This remake of the remarkable true story sentences Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek to the brutal penal colony in French Guiana for misery, struggle and 2 escape attempts. Thru it all, their friendship prevails. This relentlessly cruel and desperate situation is effectively portrayed, but Hunnam brings only steely determination to his portrayal…not much depth. The character weakness in Malek’s character makes it easier for him to be more sympathetic. Still, this is more about the wretched conditions than about human resolve, leaving it bleak and less powerful that the story deserves. (Criterion Cinemas only)

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