Is 'No Escape' a true story? More about the film that is loosely based on real incidents

The No Escape story is about an American family of four - the father Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson), the mother Annie Dwyer (Lake Bell) and daughters Lucy Dwyer (Sterling Jerins) and Briegel Dwyer (Claire Geare). Following the Dwyers move to a Southeast Asian country, they are stuck in a coup d’etat happening there. The No Escape story is mostly Jack Dwyer trying to help his family to get out of the political unrest and protests in the foreign nation. Available to stream on Netflix, the movie focuses on “how far would you (a person) go to protect the ones you love?” as mentioned in the trailer. Given that No Escape is primarily about a single family’s escape from a possible situation, viewers wonder is No Escape a true story? Continue reading this article to know the same. 

Is No Escape A True Story?

No Escape is not a true story. This movie on Netflix can be seen as depicting a fictional family’s struggle to escape a situation that is loosely based on real incidents. The writers of the film – John Dowdle and Eric Dowdle – told Creative Screenwriting that their script is inspired by their trip to Thailand in 2006 when a coup was taking place. However, the reason behind the coup d’etat in the film is completely different from the one that actually happened in Thailand. 

In this movie, fans see people protesting against the foreign company Cardiff’s control of their country’s water supply. In reality, as reported by The Guardian, the military announced a coup against the then prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra in Thailand following clashes between the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) also known as the red shirts* who supported the country’s Thaksin’s government and the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) also known as the yellow shirts* who opposed it. According to the Bangkok Post, the survival film was set in Chiang Mai in Thailand. The writers also told Creative Screenwriting that their film also took inspiration from the Taj Mahal hotel bombing incident. They “studied all of those things to see what parts would make it into the script.”

No Escape Ending

From the movie’s title, fans can interpret that the Dwyer family is stuck in a situation where there is probably no escape. That is sort of true because they run away to different places only to be caught by the rebels again. First, they run to their hotel terrace. Next, to the office near the hotel. Then, to the American embassy and then to a Buddhist shrine. In the No Escape Ending the family manages to escape after all their struggles. They finally paddle a boat to Vietnam. 

*the protesters mostly wore red or yellow shirts depending on which side they supported.

Image Courtesy: No Escape/ Netflix