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 of diamonds which have not been recovered. In his uni-sex prison, each inmate has an unknown partner; when the two are separated by more than 100 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.

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Plot Keywords:

diamond | prison | escape | on the run | money | 

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Taglines:

It'll blow your mind.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong violence, and for language

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 1991 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Aliança Mortal

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles River, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Incorporated Television Company (ITC), Spectacor Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was later parodied in Wild Wild West (1999). Jim West (Will Smith) and Artemus Gordon (Kevin Kline) wear magnetic collars around their necks, and must stay within the perimeter to stay alive, but West steps out of the perimeter and West and Gordon are chased by razor-sharp discs.

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Goofs

Warden Holliday says to the prisoners, "Stay within that blue line and you're always 100 yards from everyone else in the camp," when he really means those within the blue line are LESS than 100 yards from everyone else.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

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

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Alternate Versions

In Germany only a cut version was released to avoid an FSK 18 rating

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Connections

References The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Exploding heads in the prison of the future!

Well, it doesn't break any boundaries or try to be anything particularly special, but Wedlock takes influence from films such as The Running Man and ends up with a fun and entertaining little thriller. As you would expect, the film offers little in the way of surprises; so it's a good job that getting from A to B is fun to watch. The film's main gimmick is the idea of a futuristic prison in which the inmates have to wear collars. This ensures that all the prisoners are constantly watching each other, as if your collar gets one hundred yards away from your partner's collar - both your heads explode! Naturally, no one knows who is whose partner, so the prison is pretty secure (I can't be the only one who thinks this could work in REAL prisons...). The film focuses on Frank Warren; a would-be robber who is double crossed by his girlfriend and ends up in the futuristic jail. Before getting double-crossed, our hero was smart enough to hide the diamonds that he stole. The head of the jail wants these gems for himself, and after Frank and his partner escape from the prison - a game of cat and mouse ensues.

The film relies a lot on it's lead star Rutger Hauer, and while this isn't his best performance of all time; it's suitably different from his more popular roles (Blade Runner, The Hitcher), and he makes for an offbeat action hero. He is joined by Mimi Rogers, who is good in support; as well as Stephen Tobolowsky, who steals every scene he's in. The action doesn't come thick and fast; but Wedlock benefits from this, as the action is good when it comes and the scenes between the lead characters are always interesting enough to keep the film worth watching. Standout scenes include a bus chase and obligatory exploding head scene. The title is something of a metaphor for our lead character, as his luck with women isn't exactly enviable, and the way that the collars lock the two main characters together makes for some interesting drama. The main problem with the plotting is that it constantly hints at what's going to come next; and even the central twist isn't all that shocking when it comes about. However, if you go into Wedlock expecting just good entertainment; it's a lot of fun, and therefore comes recommended to B-movie fans!