'Escape at Dannemora': Six episodes in, Ben Stiller unleashes Benicio del Torro's 'madness' as Richard Matt on us
Ever since the release of Ben Stiller's dark prison drama, 'Escape at Dannemora', a lot of buzz has been going on about how the comedic genius pretty much revolutionized the genre with a fresh take on and unique execution of the infamous 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape.
And most of that has been owing to the bonus ingredients Stiller incorporated in his story focusing on convicted inmates Richard Matt (Benicio del Toro) and David Sweat (Paul Dano) tunneling out of prison using tools provided by prison employee Joyce 'Tillie' Mitchell (Patricia Arquette). On one hand there is del Toro's absolutely uninhibited, sporadic madness that comes out brilliantly with impeccable timing when the scenes call for it, and on the other hand there is a true-to-life portrayal of daily life at a correctional facility, which has been somewhat sensationalized in every on-screen portrayal before Stiller's ongoing Showtime series.