Netflix quietly adds ‘edge of your seat suspenseful thriller’ starring Harry Potter legend
It's left viewers 'holding their breath' while tuning in.
An ‘underrated’ thriller film based on a real-life prison escape has been released on Netflix.
First hitting screens in 2020, Escape from Pretoria was based on the memoir Inside Out: Escape from Pretoria Prison by Tim Jenkin.
In 1979 he famously escaped from South Africa’s Pretoria Local Prison with Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris.
The anti-apartheid activist was part of the African National Congress, a liberation movement that has since become a political party that has governed the country since 1994.
But in 1978 he and Lee were arrested for their work but were not told of their charges or their rights.
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They were eventually charged with ‘producing and distributing 18 different pamphlets on behalf of banned organisations’ including the ANC and urging people to join the liberation movement.
Daniel Radcliffe stars in Escape from Pretoria (Picture: Ian Routledge)To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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Previous Page Next PageAfter pleading guilty to their charges, Jenkin received a 12-year sentence while Lee was given eight.
Not long after being sent to prison the pair, along with other inmates, began plotting their escape, where it was decided by a group they’d be joined by fellow political prisoner – Moumbaris.
Their efforts were successful, and they broke out in December 1979, using handmade keys to get through doors out of the prison. After travelling via Angola, Zambia and Tanzania they finally made it to London, where they continued their work.
They were ultimately pardoned in 1991, with apartheid ending a year later.
The film tells the story of anti-apartheid activists Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee (Picture: Ian Routledge)Their story was then turned into a blockbuster starring Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe, with Daniel Webber as Lee and Mark Leonard Winter as Leonard Fontaine (based on Moumbaris).
Jenkin also made a cameo in the movie as an extra, with a non-speaking role as one of the prisoners.
This week Escape From Pretoria was released on Netflix, however fans have warned others to ‘hold their breath’ when tuning in.
‘This nerve-wracking movie will keep you on the edge of your seat…’ user reinvented04 posted on IMDB.
Jenkin also made a cameo (Picture: Dave Benett/ WireImage)‘What the real Tim Jenkin is like, I have no idea, but Daniel Radcliffe’s portrayal of determined defiance of the apartheid regime in a man who battles panic attacks brought on by his daring escape plan really endears the character to the audience. It also sends a message that even ordinary people, not just superheroes, can and should stand up against evil. A must-see movie and well worth 10 stars,’ markmarno-52839 shared.
‘I was absolutely stunned about everything in this movie, it had everything: outstanding acting performance, suspense from the first to the last scene, and a moving story based on a true story. It’s an absolute masterpiece,’ vvelk added.
In an interview with Today when the film was released Daniel also spoke about taking on a new accent for the role.
‘There were quite a few South Africans who worked on Potter, so it was an accent that I was around a little bit when I was younger, so I was hoping that some of that came out,’ he shared.
Escape from Pretoria is streaming on Netflix.
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