Prison Break Plot Foiled
By: Edward Anderson
Tags: True Crime, Film, Family, Culture, Humor

Prison Break Plot Foiled

He dressed like his daughter but still got caught

Image from Reuters

Reboots are all the rage right now. Who knew that the reboot of Mrs. Doubtfire would be done as a prison escape plot? It’s a dark reboot but hey, that is what is wanted right now.

Clauvino da Silva, a Brazilian gangster, tried to escape from prison dressed as his teenage daughter. Clearly, the prison shows the Robin Williams classic film and gave da Silva the inspiration for his plot. Or maybe it was Scooby-Doo. It has to be one or the other.

Would’ve Gotten Away With It

Da Silva is a notorious drug trafficker. He had been sentenced to 73 years and 10 months in prison for his crimes. His gang must be lost while their comrade sits in prison, watching classic movies. And whatever else happens in prison. Exercise, maybe?

The escape plot hinged on da Silva dressing up as his daughter and leaving her in his place. What a great parent he is! The Associated Press reported: “Officials released photos showing Clauvino da Silva wearing a silicone mask, a long wig, glasses, jeans and a pink T-shirt with donuts on it after being caught out. His escape attempt was thwarted when prison guards saw him acting nervously.” A lesson for criminals, if you’re going to try to escape from prison, do it with confidence.

After da Silva was caught, he still tried to act like his daughter, but the guard was having none of that nonsense. In a widely circulated video, it shows the guard having the criminal take off the disguise little by little. Until they have the rubber mask pulled off ala a Scooby-Doo villain.

Been There, Escaped Before

Mrs. Doubtfire is not the only 90s movie to have inspired da Silva. He has escaped from prison before. Grandma’s everywhere are chastising him with their chorus of “if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.” There might be some F-bombs included in the refrain. Seriously, don’t anger grandma’s, they will let out a string of insults that are worse than sticks and stones.

Before his horrible Robin Williams impersonation, da Silva tried another way to get out of the prison. He went through the sewers and was able to completely escape. Yes, he took inspiration from The Shawshank Redemption. He was caught shortly after his escape.

Maybe it’s time for him to give up watching old movies and start watching some TV shows.

How The Plot Came Together

How did the idea of dressing as his daughter and having her replace him in the prison come together? At this time, no one is quite sure. But there are clues as to how the disguise got to him.

The investigation is ongoing but it doesn’t appear as though the daughter knew about the plot for her father to escape and leave her in his place. There is one person suspected of being in on it, a pregnant lady who came to visit. NPR says authorities suspect one of his seven recent visitors was the culprit: “They suspect that one of them, a pregnant woman who was not searched by the guards, had hidden the wig and the glasses used by Silva on herself.” The only way this gets worse is if the woman who smuggled in the disguise was the mother of da Silva’s daughter.

And then, of course, there is the newly suspected (by a slim few, mostly just me) theory that da Silva was inspired by pop culture of movie’s past. There is no way Mrs. Doubtfire was not the source of inspiration for this. There’s also no way a screenwriter isn’t already working on a treatment for this story. A raunchy R-rated comedy seems right.

When da Silva attempts to escape again, and it almost guaranteed he will, what movie will he take inspiration from? Hopefully, Mean Girls. A gangster snapping off one-liners, especially when dressed as a more together Lindsay Lohan.