95 min - Thriller | Action | Sci-Fi - 13 April 2012 (USA)
A man wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit
espionage against the U.S. is offered his freedom if he can rescue the
president's daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent
inmates.
Directors: James Mather, Stephen
St. Leger
Writers: Stephen St. Leger (screenplay), James
Mather (screenplay), and 2 more credits »
Stars:Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace and Peter
Stormare|
either betrayed, "shanghai'd", or forced the task of retrieving a certain
special object. If the object is a person there is usually a time-limit involved
with either the main character and/or the object dying when the timer strikes
00:00. If the object is a weapon the world or a certain area is at risk of
destruction if the task isn't completed or the timer runs out.
In The Fifth Element Bruce Willis was tasked in getting Milla Jovovich to the
temple of life to save the planet from destruction. In Transporter 2 Jason
Statham was made to track down a kidnapped child all-the-while saving the day
from a toxic disease. Lockout introduces you to Guy Pierce as he plays "Snow,"
who is "shanghai'd" into saving the president's daughter who is held hostage on
a interstellar space prison where 400+ maximum security prisoners are let loose
and causing chaos.
This movie is all about Snow. Don't let the exciting plot fool you, don't let the
pretty girl cloud your judgment, and don't let the low-grade CGI give you a
headache. This is a launch-pad film for Guy Pierce and he knows it. His
character is heroic, sarcastic, self-obsessed, fearless, and outspokenly funny.
You'll recognize a lot of the cast, but the main focal point is the character
arc of Snow and the mystery of why he was set-up to go to prison for 30 years
and why he's such a good guy underneath all that pompous exterior.
For such a futuristic film there's not a lot of emphasis on technology and science.
Plot holes like present day medicine is used, most electronics run off of normal
wires, and most of the weapons are SWAT grade issue. Other than seeing a CGI
space station and some glowing stars out the windows you forget that this is
futuristic film.
More or less Lockout is a fun action film. It's not supposed to be taken literally
and it's not the best piece of cinema in anyones library but it's a great solid
movie that is straight to the point and doesn't waste time on cheesy romance or
unnecessary scenes. I give Lockout 4/5.