Review of Lock Up (1989) by Anna N — 16 Feb 2008
A cliched, instantly forgettable prison movie, which affords Stallone ample opportunity to indulge his twin weaknesses: masochism and sentimentality. It's all very predictable, so as soon as Donald Sutherland's sadistic warden shows Sly his reconditioned electric chair, you know one or the other of them will be sitting in it before the end of the movie.
Similarly, once Stallone takes green lifer Larry Romano under his wing, the kid's days are clearly numbered. Ramano's demise brings an untimely end to the most interesting aspect of the film: his tussle with Tom Sizemore for the honour of 'Most Irritating Performance in a Supporting Role'.
Those reviewers who describe Sutherland's performance as 'over-the-top'--no pun intended, Stallone fans--have obviously yet to experience his extraordinary slice of ham in Bertolucci's "1900", in comparison with which he's positively understated here.
Chances are, you'll soon wish you were watching "Escape from Alcatraz" instead.
This review of Lock Up (1989) was written by Anna N on 16 Feb 2008.
Lock Up has generally received mixed reviews.
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