Wedlock (1991)

A male prison escapee heads for his hidden loot electronically attached to a female prisoner.

Director:

Lewis Teague

Writer:

Broderick Miller

Stars:

Rutger Hauer, Mimi Rogers, Joan Chen

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rutger Hauer	...	Frank Warren
Mimi Rogers	...	Tracy Riggs
Joan Chen	...	Noelle
James Remar	...	Sam
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Warden Holliday
Basil Wallace	...	Emerald
Grand L. Bush	...	Jasper
Denis Forest	...	Puce
Glenn Plummer	...	Teal
Belle Avery	...	Deborah
Ismael 'East' Carlo	...	Chief Officer
Ed Crick	...	Sergeant #1
Zaid Farid	...	Policeman #1
Richard Gilbert-Hill	...	Security Guard #2
Colin Hamilton	...	Minister

Storyline

Frank (Rutger Hauer) has been convicted of stealing millions of dollars in diamonds, which have not been recovered. In his unisex prison, each inmate has an unknown partner. When the two are separated by more than one hundred yards, an explosive collar kills both inmates. Frank and his female partner escape and head for the money, but they are hotly pursued by his double-crossing colleagues.

---

Plot Keywords:

diamond | prison | on the run | explosive collar | elevator | 

---

Taglines:

Trapped in a prison of the future. Betrayed by a woman of his past. Frank Warren is wired to explode.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong violence, and for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The concept of convicts wearing explosive collars around their necks, which will explode if they get one hundred yards outside the prison, or separate from their "Wedlock" partner, was recycled from The Running Man (1987), in which Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and other convicts wore explosive collars around their necks, which would explode if they tried to escape, and if the perimeter was not deactivated.

---

Goofs

Movie crew can be seen in Warden Holloway's glasses when Noelle give him the suitcase.

---

Quotes

Noelle: That fucking bitch was out of line.
Sam: Hey, are you OK?
Noelle: No, I want a hug.

---

Crazy Credits

The closing credits end with the sounds of the wedlock collar's warning alarm and an explosion.

---

Alternate Versions

The Singapore laserdisc release has the head explosion scene censored.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Chronic Rift: Orson Scott Card (1992)

---

Soundtracks

All the Good Times Are Past and Gone
(uncredited)
Traditional
Performed by Bill Monroe

User Reviews

Hauer knows how to make a good film when all others would fail, or at least makes it feel that way.

Let's not kid ourselves : If you plan on watching this it's because Rutger Hauers face is on the box.

And I say box not poster because I doubt anyone really ever saw this in any theater. It's the kind of movie that gets put on cheap sets where two films share a disk or tape , at least that is how I watched it.

It being so cheap the publishers apparently reason giving it its own disk would be uneconomical is a massive plus though; you forgive all its flaws immediately because you do get far more then whatever you are likely to pay for it:Namely Rutger Hauer. And it's a good thing he's here !

The writing is both the film's major flaw and in the hands of Rutger Hauer its best feature.

Looking back on the writing alone feels like you are reading the overambitious project of someone who has previously only done short stories from time to time.It has some interesting ideas that normally don't work as well in a motion picture as they would in let's say a Isaac Asimov type collection of short stories. But while you can just feel that it would have turned into a absolute mess when left to others Hauer manages to emphasize every single tidbit that makes it worthwhile.

And if you get past the made-for-TV hammy qualities of it all there are some genuinely good concepts here. It makes you think, What gives someone the right to decide when someone is fit to be part of society?, Where is the line between rehabilitation and brainwashing ?( it is crossed in this film by the way , do doubt about it ). What parts of life can you control ?

Honestly the next time you go to your local supermarket you start thinking : What would be the reason they put this isle next to that ?, do i really want that bag of chips? And that alone is pretty impressive. Though it may not seem like a masterpiece its really memorable.

The casting besides Hauer seems like they all would be at least third picks for the role in most other productions.They are the kind of people that would be seen mostly in commercials from the time that this was made. As such the supporting cast's acting is far more hammy then Hauers is but it adds to the film. These people are fake ; they are wearing masks , they are forced to be something they aren't, or deliberately manipulating people into perceiving them in a way they can exploit. You can't know if a character is lying or is genuinely badly written and acted, and it's amazing.

Furthermore whenever it gets too annoying Hauer's character does something that will make you want to keep watching ,in fact he is more annoyed then you are! He is snarly , grumpy , and stressed out, while everyone around him is either manipulated to act according to a unnatural mold, or overtly against him. And he deals with it all in a way that makes you high five everyone in the room if you watch it with friends.

It's not the worlds best movie by any standard , but it genuinely makes you question those standards.

If it's not a good movie its still one of the best watching experiences I have ever had. It's more entertaining than some 'better' Rutger Hauer films in fact. I mean sure Blade Runner is a great film , but let me choose between Wedlock and Blade-Runners director's cut and I choose Wedlock!

It has a enjoyable pace and a runtime that is short enough for a fun campy evening along a few other movies. I highly recommend watching this with friends, I watched it with my roommates a few days after i saw it alone and it was even more fun! And i think that is how this film is meant to be seen.

It may seem like cheap entertainment because of that , but it does have cultural relevance. In fact although it's not as gory and a lot cheaper , it's a lot like Robocop. It's more than meets the eye.

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 1991 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Deadlock

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles River, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spectacor Films, Frederick S. Pierce Company, Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1