Lock Up

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. (10/08/2011)

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. (10/03/2007)

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. (30/09/2011)

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. (23/05/2002)