Escape from Zahrain (Blu-ray Review)
Director
Ronald NeameRelease Date(s)
1962 (July 21, 2026)Studio(s)
Paramount Pictures (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: B
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B
Review
Action films are the bread-and-butter of Hollywood. Popular since the silent era, they’re ideal vehicles for exciting kinetic sequences. Escape from Zahrain is a fast-paced action-adventure built around an extended chase as a small group of rebels try to escape from a country ruled by a despotic leader.
Sharif (Yul Brynner) is a revolutionary leader about to be put on trial by the corrupt government of a desert country called Zahrain. A public trial would bring to light embarrassing information about the regime’s rampant corruption so the tyrannical ruler of Zahrain orders that Sharif be murdered before the trial begins. As he’s being transported by his captors, the truck he’s in is set upon by a group headed by Sharif loyalist Ahmed (Sal Mineo). Sharif and other prisoners in the truck are set free. Among them are violent criminal Tahar (Anthony Caruso) and oil worker Huston (Jack Warden), who embezzled a large sum from the Zahrain Oil Company. Pressed into the service of the rebels, they help to steal an ambulance, take the driver and a nurse, Laila (Madlyn Rhue), hostage, and head for the border across Zahrain’s vast desert.
When pursuing soldiers start closing in, Sharif makes the daring decision to take a perilous detour over a treacherous mountain pass. Driving over rough terrain and snaking through boulders in an unsteady yellow ambulance, the group is spotted by a plane, strafed by machine-gun fire, and attacked by men in armored cars. Personal dissatisfactions with one another must be put aside for the group to come together as a team to make it to the border.
Brynner has an exotic look and a commanding presence that work for his character, but he has so little dialogue that we just have to accept that he’s the revered leader of a revolutionary alliance determined to bring freedom to his country’s people. With an intent stare and an aura of calm amid danger, Brynner epitomizes the stalwart champion of the underdog. Sharif is smart, charismatic, knows the territory and keeps a cool head even when things look hopeless. Brynner has considerable star power and is easily accepted as the rebel leader fighting to free his oppressed people. This part differs markedly from the role that made him a star—an all-powerful monarch with no regard for his subjects’ human rights.
Sal Mineo plays the firebrand Sharif supporter, Ahmed. Mineo creates some heat in his scenes with Madlyn Rhue, but nothing much comes of their chemistry. Laila, an Arab Muslim schooled in Europe, is more interested in Sharif. She’s impressed with his dedication and sacrifice for a cause she, too, believes in.
Jack Warden’s Huston is the cad you can’t help but like. His Huston makes no apologies for his crime, boasts about how easy it was to execute, and has a rough-hewn charm. Down-to-earth, he owns up to his crime, dismisses it as nothing serious, and looks forward to the time he can enjoy the fruits of his larceny. Conveniently, Huston is also adept at truck repair, since his skills come in handy at a crucial time.
Anthony Caruso’s Taher is a brute, ready to bash in a person’s head for expediency rather than seek less lethal means. Stealing water, stuffing himself with food, and a loose cannon, he presents danger from within the small group. With a constant scowl, darting eyes, and a look that dares confrontation, he will not hesitate to kill if he’s crossed.
Madlyn Rhue adds a feminine touch to an otherwise all-male movie. As a hostage forced at gunpoint to steal an ambulance, her Laila seems rather nonchalant about her abduction. Her performance is on the same note. It should transition from fear to respect for Sharif’s sacrifice. On a couple of occasions, she’s given the opportunity to leave the group but refuses. This seems unlikely and a stretch for viewers to accept. Yes, she’s come to know and see the value in getting Sharif over the border to safety, but soldiers firing guns are after them. Wouldn’t it be wise for her to keep out of their way? Her nursing skills come in handy at one point but can’t do much good.
Director Ronald Neame draws on Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Wages of Fear with scenes of the truck making its precarious way over punishing terrain. He keeps the action moving while interspersing quiet moments in which we get background on the characters. The most enigmatic is Sharif. He’s obviously a thorn in the side of his country’s regime, but apart from his being a hero of the oppressed, little else is revealed about him.
Escape from Zahrain is a B movie with epic aspirations. With a small cast, the Mojave Desert standing in for actual foreign locations, and no actual Arabs among the major players, the film has its thrills, some exciting set pieces, and beautiful panoramic photography that captures the desert through which Sharif and his small band must travel.
