Review for Lockout

Lockout has to be at the top of the list of those movies that come along from time to time that, despite you brain telling you how bizarre the film is, part of you just can’t stop watching it. From the mind of Luc Besson, and directors Stephen St Leger and James Mather, Lockout provides similar entertainment to that of some of the great action films of the late 80s-early 90s that really shouldn’t work in today’s ever-advancing film industry. Dubbed as ‘Die Hard in Space’ I had to give it a go

It’s 2079, and ex-CIA agent, Snow (Guy Pearce), finds himself caught up in a trap that leads to him being framed for the murder of his old friend, Frank. Before being captured by Agent Scott Langral (Peter Stormare), Snow manages to escape with a briefcase, and has just enough time to pass it to his colleague, Mace (Tim Plester). Upon arrest, and unwilling to give up any information about either the briefcase, or the murder, Snow is sentenced to 30 years aboard the space prison, MS-One, where he will be encapsulated inside a cell, alongside the planet’s worst criminals.


Meanwhile, the President’s fact-finding diplomat daughter, Emilie Warnock (Maggie Grace), is sent to the space station to conduct a research project about the prisoners’ treatment, and to make sure no civil rights violations are going on. Accompanied by a team of Secret Service agents, to ensure her safety, and fitted with a tracking device, Emilie begins interviewing unhinged Hydell (Joseph Gilgun), but events take a dramatic turn when Hydell manages to get hold of a gun that has been smuggled in by one of the men assigned to Emilie. Hydell escapes and the alarm is raised as he starts releasing the other prisoners from their frozen cells.


With Emilie and her team now being held hostage, one of the most dangerous prisoners, Alex (Vincent Regan), takes charge of the prison. We soon discover that he and Hydell are brothers, and as Alex sets about negotiations for the release of the hostages, Hydell, who gets more pleasure out of killing people than out of working towards a compromise, starts to take matters into his own hands.


Back on Earth, a team of Special Forces ‘experts’ start debating how to solve the hostage crisis and rescue the First Daughter, including proposals of SWAT teams and usage of bombs. Harry Shaw (Lennie James), who has been trying to help Snow, and get information from him, then utters one of the movies make-or-break moments; ‘Or we cold send in one man’. Suggesting Snow as the only person alive capable of, not only sneaking on board the orbiting prison, but also rescuing Emilie, Shaw starts to prepare a plan that could result in Snow becoming a free man. Although Snow has nothing to lose, unsurprisingly he is reluctant to participate in the deal offered to him; that is until he is informed that Mace is also aboard MS-One. After the first attempt fails, leaving the station falling from the sky and heading to what could become a fiery inferno on Earth unless the structure is blown apart, Snow goes in, racing against time.


With the assistance of the chip on Emilie, Shaw starts to direct Snow to her location. Crawling through ducts, encounters with inmates, communications failure, and an altercation with one of the special agents on board, are not enough to stop Snow, as he finally reaches the President’s daughter just in the nick of time. Once the niceties and essentials are done with, and Emilie and Snow have acquainted themselves with each other, their escape together begins.


As the rescue task force sit unaware as to what is unfolding on the space prison, Alex and Hydell play a game of cat and mouse with Emilie and Snow. There are a few close calls, but Snow manages to lead Emilie to a single-seater escape pod. Leaving her to make her way back to the safety of her father, Snow turns back into the ticking time-bomb to find Mace and get the information he needs regarding the whereabouts of the briefcase. Emilie releases the pod, letting both Snow, and her father, believe she is on her way home, but she has other ideas, as Snow soon discovers. As the ship plummets towards Earth, Snow locates Mace, but Emilie recognises that he is in a state of delirium and making no real sense. Managing to escape the clutches of the impending posse of inmates one last time, Snow and Emilie emerge from the space prison just as the clock runs out.


Some people may feel that I have included too much information about the film and its storyline. The purpose behind this is because of the predictability of the plot, I, myself could have written some of it before even pressing the play button., Luc Besson has been behind some of the best action and sci-fi films of the past, and although they aren’t always the best written, they usually have the entertainment to make up for it. Lockout, however, lacks on both accounts for the majority of the film, although there is a certain charm that keeps you watching, even when you know things are not going to improve.


Guy Pearce’s performance as Snow has to be one of the highlights of the film. He’s funny, obnoxious, cynical and sarcastic, and his self-assured, one-man force attitude gives his character the image of Die Hard’s John McClane. His witty one-liners certainly add a touch of fun to the script. Emilie, on the other hand, is a naïve young woman who thinks she knows what’s going on, but clearly doesn’t. Maggie Grace seemed to be able to depict this with more clarity once coupled with Pearce. Together, they both have something to learn, though Snow seems more alert to teaching then learning.


The partnership between Joseph Gilgun and Vincent Regan works very well. Hydell, the younger psychopathic brother, with a bit of a resemblance to the Joker on drugs, makes a pleasant change of pace from the regular villain, represented her by the more placid character of the older and wiser Alex. Peter Stormare shines in the first sequence with Pearce, but goes downhill from there, and in contrast, Lennie James improves just in time for his final scene.


But what of the President? Peter Hudson never makes it clear whether his character is a disinterested opportunist who would sacrifice everything for his political career, or a deeply loving and caring father, willing to do whatever it takes to save his daughter. President Warnock demonstrates both these aspects, but when told that his daughter has been taken hostage, he may as well have been told there was no milk for his coffee. This in itself makes the rescue operation seem empty, with no sense of urgency or authority.


The whole storyline behind the prison breakout and the rescue mission is questionable. Why would the President’s daughter be permitted to undertake such a dangerous task, in a high security location, with the aid of just a few Secret Service agents? Out of the 500 prisoners onboard the station, why unfreeze the most unhinged? And what happened to metal detectors and x-ray machines? This is 2079, where security measures have been taken over by the word of man. How else would a Secret Service agent be able to smuggle a gun into the interview? The action is inconsistent. The prison has an automated defence system that the prisoners use to fight off the initial attack sent by Langral, yet Snow is able to escape from inmates on numerous occasions just by opening a door, and closing it behind him. The same door then becomes inaccessible to the pursuing prisoners, even though they have control of the security framework. Mace and the briefcase? As we aren’t really made aware of the actual contents in the case, and the impact they may have on the storyline until right at the very end, why include it as a major part of the rescue mission?

The visual effects are far from impressive, deteriorating to video game quality within the first few scenes of the film. When it comes to the freeway motorcycle chase it’s difficult to process what is actually going on amongst the fast-paced, unpolished CGI. The visual effects crew manage to give a cheesy side to the bad effects, which do go hand in hand with the plot, most of the time.

So, the top selling point for this movie? Guy Pearce’s depiction of Snow. Too bad that what he is meant to excel at in the movie, the action, is jumbled from beginning to end. But there is still that charm that keeps you watching, that you can’t put your finger on. Is that the influence of Besson?