Escape Plan’s Twist Ending Explained: Rottmayer’s Real Identity & Plan

Escape Plan’s twist ending reframes the movie and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character, Rottmeyer. This 2013 action thriller is one of several Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger movies and cast the former as escape specialist Ray Breslin. Ray is sent to an “inescapable” prison dubbed The Tomb, run by vicious warden Hobbes (Jim Caviezel). Ray soon befriends Rottmeyer, who runs security for a mysterious thief called Mannheim, who steals from the rich to give to the poor. Together, the two men look for weaknesses in The Tomb’s design and carefully plot their escape.

It also turns out Breslin’s business partner Clark (Vincent D’Onofrio) is in league with Hobbes and wants Ray left trapped in The Tomb, which is eventually revealed to be a prison ship. The first Escape Plan movie ends with Breslin and Rottmeyer putting their scheme into action, and after much shooting and punching, they escape in a rescue helicopter. Ray then learns Rottmeyer actually is Mannheim, with the latter’s daughter Jessica (Caitríona Balfe) having previously poised as a CIA agent to get Ray inside The Tomb to rescue her father.

Why Victor Mannheim Disguised Himself As Emil Rottmayer

Escape Plan’s twisting ending reframes the story

While not a huge rug pull, Ray is still shocked to learn Rottmeyer was the benevolent Mannheim the entire time. Mannheim’s thefts have made him many enemies who will do whatever it takes to stop him. When captured, Mannheim disguised himself as his own head of security to (understandably) avoid being tortured for information and possibly executed. Of course, “Rottmeyer” still received brutal interrogation, though Hobbes largely left him alone in the hope he would eventually break and betray his “boss.”

Escape Plan’s big twist even reveals the name Rottmeyer was a code that alerted his daughter to his arrest. She then poised as a CIA agent while meeting with Breslin, Clark and their team, framing The Tomb job as the ultimate test of Ray’s skills. Despite the amount of lies and subterfuge, Mannheim and Breslin part on friendly terms; even so, Arnold didn’t return for Escape Plan 2: Hades or the third movie. Instead, Dave Bautista joined the franchise as a new character called DeRosa.

Breslin’s Actual Escape Plan Explained

On paper, Breslin’s The Tomb escape plan sounds sloppy

Once imprisoned, Ray’s big task is figuring out exactly where The Tomb is. Ray is stunned to learn the prison is contained within a huge ship, which naturally makes escape more difficult. Regardless, he puts his thinking cap on and during the finale, he tricks Hobbes into believing he will stage a riot in a certain cell block. The warden sends most of his security team to that area – but Ray and Rottmeyer then stage a riot in the main area while only a handful of guards are on duty.

From there, it’s essentially a desperate race to the top of the ship to get to the chopper on time. Along the way, Breslin finds the time to kill the brutal guard Drake (Vinnie Jones), and eventually, he blows up Hobbes too. It must be said, Breslin’s actual escape plan is fairly low-tech, improvisational and doesn’t feel befitting of a supposed genius escape artist. His opening escape is way more inventive and unique, while it feels like he just wings it in Escape Plan‘s finale.

Who Built The Tomb Prison And Why?

The backers of The Tomb return in Escape Plan 2

The Tomb was constructed as a way to “disappear” certain troublesome people without due process. High-value detainees can also be tortured for information by Hobbes and his staff, as is the case with Rottmeyer, with the warden and Clark having been hired by banks from around the world to find Mannheim before his next heist. Escape Plan’s supermax prison is a for-profit operation run by mysterious backers – who remain mysterious by the time the credits roll.

The group is later revealed to be the operators of the HADES prison in Escape Plan 2. They appear to have a personal vendetta against Breslin too, presumably due to Ray breaking out of The Tomb. Escape Plan 2’s cliffhanger strongly implied a third film would see Ray going after this shadowy cabal, but Escape Plan: The Extractors completely ignored this setup when it arrived the following year.

Ray Breslin’s Tragic Past Explained

Escape Plan’s hero has a legit reason for making prisons inescapable

Escape Plan’s heroes turn from reluctant allies into buddies, with Ray later opening up about his reasons for pursuing such a weird job. It turns out he was a prosecutor in his previous life with a wife and child, but his family was later attacked and murdered by a convict Ray prosecuted, who promised Breslin he would get his revenge.

This convict spent years determined to keep his promise before escaping from prison to carry out his revenge. After his family was killed, Ray dedicated his life to ensuring potential design flaws in maximum security prisons were found and eliminated. Breslin literally wrote the book on how to design foolproof prisons. This proves ironic, as Hobbes later informs Breslin that his book was instrumental to the design of The Tomb.

Why Clark Betrayed His Partner Ray

Breslin hires more trustworthy people in the Escape Plan sequels

Clark is Ray’s business partner, who is lured by the CIA offering double Breslin’s usual fee to test out The Tomb. Around the midway point, Escape Plan reveals Clark is not only working for the people behind The Tomb but that he wants Ray kept there permanently to prove the prison truly is inescapable. There’s no other motivation behind Clark’s actions than greed, and he is very well-paid to betray his partner by The Tomb’s backers.

After Ray successfully flees The Tomb, Escape Plan’s ending sees Clark trying to get away. He’s soon intercepted by Breslin’s resident tech geek Hush (50 Cent) and is later seen locked in a container on a cargo ship, being taken to some unknown location.

Clark’s Son Seeks Revenge Against Ray In Escape Plan 3

The Extractors makes Clark Jr the main villain

While Escape Plan 2 didn’t reveal Clark’s fate, The Extractors confirmed he died in that container. This leads his son Lester Clark Jr. (Devon Sawa) on a revenge mission against Ray, where he kidnaps Ray’s girlfriend Abigail (Jaime King), in addition to the daughter of a rich Chinese businessman to hold for ransom. In a break from formula, Ray and his team have to break into a prison dubbed the “Devil’s Station” to rescue Abby and the other hostages.

The third Escape Plan ends on a grim note; while the other hostages are freed, Abigail is murdered, while Ray viciously beats Clark Jr before slitting his throat. Ray planned to retire after this, and since no new movies are planned, he’s kept true to his word.