Escape from Zahrain was shot by director of photography Ellsworth Fredricks on 35mm film with Panavision cameras and spherical lenses, processed by Technicolor, Hollywood, CA, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The brand new HD master by Paramount Preservation is taken from a 4K scan of the original camera negative. Clarity is superior with details extremely well delineated, such as the rocks the ambulance travels over, details of the soldiers’ uniforms, the village street where Sharif is freed, palm trees in a desert oasis, and medical supplies in the ambulance. Process shots are used in close-ups of Sal Mineo riding on top of the ambulance and in some scenes of the racing vehicle. The color palette tends toward pale earthy tones. The oasis contains bright green palm trees and other vegetation. Jack Warden’s blue eyes especially stand out from his deep tan. Sunlight bears down on the escapees during the long days of oppressive, unrelieved heat. An explosion creates an exciting moment. Shots of the ambulance maneuvering through rocky passes, up steep hills, and through the flat desert highlight the difficulty of the escape. Night scenes and interiors were filmed at Paramount’s Hollywood studio.
The soundtrack is English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio. English subtitles are an option. Dialogue is clear and distinct. Sal Mineo attempts a slight accent, but the other actors make no effort at a regional manner of speaking. Madlyn Rhue’s British accent is explained by her character’s mentioning that she was educated in London. Sound effects include a low-flying airplane, machine gun fire, the ambulance’s gears being stripped, its engine chugging as the vehicle climbs a hill, an armored car crash, and lots of crowd commotion as Sharif’s followers stop the prison truck to free him. Lyn Murray’s score is especially good at heightening suspense when the ambulance travels precariously over desert mountains. The opening credits music is rousing and its driving tempo sets the viewer up for an exciting movie to follow.
Bonus materials on the Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics include the following:
- Audio Commentary by Dwayne Epstein
- Trailers:
- Escape from Zahrain (2:18)
- The Light at the Edge of the World (3:39)
- Stranger on the Run (1:35)
- Rock, Pretty Baby! (3:14)
- Death on the Nile (2:51)
- The White Buffalo (1:52)
- The Chalk Garden (2:50)
Audio Commentary – Film historian Dwayne Epstein explains that Escape from Zahrain was based on the 1960 novel Appointment in Zahrain by Michael Barrett. Early titles for the film were Escape to Zahrain and Zahrain. Location filming took place in Barstow and Thousand Oaks, California, the Mojave Desert, and Paramount’s Hollywood studio. Some minor cast members were of Arabic background. James Mason appeared unbilled as a favor to director Ronald Neame, who played a key role as director in British cinema for fifty years. Neame referred to Escape from Zahrain as “one for the drive-ins.” He produced, directed and co-wrote the screenplay. His other films include Tunes of Glory, The Man Who Never Was, The Chalk Garden, the musical Scrooge, and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. His greatest success at the box office was the 1972 disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure. Some of his later films include The Odessa File, Meteor, Hopscotch, and First Monday in October. The reviews of Escape from Zahrain were mixed. Variety called it “a good old-fashioned race.” The New York Times called it as “nonsensical.” Two weeks after its release, it played on double bills at drive-ins. Yul Brynner was best known for his portrayal of the king of Siam in The King and I on Broadway, in the film, and in a number of Broadway revivals. Brynner’s other films include Anastasia, The Ten Commandments, The Brothers Karamazov and Westworld. Sal Mineo auditioned for the role of the crown prince in the original Broadway production of The King and I but Oscar Hammerstein II thought he was too short. He was cast to understudy the role instead, taking over the role later in the run. He and Brynner bonded. A private acting coach helped Mineo polish his skills. A teen heartthrob since his role in Rebel Without a Cause, Mineo hoped Exodus and Escape from Zahrain would convince the public that he was capable of playing adult roles. In 1976, Mineo was on the verge of a comeback with a play when he was murdered outside his apartment. Mineo had two Academy Award nominations. He was considered for a role in The Magnificent Seven, but Yul Brunner thought he was too young at the time. In Rebel Without a Cause, Mineo played a gay kid—a “groundbreaking” portrayal. Escape from Zahrain was intended to be a star vehicle for Clark Gable, but he died in 1960. The first draft of the film, in 1959, was written with Gable in mind.
Escape from Zahrain is hardly a classic but, under Ronald Neame’s direction, it delivers in action and suspense. Brynner, even in coasting mode as he’s in this film, is always riveting. Sal Mineo is soulful as the young idealist willing to risk his life for what he believes. Madlyn Rhue is rather bland as Leila. She remains oddly calm when she’s kidnapped with little depth and no hint of fear beneath the surface. Jack Warden adds a bit of humor as a charmer with questionable ethics. Anthony Caruso’s Tahir is a man you wouldn’t turn your back on for too long. Evil runs through his blood. The plot hinges on awareness that people in Arab countries are denied freedoms we take for granted, but this merely serves as background for an obstacle-filled chase movie.
- Dennis Seuling