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Stallone is transfered from his happy-house penetentiary, and sent to Donald Sutherland's hell-hole. The results are fun and entertaining. Cool action movie with a lot of good twists and turns, and probably one of the best prison flicks out there.*** out of ****

Stallone Deserves an osacar for this

I watched Lock Up last weeek, last time i watched it was probably around 4 years ago, just gotta say that i forgot how amazing this movie was, You feel like going in the movie to help Stallone out, Lock up is probably Stallones most eye catching movie, i mean i like more of his movies e.g all the Rocky set, Rambo, Tango & Cash , Cobra ( i think i shouldnt name all). But anyways Stallone is an awesome actor.

Sid the Elf says Lockup is Sly's lost classic

In Lockup, the old boy Sly Stallone, plays a prisoner named Frank Leone. Leone is without question the most beloved tragic figure in modern American cinema. He is a rough and tumble yet lovable parpadelle and brocolli eating machanic who remarks on a nice kiss from his girlfriend by simply saying "that's Italian." It doesn't really make any sense to us, either. But it makes sense to Leone, and that's just going to have to be good enough.

Anyway, Leone was originally arrested for beating up some punks who are terrorizing his mechanic mentor for whom he cares deeply. He is sent to Treadmore, a prison run by the evil Warden Drumgoole. For some reason Drumgoole has it out for Frank, so he won't let Leone have a weekend furlough to see his mentor who is close to dying. Leone escapes, humiliating and enraging Drumgoole. When Frank turns himself back in, he is sent to a decent minimum security prison where he is let out on weekends and the guards talk football and cars with him. And he's only got a couple more months left on his sentance. Suddenly, as revenge, Drumgoole gets Leone transfered to his new prison, Gateway. This place is no joke; definately maximum security, with a twist. To help exact his revenge, Drumgoole employs the thugish tactics of Sid's all-time favorite hooligan, prisoner Chink Webber. This guy haunts Leone throughout the whole movie,trying to antagonize Leone into fighting and getting more time tacked onto his sentance. He does everything short of forcing Leone to eat corned beef and cabbage. He even rips off Frank's chain with the mallichio horn on it. And who can forget the famous football scene?


As you can tell, this is one of Sid's all-time favorite movies. However, this film did NOT recieve its due ammount of critical acclaim or box-office sucess. We, Sid the Elf, have just one question: why? Lockup has everything you can ask for in a movie. Sid just can't get enough of the ledgendary Chink Webber, who gives us so many great lines. For example "Move it Ace, that's my spot," and "When are you going to paint your nails and start answering to the name (explitive deleted)?" You have First Base, who contributes a heaping helping of comedy just by speaking. There's the immortal Eclipse, who touches the heart when the solitary tear rolls down his face at witnessing the destruction of his baby, Maybeline(a car by the way). And, if the room doesn't get officially dusty when Leone is seemingly caught trying to escape because his close friend, Deep-fried Dallas rats him out then you have no soul.


We could go on for pages and pages on Lockup because it is one of Sid the Elf's favorite movies. We were discussing this during our current screening, which kicked off our Stallone season, and we are putting it behind only the zenith of B Death Ring. So, naturally, Lockup gets the Sid the Elf Seal of Approval. See this movie! You'll thank us, yet again. That means everything's ok.

Boring and Unimaginative...

But what else have we come to expect from Sly Stallone? "Lock Up" is just like his other dull films. Boring, unimaginative and dull.The acting is horrible, the "sympathetic" scenes are laughable, and the story is your average run-of-the-mill Stallone trash.A few good scenes, including -- surprisingly, because I'm not a sports fan -- a jail football sequence. It had the most tension of the film.2/5 stars --John Ulmer

For Sly Fans Only

Okay, not a great movie... but if you like Stallone, it's worth checking out. Without Stallone, this thing probably wouldn't have made it to the theaters; it has the feel of a straight-to-cable flick. Definitely not a classic prison escape movie.

Actually, Tom Sizemore is worth seeing here too, if you're a fan of his. He has some nice moments as the deceptively helpful inmate that befriends Stallone.

The DVD is pretty inexpensive, but does include a couple modest special features. Usually, these low-priced DVDs are 'movie only' editions, but "Lock Up" has two short featurettes. One is a 7 minute 'making of' promo, and the other-- not listed on the case-- is entitled "Sylvester Stallone" and is a 3 minute piece featuring more interview clips with Stallone. Pretty cool that the DVD producers added that. Also included is the theatrical trailer and decent cast/crew/production notes.

i'm giving the guided tour.....

