Remember back in 2008, when the now-defunct Overture Films tried to hype the Al Pacino-Robert De Niro vehicle Righteous Kill as this monumental cinematic event? No? Well, nobody else does either, which is why it only made $40 million during its theatrical run, despite featuring two of the most celebrated actors of all-time. Although it's far less overt, the Escape Plan marketing wants you to be well aware the (former?) box office heavyweights Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger are pulling off a rare two-hander (for actors of their stature, anyway), praying that the mere presence of these cinematic icons will draw fans to the theaters in droves. Will it work? It's possible, but doubtful since the flawed arithmetic that two big stars equal one big hit is proven false once again.

The story centers on Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone), a security expert who, quite literally, wrote "the book" on prison security. He is sent in undercover to the toughest lock-ups in the world, to see if he can break out of whatever seemingly-impenetrable facility he is assigned to. The opening sequence does a fine job of showing Ray's level of tactical genius, and the meticulous plan he used to break out. Upon his return to headquarters, he's presented with that proverbial offer that cannot be refused. Of course, as you can likely surmise if you have watched more than one movie in your lifetime, this offer is much to good to be true. Much to Ray's chagrin, he is actually trapped in this high-tech lockup known as "The Tomb," (the film's original title) where he meets fellow inmate and fast friend Emil Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger).

The script is actually fairly intriguing, since I both admire and loathe it at the same time. Miles Chapman (Road House 2... yes, seriously, Road House 2...) and Jason Keller (Machine Gun Preacher, Mirror Mirror) wrote the script, which, in all honesty, offers a lot more compelling-ish material than I originally intended to see. However, damn near every time the stakes are raised or something bad-ass/important happens, the moment is ruined by one last line of dreadful dialogue. Now, mind you, I think the movie, as a whole, works on a solid enough level to function without anything major being cut, but there are just some truly inane, singular lines of dialogue that don't pull me further into the story, but damn-near removed me completely from it.

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't expecting anything cerebral or heady, but I found it odd that, almost every time after the tension/stakes get ratcheted up a notch or two, that proverbial wind is taken out of those sails by numerous instances of just dull and cliched writing.

Regardless of its shortcomings, there is enough here to warrant seeing Escape Plan on the big screen. In the coming weeks, good or bad, the headlines garnered from this movie will likely all center on Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone in a double-billed action-thriller for the ages, or whatever. However, while both Sly and Arnie deliver fine performances, I was most impressed by Jim Caviezel, who plays the no-nonsense warden of this secretive facility. He delivers a subdued yet charismatic performance as the leader of this mysterious prison.

At the end of the day, if you want to see Arnie and Sly on the big screen, you won't be wholly disappointed with their performances, and the aging stars prove they can still kick some ass, even though I started to get an "I'm too old for this s--t" vibe for probably the first time in both their careers. The supporting cast is rounded out by Vincent D'Onofrio, who co-owns Ray's security firm, Amy Ryan and 50 Cent, who try to track down Ray's whereabouts when the tracking chip is cut out of his arm.

At the end of the day, while the sum might not be equal to its parts, Escape Plan manages to deliver, although not at the level you might expect for two huge action stars.