'Escape at Dannemora': Why Benicio del Toro's version of Richard Matt deserves the tag of TV sociopath of the year
Earlier this year, all the way back in April when BBC America had released 'Killing Eve,' the entire suspense thriller culture was left shocked and as millennials would call it, 'shook,' by the brazen portrayal of a criminal sociopath. Jodie Comer as the show's antagonist Villanelle was not your regular assassin. In fact, what she really wants is, "Normal stuff. Nice life. Cool flat. Fun job. Someone to watch movies with." But before Villanelle's story could unfold in an upcoming second season, 2018 decided to gift us with yet another strikingly morbid, but aesthetically unique sociopath in the form of Benicio del Toro's Richard Matt in 'Escape at Dannemora.'
The limited series starring del Toro from creator Ben Stiller is based on the infamous Clinton Correctional Facility escape from 20015, where convicted murderers Matt and David Sweat (Paul Dano) had tunneled out of the prison using tools provided by prison employee Joyce 'Tillie' Mitchell (Patricia Arquette), in exchange for sexual gratification. It had led to a $23 million manhunt and investigations, and overexposed as a sensationalized escape, bringing it right in league with Stephen King's 'The Shawshank Redemption.' Eventually, Matt had been shot to death at sight, and Sweat was shot and taken into custody, where he's still serving time. But what the story also managed to do was inspire Stiller to bless us with his dark Showtime drama, and TV's sociopath of the year in the form of del Toro's Matt.