Frank Leone is nearing the end of his prison term for a relatively minor crime. Just before he is paroled, however, Warden Drumgoole takes charge. Drumgoole was assigned to a hell-hole prison after his administration was publicly humiliated by Leone, and has now arrived on the scene to ensure that Leone never sees the light of day.....after his action overload of the eighties, Stallone goes for a dark thriller in this excellent movie. he is great as the lead and Sutherland gives a very ruthless performance as the warden. the film style is gritty, the soundtrack by Conti is remarkable, and the story goes along nicely. the only other thing that could have gave this movie a little more gravitas, was to include more time for the back story between Leone and the warden. Sonny Landham is really here to play the token bad guy and isn't really in it for long, but if you like films like an innocent man or in hell, then you will enjoy this movie.

Not so bad

I think this is better than "Tango and Cash, for sure... Stallone plays his part well, it's not his fault the script he receives..The supporting cast is good, also. With all the flaws, I remembering watching this in the movies a long time ago and I ound it great!

Not that bad

«Lock Up» is one of the good movie featuring Sylvester Stallone. It's no Oscar winner but it's still enjoyable to watch. With only six months to go before getting out of jail, Sly is transfer to a maximum security prison under the management of old nemesis Donald Sutherland. Will Sylvester keep his cool until he finally come out? It's for you to see!6 out of 10.

Being in Prison is HELL!

Silvester Stallone( Frank Leone)"First Blood", gave one of his greatest performance as a beaten down innocent man accused and blackmailed by a demon like Warden, Donald Sutherland(Warden Drumgoole)"Eye of the Needle", who made you hate him with all your heart and soul because his acting was outstanding and his eyes showed great hatred and evil against Frank Leone right to be bitter end. However, Warden Drumgoole came close to frying in the BIG CHAIR!! I remember going past the East Jersey State Prison, Rahway, New Jersey and looked at the Dome like structure of the grey looking Prison and thought what a horrible place to have to spend my lifetime in, I finally got to see how it looked inside and I was not surprised at all to see the Hell like conditions of that prison!

Laughable....

You will only enjoy this film if you are one of these people who are able to
disable belief for an hour or two. If you can do this then you wont laugh at Stallone's dismal acting, nor will you laugh at the increasingly ridiculous story line, nor will you laugh at the annoying sentimental parts of the film aimed at winning over all the brain dead girls in the audieance. However if you are not able to suspend common sense for the duration of the film then you will have one of the funniest film experiences of your life. Trouble is, you wont be laughing at anything good in the film, you'll be laughing at how bad it really is. A film for the brain dead.

Realistic Fortress (spoilers)

Lock Up reminded me of "Fortress" starring Christopher Lambert...only slightly more believable.I'm not a huge fan of Stallones work. Lock Up is one of his better movies along with the likes of "Rambo: First Blood" (the rest of the Rambo movies were just laughable) "Tango & Cash" and "Demolition Man".Lock Up is really just your average "wrongly accused man gets tortured in big bad jail hell hole then gets revenge" sort of movie but having said that I still like it...it has it's moments (the ending with the warden in the electric chair is pretty good). One of Stallones better movies. 7/10

Lock up has the key...

Brutal Dudes Behind Bars Stallone actioner fairs pretty well considering the familiar ground it treads on. The plot is pretty much stolen from all those 70s hot-chicks-battle-sadistic-warden flicks, but given a male reversal in a pretty watchable way.The first thing required of the viewer is just to go with the implausible set-up, wherein Stallone is SOMEHOW given clearance to transfer to another prison despite nearing his release date. This is all so his wronged former warden Sutherland can put him through a hellish endurance test before he becomes a free man (how it wouldn't be obvious to the system that evil Donald is out for retribution is the first thing to relinquish in your mind). You get your stock recruit of jail types, such as the motormouthed buddy, the foolish kid, the teddy bear black guy, etc. Though a real surprise is that racism is never spouted for a moment by any character, especially Landham's snarling yard thug. He restricts his comments to the homosexual variety.It's all an odd mix of light-hearted pathos (Stallone has never been more likable) which will segway into unrestrained violence (electricutions, stabbings, beatings), and even time for an 80s musical number centered around a cherry '65 Mustang. It must be said, however, that that scene runs far too long into a beyond-cheesy and awkward male-bonding level. In Stallone's corner are a pair of fed-up guards (John Amos, as always, is a force) who do what they can to restrict Sutherland's sadistic orders. And though a well-treaded storyline, writers Smith, Stuart, and Rosenbaum pay-off their set-ups in perfect fashion, never leaving any unexplored.Some interesting casting choices, as Sutherland's understated tormentor is played to an effective level, a young Tom Sizemore grates at first but ultimately settles in, and some unsung notice to Jordan Lund as a truly scumbaggy prison guard. He captures your usual balding, pudgy henchman with a little extra relish to make you despise him even more. Though Sutherland is a howl during the final confrontation while being subjected to a certain prison device staple."Lock Up" was the other good-guy-against-the-odds-while-incarcerated film of 1989 along with Tom Selleck's "An Innocent Man", but in terms of what you'd expect of a Stallone popcorn muncher, it should deliver for you.

