Lock Up (1989)

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 ... See full summary »

Director:

John Flynn

Writers:

Richard Smith, Jeb Stuart,

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Donald Sutherland, John Amos

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	Frank Leone
Donald Sutherland	...	Warden Drumgoole
John Amos	...	Captain Meissner
Sonny Landham	...	Chink Weber
Tom Sizemore	...	Dallas
Frank McRae	...	Eclipse
Darlanne Fluegel	...	Melissa
William Allen Young	...	Braden
Larry Romano	...	First Base
Jordan Lund	...	Manly
John Lilla	...	Wiley
Dean Rader-Duval	...	Ernie (as Dean Duval)
Jerry Strivelli	...	Louie Munafo
David Anthony Marshall	...	Mastrone
Kurek Ashley	...	Chink's Gang Member

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | warden | criminal | martial arts | fist fight | 

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Taglines:

He is only six months away from freedom. But a warden obsessed with revenge wants to take his future away.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Condena brutal

Filming Locations:

East Jersey State Prison, Rahway, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$22,099,847 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

White Eagle, Carolco Pictures, Gordon Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cast includes real inmates of Rahway State Prison.

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Goofs

When Frank Leone is quickly forced out of his tiny jail cell his pants are not on, but as he appears out of the cell his pants are on.

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Quotes

Chink Weber: [Leone sits] Move it, Ace. That's my spot.
[Leone moves]
Chink Weber: Uh-uh, that's my spot, too.
Frank Leone: Any spot in here that isn't yours?
Chink Weber: Nope, they're all mine. You wanna use it, you gotta pay.
Chink Weber: [Leone gets up] Not so fast, Ace. I'm not gonna gouge ya. That little thing around your neck? That'll buy ya a spot for the day.

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Connections

Version of Fortress (1992)

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Soundtracks

"VEHICLE"
Written by Jim Peterik
Performed by The Ides of March
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records, Inc.
by arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

All you want from a Sly Stallone movie is right here.

Have to say right off that I can't believe the low rating for this one here, because it delivers everything that a Stallone fan would want, if one is loading this into the player then surely they know what to expect?

Frank Leone (Sylvester Stallone) only has a few weeks to go before being released from prison, he is no hard core offender, he is a loving man and is ready for a new life with his gorgeous girlfriend Melissa (Darlanne Fluegel). During the night he is whisked away to a maximum security prison on the orders of a sadistic warden out for revenge because Leone was the only man to have ever escaped from his prison, thus setting in motion the wheels of revenge.

We then follow Leone as he is pushed to the limits by crazy warden Drumgoole (Donald Sutherland) and all the sadistic guards under his command. He also enlists the help of resident inmate beefcake Chink Weber (Sonny Landham), and they all in turn try to break Leone at all costs to ensure that he never leaves prison again. There certainly is nothing here that hasn't been done before in the prison film genre, and only an idiot would expect anything other than the ending we get, but this is a Stallone movie and it's full of guts, testo macho action, and it should be noted that Sly here puts some depth to the character of Leone. He garners our sympathy quite quickly, and considering the bloke is built like the proverbial brick outhouse, it's quite an achievement.

The supporting players are a mixed bunch, this is Tom Sizemore's first motion picture and he does really well with the character of Dallas, Sonny Landham is his usual scary menacing self, whilst Frank McRae as Eclipse does just enough right to make his mark. So it's something of a surprise to me that the best actor on show is actually the film's weak link. Donald Sutherland does overplay it to the point that he goes beyond pantomime villain, it's a real teeth itching performance that he would only outdo with the dreadful Jamie Lee Curtis starrer, Virus, 10 years later, but in a film with such primal fun/action intentions, it doesn't ruin the film and leaves it all told as a fine genre piece.

No awards here for sure, but when I watch a film about a man played by Sly Stallone in prison then I think I know what to expect, and it delivers all that I hoped for, so hooray for the beefcake I say. 7/10