A convicted special agent gets the chance to earn his
freedom in this futuristic action adventure from producer Luc Besson.
Guy Pearce (Memento, LA Confidential) is Snow and his
mission is to rescue the president’s daughter from an orbiting maximum security
prison where the inmates have just woken from a drug induced state of limbo.
This is Escape From New York in space but where Kurt Russell
excelled as anti-hero Snake Plissken, Pearce’s constant wise cracks and
uncooperative manner quickly irritate making for a character that’s hard to
root for.
Also irritating are the main villains, two brothers
convicted for various reasons who speak in a weird Scottish / Irish accent.
Whatever it’s meant to be it doesn’t work, they just sound silly, not scary.
Lockout lacks the tension expected from a prison action film
and suffers from the obvious comparison to Escape From New York but it’s easy
viewing and will appeal to anyone not familiar with the John Carpenter classic.
For a recent prison thriller check out the brilliant Cell
211 which is reviewed elsewhere here.
Lockout is in UK cinemas now.
Ric’s Rating: Dodgy