Lock Up (1989)

My roommate and I were on a Stallone kick recently, but we never got around to watching _Lock Up_ because we were looking for some hard (see: over-the-top) action, and this sounded more like a wistful drama. Eventually though, _Lock Up_ came due, and I... actually kind of loved it? It's about as cheesy I had feared, but I what never occurred to me is that that cheese would totally work. I mean, it's not exactly Shawshank we're working with here, but if I were putting together a list of all the good prison movies ever made, _Lock Up_ would be on it.

_Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._

"Frank" (Sylvester Stallone) has only six months left on his prison sentence when he is put into the care of warden "Dromgoole" (Donald Sutherland) - a man who loathes him. Over the course of the film we learn just why as he ensures that that "Frank" is victimised, attacked, goaded and constantly provoked. Can this determined prisoner find the mettle to resist the temptation to fight back against his persecutor, and can he manage to find a way to illustrate just how devious and brutal this man is to the authorities? This is a well paced and fairly action-packed prison drama with Sutherland in quite good, menacing, form. It also benefits from a reasonable supporting cast with Sonny Landham ("Chink"), Tom Sizemore ("Dallas") and the young Larry Romano ("First Base") all delivering strongly as the warden decides to attack those close to "Frank" to push him ever closer to the edge. There's not really much jeopardy though, the narrative is pretty procedural and Stallone does enough, but no more, with the rather mundane dialogue that doesn't really add much to the simple visuals that are effective at times, but again - we have seen it all before. Stallone put so much of himself into his "Rocky" persona, unfortunately he has little left to inject into this and I found it all just a bit dull.