Possibly the best Stallone movie?!

This is a definite must for anyone following Stallone's movies! It is great in its storyline, its atmosphere, its characters and its ending! If you let it, it'll really grip you and hold you in tight suspense till the very end of the drama. I'd say this is one of the most underrated movies ever. If someone knows why, please write me a note.

A perfect film for anyone who has suffered injustice...

I agree with macnjnc, this is quite an under-rated film. If you have experienced undeserved pain, or injustice in your life, you can absolutely relate to Stallone's Frank Leone character.Donald Sutherland's performance as the soul-crushing Warden is superlative. At every point in the film, you want to hate this evil character.In the end, Stallone re-unites with his girlfriend, and he knows it was worth it, hanging on through the torment, and not giving up, as she supported him and would be with him again eventually.At points, the film becomes a little distant and 'empty', but all in all this is an excellent film.It is available on DVD in the UK and Europe at the end of May 2001.

Beware of the power you locked in the cage.

A Stallone movie that is better than you think. Stallone is a short timer in the pen and is transfered to a more secure prison. There he is harassed and tortured by the revenge seeking warden(Donald Sutherland). The part was of course molded for Mr. Stallone, but on the other hand the accomplished Mr. Sutherland is more bland and boring than fearsome.Plenty of action as expected. And your attention is grabbed for the duration. Stand outs in the supporting cast are: John Amos, Tom Sizemore, Joe Pentangelo and Sonny Landham.

It's STALLONE for crying out loud!!!

Ok, so the guy who did the Amazon.com Editorial review calls the people who enjoy this movie demented, drunk, or having really low standards. Who says you have to take the movie seriously...just enjoy it; I think we all realize that what happens in this movie would never happen in real life, and that's what makes it so cool. I say Lock Up is one of Stallone's more memorable movies for me although it is one of his lesser known roles. This movie probably wouldn't be good if it were played by anyone other than Stallone, but it isn't so it's great. Stallone plays Frank Leone, a man serving a short and normal prison sentence, when he is suddenly and inexplicably sent to Gateway, a hell-hole of a prison, with the evil Warden Drumgoole in charge, played very well by Donald Sutherland. Drumgoole employs a bully named Chink, (played by Sonny Landham) to make sure Leone's time at Gateway is as unpleasant as possible. The most memorable moment in the film for me is when Leone goes after Chink when he crosses the line. On the front of the DVD one critic states, "A surprisingly human film." I must agree. You really start to feel for Frank Leone after he is given such a hard time, and you want to see him exact his revenge like only Stallone can.

Stallone just has a certain aura about him, ya know? Like he's almost not human, with larger-than-life characters like Rocky and Rambo in his name, but something more...maybe I am just, demented...but I think a lot of Stallone fans know exactly what I mean.

So bad it's almost physically painful

I think I liked this movie in 1989, so I recently watched it (thankfully my brother has the copy, so I didn't waste $3.00 on a rental). OH, it stinks.
It's "Rocky Balboa" in prison (seriously, that's it -- spoilers aren't even possible with this flick).Sylvester Stallone cannot act. He's proven himself to be a two bit actor (the two bits: Rocky and Rambo). The fact that Donald Sutherland (a decent actor) would submit to this kind of drivel... he must really have been hard-up for cash around that time, or else Stallone's fame was too hypnotic to resist.The screenplay for this movie is just laughably bad. Unfortunately the film seems to take itself seriously, and so it isn't a laughing matter. Avoid like the plague... 1/10

