6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
"This is hell and I'm going to give you a guided tour!" With these chilling words, the warden welcomes Frank Leone to Gateway Prison, a nightmare jail where every minute is hard time. The warden wants vengeance for the past; Leone wants only to survive the present. Their explosive battle of wills is the electrifying heart of one of Stallone's most heroic thrillers, Lock Up. Stallone gives a monumental performance as Leone, a convict driven to break his own cherished code by a warden who will stop at nothing to get him.
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Donald Sutherland, John Amos, Tom Sizemore, Frank McRaeThriller | 100% |
Action | 93% |
Crime | 46% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH, French, German, Spanish, Dutch
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The 1980’s marked a turning point in the career of Sylvester Stallone, effectively catapulting him into the upper echelon of action superheroes. In fact, by the time Lock Up hit theaters, he’d already churned out a third Rambo film, a fourth Rocky hit, and a handful of cult classics for his growing fan base. 1989 wasn’t exactly a profound year in Stallone’s blossoming career, but considering he released two films (Lock Up, Tango & Cash) immediately prior to the decade of decline for brawny action heroes, one could easily say he entered the 1990’s at full speed. I suppose that’s one of the primary reasons he continued to find successful roles in Hollywood despite the decline of other aging action stars, propelling him into a category that transcends the comical plight of Steven Seagal, Dolph Lundgren and Wesley Snipes.
Nobody messes with Stallone!
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 28Mbps), Lock Up appears better than expected for a film of this vintage. Fine object detail isn't the greatest I've witnessed among action films of the late-80's, but once you progress through an exceptionally hazy opening sequence, the rest of the film cleans up nicely. Whether we're witnessing the beads of sweat on Stallone's brow or the five o'clock shadow on Sizemore's chin, subtle textures can be found in most close-ups, providing a sense of depth that's occasionally lost in the medium and long distance footage. Moving along to the coloring of the film, you can expect a muted spectrum that never appears vibrant or impressive, but seems fitting given the dreary cinematography. Along those same lines, black levels offers an adequate baseline for contrast to build upon, though the dark nature of the interior and exterior prison shots periodically expose the film to crush or a loss of shadow detail. Digging deeper into the transfer, I never noticed the presence of edge enhancement or aliasing, grain is surprisingly absent (or kept to a minimum), and there didn't appear to be any other digital anomalies worth pointing out. However, I was slightly concerned about the potential incorporation of DNR during the creation of this transfer (given the lack of grain and questionable clarity in medium distance shots), but given the impressive level of detail found during a large portion of the film, I'm willing to put those thoughts behind me and simply chalk it up to nuances in the cinematography.
Despite the inclusion of a lossless 5.1 audio option, Lock Up remains a victim of less than ideal source elements that reveal limitations around every corner. Switching back and forth between the 5.1 and 2.0 English options (both lossless), I failed to notice much difference in the spatial separation on each mix. Dialog on the full surround track fell mostly to the center channel speaker, with effects and music dispersed across the two front mains. On the 2.0 option, every element is delivered through the two front mains, so dialog registers at a much higher volume than its surround counterpart, delivering an experience that often seemed better balanced. Unfortunately, given the age of the film and limitations in sound recording more than two decades ago, the two English offerings on the disc feel a bit on the bright side. There's no drop-off or muffling to add to the inherent problems, but despite the lack of any glaring flaws this is still a subpar audio offering on Blu-ray.
Making Of (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 6:50 min): Unlike most "making-of" featurettes, this supplement focuses mainly on the story of Lock Up, providing snippets of character profiles followed by interviews with the cast. Occasionally the narration turns to a more traditional focus centered on set design or location scouting, but it never quite made up for the "marketing fluff" structure that permeates the supplement.
Sylvester Stallone Profile (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 3:13 min): This brief extra includes interviews with Stallone in addition to behind the scenes footage of the cast and crew at work. Filmed around the time of Lock Up's original release, it provides Stallone's version of what acting is all about and how the themes from the film influenced his role.
Behind the Scenes (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 8:12 min): Some of this footage can be found within other supplements on the disc, but this raw collection of clips digs even further into the actual day-to-day work of the cast and crew.
Interviews (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, various length): Viewers are given the choice of five interviews with members of the original cast (Sylvester Stallone, Donald Sutherland, Sonny Landham, John Amos, and Darlanne Flugel), as they answer questions about character motivations in the story and offer little bits of trivia regarding the shooting of Lock Up.
Rounding out the extras, we have a standard definition trailer for Lock Up and two tutorials on setting up your audio/video for optimal performance.
Lock Up remains an obvious recommendation if you adore action films from the 1980's. Though overshadowed by multiple superior films in the mindless action genre, Stallone's take on the reluctant hero hasn't lost its luster in the past two decades, despite the declining acceptance of overly-contrived plotlines among your typical movie-going audience. Bottom line, if you're in the mood for adrenaline pumping entertainment riddled with cheesy one-liners, Lock Up should suffice.
2015
Collector's Edition
1986
Extreme Cut
2009
2015
2010
2011
2004
2016
2019
2006
Rambo
1982
1988
The Dirty Harry Collection
1983
2004
1995
The Dirty Harry Collection
1976
1989
2-Disc Extended Cut
2008
2014
1988