Chris DeRose, Bob, Chuck Jeffreys, Metro, Frank Harris, Lightning, Elizabeth Kaitan, Joe Estevez, Richard Lynch, Elizabeth Rowin, Duster, Larry MintzSee more
A good cop sent to jail, plunged into a nightmare world where there are no rules, and all he can trust are his own two fists. Framed and convicted for a murder he didn't commit, Police Detective Ron Taylor has just entered hell, a prison controlled by a brutal crime lord who has Taylor's partner as the next target in a bloodthirsty quest for power. It's up to Taylor to stage a daring jail break and hunt Garrett down to clear his name and take the vicious madman out of action in a final confrontation only one man will walk away from.
Product details
Aspect Ratio
:
1.33:1
MPAA rating
:
Unrated (Not Rated)
Package Dimensions
:
7.1 x 5.42 x 0.58 inches; 2.93 ounces
Director
:
Frank Harris
Media Format
:
NTSC, DVD, Color
Run time
:
1 hour and 30 minutes
Release date
:
March 27, 2001
Actors
:
Richard Lynch, Chris DeRose, Chuck Jeffreys, Elizabeth Kaitan, Joe Estevez
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LOCKDOWN (1990) - During the 80's, Frank Harris directed five action films, beginning with the entertaining KILLPOINT (1984) and quickly deteriorating into awful fare like LOW BLOW (1986), the hard-to-watch THE PATRIOT (1986), the slightly better AFTERSHOCK (1989) and ending with this film (a play on words of the Stallone-starrer LOCK UP from the previous year), his most enjoyable since KILLPOINT. That's not to say that LOCKDOWN isn't a complete mess, it is; it's just an entertaining one. Detective Ron Taylor (Chris DeRose, who bears a striking resemblance to a mulleted Hank Azaria) and his partner Mac Maguire (Chuck Jeffreys; BLOOD STREET - 1990) are after drug kingpin James Garrett (Richard Lynch; THE PREMONITION - 1975) for killing rival drug dealers and murdering a rookie police officer. This leads to a car chase that ends with a shootout in an apartment building, where Garrett shoots his own accomplice with Ron's gun (after knocking Ron out cold), making it look like Ron shot an unarmed man (Garrett tells the rest of his gang that he had to shoot his own man because Ron was crazy and relentless: "He was a Pound short of a Shilling!"). Ron is convicted in court on first-degree murder charges and sent to a maximum-security federal prison for a term of fifteen years-to-life. Ron shares a cell with ex-professional baseball player Dieter (Joe Estevez; ARMED FOR ACTION - 1992), while ex-partner Mac has to defend himself from other cops who think he's a rat for turning Ron in. While Ron is in prison fighting for his life from a gang led by Shanks (Gary Kalpakoff), Garrett is disposing of his competition with shotgun blasts and explosives and Mac is trying to clear Ron's good name (There's one truly embarrassing sequence where Mac goes undercover at an auto junkyard and he goes into a sub-level Eddie Murphy routine that will have you staring at the screen speechless in disbelief!). After several attempts on his life (the crooked warden looks the other way because he is on Garrett's payroll) and receiving one of Mac's ears in the mail (courtesy of Garrett), Ron escapes from prison (by using that old prison escape standby: hiding under a laundry truck!) looking for some payback and to clear his name. In the completely under-whelming finale, Ron shoots Garrett in front of a bunch of police officers before realizing that Mac is still alive (Mac cracks a hard of hearing joke!). Thankfully, Ron is able to walk away a free man and ends up in the arms of his loving wife Monica (Elizabeth Kaitan; NIGHTWISH - 1988) and young daughter. Anyone have a tissue handy? Besides having one of the most under-populated prisons in movie history (complete with a lone black homosexual prisoner who must feel very out-of-place!), a star who couldn't act his way out of a paper bag (Chris DeRose was also featured as "Apprehender" Brandt in director Harris' AFTERSHOCK) and some awfully-staged action scenes (a Harris trademark), LOCKDOWN is still a watchable hodgepodge of prison and action clichés thanks to some of the characters' strange predilections. Garrett is just crazy about cars, especially fancy sports and luxury cars and Dieter talks about everything in life as if it were a baseball game. His explanation to Ron about why he is in prison is hilarious (he killed an umpire when he was called out on strikes!). The storyline (screenplay by Joe Izzo Jr. and Joe Mangelli) also veers into some very weird directions and there are some very odd music choices during death scenes (you'll know what I'm talking about when you watch the film). The violence is fairly restrained for an 80's action flick (yes, I know this bears a 1990 production date, but it's very 80's in its execution) and just when you think it's about to get gory, such as when Shanks is about to get a hole drilled in his noggin, Ron steps in and stops it from happening. If you are looking for a non-stop gunfight or slugfest actioner, you might as well look somewhere else, but those willing to overlook this film's many under-budgeted distractions may have a good time with this. Frank Harris directed one other film (a 1993 drama titled GIRL TALK) before returning to his regular profession: cinematographer on other people's films (such as Efron C. Pinon's terrible TRANSFORMED - 2003). Also starring Larry Mintz, Mike Farrell, Francisco "Paco" Goodell, Chelsea Soggin, Greg Lagera and Diane Stevenett (one of the stars of Harris' THE PATRIOT and this film's Producer) as District Attorney Parker. Originally released on VHS by Vidmark Entertainment. Available on a no-frills fullscreen DVD from Image Entertainment. Not Rated.
Alright movie, some decent scenes; especially the ones with Eddie Murphy's long lost brother, Chuck Jeffreys. Worth putting on in the the background while you do other, more important stuff.
![Lockdown [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51V8YHE4QQL._SX300_SY300_QL70_ML2_.jpg)
