Lock Up 4K Ultra
review by Bobby Blakey
Like most throughout the 80s and 90s I grew up a Stallone fan and would watch anything that he did. Sure there were the bumps with some of his comedic roles, but there were way more hits in his action films. Over the last few years he has had yet another resurgence revisiting some of his iconic characters like Rocky and the upcoming Rambo film. Now Lionsgate is bringing his 1989 prison film Lock Up to 4K Ultra for the first time to add to the Stallone fan collection.
Lock Up follows Frank Leone who is transferred 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. Leone, is driven to break his own cherished code by a sadistic warden who will stop at nothing to get him. I have always like this movie, but will say it is one of his weaker ones on the action side. That being said it did give him more in the realm of acting to play with and in turn is likely one of his stepping stones to becoming more than just another muscle bound action star.
The story is simple and a bit all over the place at times with much of it not fully making sense in regards to the full hatred from the warden. Obviously he is a nut bag, but his obsession to the degree he is willing to take it doesn’t seem to warrant what caused it. That is something you kind of just let go because the reality is that you just want to see Stallone crack some
skulls and he gets some time to do just that. Not near enough, but this was a different kind of action film for him at the time and if I remember correctly was riddled with some production issues. There is also another event involving a car that was caused by one individual but effected a lot and yet they never seemed to ever fully hold him responsible and the character just keeps being delusional and clueless to everything.
This isn’t one of Stallone’s strongest films in my opinion, but still holds up well enough. In addition to the film in Ultra High def, this release includes bonus content including interviews, trailers and featurettes taking you behind bringing this gritty action thriller to life. Return to Gateway Prison when Lock Up hits 4K Ultra on September 10th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.