Lock This Up in the Do-Not-Watch Bin

Lately I've been watching more Stallone movies than I normally would and more prison movies than I normally would. With that context, I'd like to say that this movie was one of the better ones of both categories. This is not the truth, though. Lock Up is an average prison film with nothing original to offer. Stallone, meanwhile, plays Stallone with very little variance from any other role I've seen him in. Although if you like that, you might like this film.What is most disappointing is the way the supporting cast failed miserably to correct Stallone's shortcomings. The warden was played by Donald Sutherland, a fantastic actor. Yet, he was so cliché in this role and seemed to offer no depth or reason to sympathize with his position. Another inmate was played by Tom Sizemore (actualy, played by half of Tom Sizemore because he was about 100 pounds underweight). Sizemore is known for some of the grittiest roles in Hollywood - from his great cameo in "Point Break" to his fiendish sidekick role in "Strange Days"... but in this film he simply acts dopey and I really wonder why he survived so long in this prison. In once scene later on he gets a moment of devilishness, but it's too little, too late. I was enjoying my bathroom breaks more than this film at that point.Danny Trejo also appeared, but if you blink, you'll miss him. (For more Trejo action, see "Con Air" or "Night Stalker").Some people have said some nice things about the Mustang scene where the crew is fixing a classic car and there is great camaraderie and a nice musical number. To me, this scene was out of place, the music was stale, and some of the camera angles gave this more of a homo-erotic feel than I think the writer ever intended.If you want a Stallone film, rent "Demolition Man". If you want a prison film, rent "Shawshank Redemption" or "The Last Castle" or almost any other prison movie. Don't rent this movie. It is NOT recommended.

Great movie,Stallone is back after Rambo's success

I really enjoy watching this movie.Although the movie isn't much famous as Rambo or Rocky series it's a real masterpiece.Stallone gives an excellent performance as Frank Leone- a convict that is pushed too much and not fairily from the prison warden (D.Sutherland) who has a personal vendetta with him.Frank finally achieves in an astonishing way to prove that the warden has set him up in order to escape.There is where his personal drama ends.It's a drama-action-romance movie that it's worth to see it not only for the good performances(S.Stallone,T.Sizemore,L.Romano,F.McRay) but for the suspense especially in the end.For me it's just a Stallone's classic one, so take a seat and enjoy this really entertaining movie

Make sure you have a spare key handy!

"Lock Up" features a strong cast with the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Donald Sutherland, John Amos, Tom Sizemore and Sonny Landham. Stallone portrays Frank Leone, who must serve the remaining six months of his sentence at a minimum security correctional facility. Leone's cell is ransacked in the middle of the night and is taken into custody against his will by security guards from a maximum security prison, where Leone is escorted and is promptly given the guided tour of hell. The viewer, as well as Leone, is then given an explanation of Leone's transfer, courtesy of one evil Warden Drumgoole, played by Sutherland. The tone of the movie is set upon Drumgoole's intense greeting: "Welcome to Gateway, Leone". It's payback time, according to the warden, whose administration was publicly humiliated by Leone, whom Warden Drumgoole makes sure never has another pleasureable moment during Leone's sentence. Leone's stay isn't entirely unbearable, for there are a few bright spots here, as our beloved convict-hero makes some fast friends in the prison autobody shop, with the likes of Eclipse (Frank McRae), Dallas (Tom Sizemore) and First Base (Larry Romano). It is here where these individuals share a common bond of friendship, including their love of cars, which is one of "Lock Up's" few tender moments. Ah, but there can't be friends without enemies, can there? Frank finds his enemy at a prison football game, where he is brutally roughhoused by one Chink Weber (Sonny Landham). Things don't get any easier for Leone, as he is constantly belittled and brutally assaulted by Drumgoole's staff. Overall, this is a strong film, with some believable characters, although the plot in certain spots is somewhat weak and unbelievable. For instance, I find it hard to believe that a prison autobody shop, such as this, displays little or no security, as well as a large maximum security prison, like this one, being overseen by just one warden, who, out of hundreds and hundreds of inmates, is so obsessed with just one of them. I'm sure the warden has other responsibilities to be concerned about, which I'm sure are many. But, the one good thing about watching a film of this caliber is that the warden's obsession with one man builds an intense climax that leaves the viewer on the edge of his/her seat the entire length of the movie, thus craving more substantial thrills and dialog. "Lock Up" contains all of the above, and is one film you're sure to come back to time and again. Plus, no other actor can bring more to an action-thriller quite like Sly Stallone, although "Lock Up" probably isn't his best role. That honor would have to go to his Rambo and Rocky roles. When viewing "Lock Up", make sure you have a spare key (and some refreshments) handy at all times, because you never know how long your stay of execution will last!