Gridlock (1996) (TV)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Sandor Stern

Writer (WGA):

Joe Ferullo (written by)

Release Date:

14 January 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

New York. Some explosions destroy all the bridges connecting Manhattan with the rest of New York. The...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Robbery | Helicopter | Die Hard Scenario | Gold

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

David Hasselhoff	...	Jake Gorsky
Kathy Ireland	...	Michele Conner
Miguel Fernandes	...	Mr. One
Götz Otto	...	Mr. Two
Tony De Santis	...	Bane (as Tony Desantis)
Marc Strange	...	Joe Gorsky
Alan Scarfe	...	Martin Joss
Derwin Jordan	...	Officer Getz
Tom Melissis	...	Ron Delano
Jason Blicker	...	Charlie Runnels
Réal Andrews	...	Mr. Three
Markus Parilo	...	Mr. Four
Tig Fong	...	Mr. Five
Robert Thomas	...	Mr. Six
Von Flores	...	Mr. Seven

Also Known As:

Gridlock - Die Falle (Germany)
Obstruction (Canada: French title)

Runtime:

UK:87 min

Country:

Canada | USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:12 | UK:15 | UK:15 (video premiere)

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Alliance Communications Corporation

Quotes:

Jake Gorsky: [on dimes] And I though all you were good for was parking meters and payphones.

Horrible, cheap rip-off of Die Hard with no redeeming aspects

When a supposed terrorist attack on two bridges bring the city to a standstill, traffic cop Jake Gorsky lands his helicopter to investigate suspicious happenings. In the building he finds himself facing up to a heavily armed group of criminals who are using the chaos on the streets as a diversion.

There are plenty of films that copy the Die Hard model of one man versus a group of criminals in a specific location - Cliff Hanger, Lethal Tender, Passenger 57 etc. However this is one of the first I've seen that blatantly just rips off Die Hard itself. Here we have one lone cop trapped in a building with his ex-wife trying to evade a group of criminals posing as terrorists....we even have scenes where Gorsky escapes by using a hosepipe to abseil down the building and has to deal with police incompetence. The only way it could have been more obvious would be if he'd lost his shoes and stripped down to his vest! Unfortunately this has no where near the class of Die Hard. The action is toothless with no real excitement, the bad guys are little more than incompetent clowns and you never believe that Gorsky is in any real danger at all.

The performances are roundly terrible. Where Willis' sweat drenched performance helped us believe that he was a man in a very dangerous situation, Hasselhoff has the opposite impact. His total lack of talent and charisma made me feel that I couldn't care less about what happened to him or his situation. Similarly the bad guys are so unmemorable that I can't even think of them despite only watching it a few days ago.

Overall this is a horrible cheap film that combines elements of Die Hard and Die Hard with a Vengeance without taking any of the good points of either. Bad action, bad script and bad acting - watch Willis in action instead.