This works out since Snow was on his way there anyway, just as a prisoner. It seems he was set up for the murder of a friend and fellow agent and the only person who can exonerate him is his partner Mace (Tim Plester), who also happens to be a guest of the prison. Prior to their capture, Snow was able to pass Mace the evidence needed to clear him and now he needs to find Mace and discover its secret location.
Snow is being strong-armed by Scott Langral (Peter Stormare) into rescuing Emilie, but quietly helped by his CIA friend and advocate, Harry Shaw (Lennie James, The Walking Dead). Unfortunately, the prison has been taken over by a pair of ruthless brothers, born leader Alex (Vincent Regan) and his unstable and vicious younger brother, Hydell (Joseph Gilgun). Once the brothers realize what a valuable commodity they have with Emilie as their hostage, it becomes a race for their lives for Snow and Emilie.
Lockout is all about the action. As any longtime fan of Luc Besson knows, not every movie of his is an Oscar winner, but he always delivers an entertaining experience. With its futuristic landscape, Lockout reminded me a bit of Fifth Element at times. There’s a chase scene with Snow on a one-wheeled motorcycle that was pretty much all CG and while fast and furious, it also looked very CG. This was pretty obvious while viewing Lockout under the microscope that is high-def Blu-ray, but the rest of the CG looked pretty good. Guy Pearce plays the character of Snow in a very over-the-top way, with snarky simply oozing from his pores, but it works for the character. The banter between Snow and Emilie is a bit forced at times, but still enjoyable. They definitely find their stride as the film progresses, though. The entire cast is great and works really well together and it’s always a treat to see Lennie James. I’ve also never seen crazy done quite like Joseph Gilgun playing Hydell. He’s quite disturbing and impressive.
Special features include a making-of where the cast and crew discuss the film and a featurette on the special effects. Both were enjoyable. Although this version is Unrated, I honestly couldn’t tell a difference between it and the version I saw in theaters.
If you are looking for a fun action flick, check out Lockout. It won’t change the world, but it’s not trying to either.
