The Escapist is a 2008 drama thriller film starring Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Liam Cunningham, Seu Jorge, Dominic Cooper, Steven Mackintosh, Stephen Farrelly and Damian Lewis.

When Perry receives his first letter in fourteen years that his cherished daughter is a drug addict and near death following an overdose, he starts to think about escaping.

[2] In an interview with Trevor Groth, Wyatt said "The structure of the film's plot was inspired by a well-known short story written in the 19th century by Ambrose Bierce called An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."

A scene near the end is shot in the bascule chamber beneath Tower Bridge in London; it is exactly the same location where Wyatt's brother-in-law Boris Starling set the climax of his 2006 novel Visibility.

The film is noted for featuring not only Irish WWE wrestler Sheamus (billed under his real name, Stephen Farrelly) in a main role but also future UFC star Conor McGregor as an extra playing a prisoner.