CAST Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Vincent Regan, Joseph Gilgun, Lennie
James, Peter Stormare DIRECTOR James Mather, Stephen St. Leger STORY AND
SCREENPLAY Luc Besson PRODUCER Marc
Libert, Leila Smith Genre Sci-Fi Action Location Outer Space
Technical assessment 2.5
Technical assessment 2.5
Moral assessment:
3
CINEMA Rating For viewers 18 and above
In 2079, the
US has built a maximum security penitentiary called MS1 outside the earth’s
orbit wherein criminals are kept in suspended animation or statis. The
president’s daughter Emilie Warnock (Maggie Grace) visits the prison to
investigate if the convicts are indeed being used as human guinea pigs and if statis
leads to psychopathy and dementia. Unfortunately, during the interrogation, one
of the convicts escapes and releases all other prisoners, resulting to a riot
and the hostage of the Emilie and the rest of the prison staff. The Secret
Service devices a plan to save Emilie by sending wrongly accused and
sarcastically brooding CIA agent Snow (Guy Pearce) in the penitentiary.
Although reluctant at first to accept the suicide mission, his fellow CIA agent
Shaw (Lennie Shaw) convinces him to go by pointing out that the only person who
will be able to clear his name and reputation is one of the prisoners in MS1.
The film
borrows too much from other movies namely Escape
from New York and Alcatraz, to
be original. The plot is predictable and the characters come off as
caricatures. Although the action sequences are fast-paced and excitable, it
shows nothing really creative or innovative. It does get boring after the first
few explosions and hysteria of being chased throughout the film. The only
successful ingredient in the film is the chemistry between Pearce and Grace
providing a few laughs with their constant banter and Pearce’s dead tone liners
and electrifying presence. Even at the very start of the conflict, we are sure
of which characters will live and which one will die but nonetheless, the
audience are glued to the screen as it does deliver an easily digestible and
cheap entertainment.
One thing
admirable with the film is the desire of the protagonist to help people whether
criminals, hostages or the good guys. Emilie is an epitome of people-oriented
leader who has no qualms about selflessness and compassion—at times to the
point of stupidity (like telling the lunatic Hydell where she can found)—but
still enough to make one appreciate goodness amidst a world transformed into
self-centeredness and amorality.
Lockout is like most action films where the way to achieve
justice, freedom or redemption is to have blood splattered indiscreetly and dead
bodies scattered about from the first scene to the last. Hence, the crude entertainment and modest
values it may have is only suitable for older and more mature audiences.
