs the prison's sewing shop.
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