Louis Mandylor takes center stage in this action thriller from the team who brought you last year’s excellent Frost.

When Vincent Baros finds himself involved in a robbery, he nearly escapes. However, in a last-ditch attempt, he shoots down the thug chasing him only to learn the man he shot was an undercover cop. Now imprisoned at Valverde State Prison, Vincent finds himself at a crossroads and gets a visit from his estranged father, Alex. Alex hasn’t been around to see Vincent grow up and is now trying to make amends for his absence. However, Vincent rejects his dad and tells him to leave.

However, as Alex is on his way out, the prison soon is taken hostage by criminal mastermind Max Chandler. Max intends to make his way out and employs both fellow prisoners and his band of mercenaries to help him escape. Alex soon finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, Alex uses a set of skills to protect himself from the threats as he is a former Black Ops soldier, and it is the reason why he was away from his family for so long. When Vincent finds himself working with Max, things are ready to come to a head.

This is a thrilling action film written by Frost director Brandon Slagle, who co-wrote the script with Robert Thompson based on a story by Devanny Pinn. It is refreshing to see Louis Mandylor take center stage again in an action thriller where he plays a hero again. While he did get to play hero-like characters in The Debt Collector franchise, it is more of a partnership with Scott Adkins. Here, he gets to take lead as a former Black Ops soldier taking on prisoners and mercenaries while trying to help his estranged son out.

2023 could be the year of Kristos Andrews. After showcasing a knack for comedy in James Cullen Bressack’s Murder, Anyone?, Andrews gets to go tough in this film as Vincent, Alex’s estranged son who still rejects his father when he tries to make amends. Vincent becomes clouded as a result and at one point, he ends up working for the villain of the film. In this case, it’s the great Brian Krause as criminal mastermind Max Chandler, who lets his crew and fellow prisoners do all the heavy work. We also get to see in one of his final roles, Tom Sizemore, as the police negotiator who is willing to assist Alex while stalling Max. The action is pretty well done with loads of firepower and close quarter combat involved and the end could in some ways, be open-ended for a potential sequel, which I would be all for.

Breakout is an exciting action vehicle that brings Louis Mandylor center stage supported by a great performance by Brian Krause as the villain and Kristos Andrews as Mandylor’s son. Definitely a fun popcorn film!

WFG RATING: B+

Uncork’d Entertainment presents a Sandaled Kid/Furst Class/JBC Pictures/Jaguar Motion Pictures production. Director: Brandon Slagle. Producers: Devanny Pinn, James Cullen Bressack, Gregori J. Martin, and Jarrett Furst. Writers: Robert Thompson and Brandon Slagle; story by Devanny Pinn. Cinematography: Noah Luke. Editing: Wayne Kent and Dave Silver.

Cast: Louis Mandylor, Brian Krause, Kristos Andrews, Tom Sizemore, Victor DiMattia, Noel Guglielmi, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Trae Ireland, Aramis Sartorio, Randy Charach, Gregori J. Martin.

The film will be released on DVD and Digital on April 11.