Some may regard this movie as too slow-paced, but I thought it had enough suspense and tension to keep me engaged throughout.

The acting from the 3 leads Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Barry Ward, and Martin McCann was quite solid, and the film was ably written and directed by Stephen Burke.

In some ways, the movie reminded me of the 1963 classic "The Great Escape".

Based on the true story of the infamous 1983 prison breakout of 38 IRA prisoners from Her Majesty's Prison Maze. A maximum prison considered escape proof it proved otherwise when these men, convicted of taking part in armed paramilitary campaigns during in Ireland, did indeed escape.

Following a hunger strike in another prison that resulted in several inmates dying certain members were transferred to other locations. Larry Marley (Tom Vaughan-Taylor) is one of those transferred, looked down on by his fellow inmates who think he caved in on the strike. The fact is that he remained loyal to the cause and now wants to prove himself by planning an escape from the Maze.

Each member of the crew must put together bits and pieces of information that they then feed to Marley. By doing so they begin to piece together a map of the prison and understand why the term maze was used. But with this information about the various locations in the prison he is able to work out a plan that would allow them access from one section to the next.

The movie meticulously shows the process that Marley and his crew had to go through to make the escape happen. In so doing it makes for a slow moving film that offers little to no action until the final moments when the escape actually takes place. The thing is that while viewers today may be unused to films like this the reality would have seemed more as depicted here than a rough and tumble action flick.

Perhaps the one thing that will do the movie more harm than anything is the lack of familiarity with the background story being told here, that of the IRA and their battles in Ireland. It's a story that will be familiar to the Irish and the British but how many people around the world will understand which side to root for and which one to hold accountable? And will that decision lie in your loyalties to one group or the other?

The production values here are well done and the prison looks more realistic than many have in past films about prison breaks. Vaughan-Taylor does a fine job as the main character the story focuses around and brings him to life. Barry Ward as prison guard Gordon Close matches him scene for scene and offers some of the more dangerous aspects of being a guard against this group when his family is nearly bombed.

The end result is a movie that's good but at the same time incredibly slow moving. The final prison break is interesting and deadly. I have no doubt that the reality of the situation was much more intense than depicted here but once more not being well read in the war going on made the film a bit difficult to sympathize with one group or the other. Knowing more on the topic would make it a much better film so perhaps reading up on the subject would have made it better.

This is Northern Ireland's "Great Escape." It takes place in 1983 following a hunger strike in a prison called "The Maze". Larry Marley (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) if the IRA manages to talk his way into doing janitorial duties for the warden (Barry Ward). He maps out the facility and notices all the devices in place to monitor activity. He plans an impossible escape.

This is a prison drama based on a true story. The ones with Sly Stone as an old guy were better. Interesting as a history.

Guide: No sex or nudity. Don't recall any swearing.