Directed by:
John FlynnCinematography:
Donald E. ThorinComposer:
Bill ContiCast:
Sylvester Stallone, Donald Sutherland, John Amos, Darlanne Fluegel, Tom Sizemore, Frank McRae, William Allen Young, Larry Romano, Sonny Landham (more)Plots(1)
Sadistic prison warden Drumgoole (Donald Sutherland) is bent on taking his revenge against Frank Leone (Sylvester Stallone), the only prisoner to have escaped from his institution. He drags the inmate back to his maximum security hellhole and proceeds to have his guards torture him mercilessly. In addition to the warden, Frank tangles with fellow prisoner Chink Weber (Sonny Landham). When Frank learns that Drumgoole plans to kill his girlfriend on the outside, he plots his escape once more. (Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (5)
A rather enjoyable prison drama in the vein of Escape from Alcatraz and Shawshank. Even the expected clichés like predictable developments and evil guards are bearable for some mysterious reason. Unfortunately, the last 15 minutes make the film a rather hard to believe fable, which is a shame. Otherwise, I would recommend my colleague Rady to visit a zoo to study the mimicry of primates, his comment about Stallone is a bit off, I would say. Sly played his part, and he played it believably and likeably.
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One of Sly's better efforts. There are plenty of similarly themed prison movies, but this one really has something to it. By coincidence, in 1989 he had two jailbreaks (once here and a second with Kurt Russell), and both pieces came off really well. Donald Sutherland is here once again as an excellent bastard. Despite all the crap, it's a generally optimistic work. A movie with a big heart.
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A nostalgic memory of the old school led by one of the greatest action heroes of the silver screen. Stallone is perfect for this role and surprisingly, he delivers a solid acting performance, not just his fitting appearance and physical strength. The screenplay is simple, but this deficit disappears in the harsh prison full of corrupt guards, dirty cells, tough killers, and one demonic warden played masterfully by Donald Sutherland. The music by Bill Conti is magnificent, precisely capturing the pulse of the scene and brilliantly composing and orchestrating the music (see Rocky). The opening shot of the cold city accompanied by a delicate piano melody is very soothing and brings back memories of the brilliance of the 1980s. It is a shame about the excessive straightforwardness of the plot and the few weak moments, otherwise, it is a decent addition.
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Damn, that was a blast! I nearly had a heart attack several times during the final twenty-five minutes, and I don't blame people who rank Lock Up as one of Stallone's best. The film has everything - including a completely primitive story, which is not a bad thing at all. Even so (or maybe because of it), Lock Up is a pretty suspenseful film with an acting Sly, a dense atmosphere that's second to none, an excellent Donald Sutherland, a few good jokes to lighten things up, and Conti's precisely-fitting score. As I said before - the final brawl impressed me so much that I almost tore my chair apart just cheering. And that hasn't happened to me in a long time. That's why I'm happy to forgive the film for everything I would have faulted it for at other times. That it makes no sense, for example.
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I hadn't heard about this film until now. Considering how few movies are set in prison environments, I had to give it a chance. Sylvester Stallone is in great form, both acting-wise and physically. In a supporting role, the eccentric and talkative Tom Sizemore was a pleasant surprise. However, the film follows the classic Hollywood formula, which honestly doesn't offer much in terms of surprises. So yes, technically, there isn't much to criticize about Lock Up. The authors managed to portray the harsh and ruthless atmosphere quite well (some scenes are exemplary, like the one with the dumbbell, which will stick in my memory for a long time), but the story didn't captivate me much. Apart from Sylvester, the slimy villain Donald Sutherland keeps it at an acceptable level, enjoying his role to the fullest. So, 6.5/10 seems like a fitting rating for me. P.S. The soundtrack by Bill Conti is very well done!
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