Lockout (2012)

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	Interviews-Cast & Crew Trailer-x 3 for other films
Rating
Year Of Production	2012
Running Time	91:06
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	James Mather Stephen St. Leger
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Guy Pearce Maggie Grace Vincent Regan Joseph Gilgun Lennie James Peter Stormare
Case	?
RPI	?	Music	Alexandre Azaria

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.40:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     It is 2079. M.S.One is a maximum security prison in space where 497 of the most psychotic prisoners are placed into a deep sleep called “stasis”. When Emilie Warnock (Maggie Grace), the daughter of the President of the USA, visits the prison on a fact finding mission, one of her bodyguards disobeys instructions and takes a pistol into the prison with disastrous consequences. Psychopath Hydell (Joe Gilgun) gets the pistol and releases the other prisoners, including his intelligent big brother Alex (Vincent Regan), who threatens to kill the hostages unless their demands are met or if any attempt is made to storm the prison.

     CIA operative Snow (Guy Pearce) was labelled a rogue after he was framed for an operation that went wrong and sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. He is offered a remission of his sentence if he will infiltrate M.S. One and rescue Emilie. He accepts because a vital piece of information about the failed operation, something that can prove his innocence, is also on M.S. One. Chaos and mayhem ensue.

     Lockout started as an idea by Luc Besson who is also executive producer, although as the synopsis indicates this is basically Escape from New York in space with Guy Pearce in the Kurt Russell role, although he is luckier than Russell as he gets to rescue the delectable Maggie Grace rather than Donald Pleasence! However, on its own merits, Lockout is a heap of fun, action packed, loud and funny. The action starts almost immediately, and never lets up with energetic and well staged hand to hand fights and gun battles in and around the corridors, shafts and airlocks of this orbiting space prison.

     While any action film must deliver the required explosions, fights and excitement, it is the involvement we have in the characters that elevates a film like Lockout to a more enjoyable level. Here, Guy Pearce is great. His Snow is sarcastic, acerbic, and cynical, with a range of delicious one-liners that he delivers absolutely straight, thus making them very funny. His less than stellar relationship with Maggie Grace is also good fun, although you know they will get to appreciate each other by the end, and Joe Gilgun is delightfully over the top. It is only when the story leaves the characters or the inside of the prison to show the attacking space craft, for example, that it is let down by obvious and dodgy model and CGI work. Indeed, the futuristic bike chase near the start looks like a video game, which may be deliberate but it just looks silly.

     Lockout is a B film that has no pretensions to being anything else. There is no philosophising, no back stories of the bad guys seeking to justify their evil deeds, just explosive, loud action, funny one-liners, good interaction between the leads and a satisfying ending. Just right for a summer evening’s entertainment.

Video

     Lockout is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, the original theatrical ratio being 2.35:1, and is 16x9 enhanced.

     The film was shot using the Red One MX digital camera, the actors filmed frequently in front of a green screen. Close up detail, such as Guy Pearce’s battered face, is very good although detail in the backgrounds is not as good, and shadow detail can be indistinct although I don’t think much was lost. Blacks are fine but the colours have been manipulated giving a dull washed out look with a silvery tinge, although some skin tones come out yellowy. This is a film of muted tones and darkness anyway so the colour palate is suitable. Within the manipulated scheme, brightness and contrast were consistent.

     I did not notice any artefacts although there was some shimmer in the closing titles.

    Lip synchronisation is fine.

     English subtitles for the hearing impaired are available.

     The layer change at 67:40 resulted in a slight pause on my equipment.

     The print is good.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps, with an English descriptive narration for the vision impaired by a male voice in Dolby Digital 2.0 at 224 Kbps.

     Dialogue, specifically Joe Gilgun’s delivery and accent, is occasionally indistinct, but the subtitles are there. The sound stage is fully utilised in most sequences. Ambient sound and music occur regularly, but the system kicks into gear in the action sequences. In the space craft attack engines pan and roar and gun fire and explosions reverberate. Within the prison the gunshots are loud, the hand to hand crashes and thumps have a satisfying oomph. The sub-woofer supported music, engines, gunfire, explosions and thumps well without unbalancing the audio.

     The original orchestral score by Alexandre Azaria was very effective in supporting the action.

     A loud and enveloping audio track, just what is needed for an action film.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     Trailers for Looper, Lawless and End of Watch play on start –up and must be skipped. They cannot be selected from the menu. Total time 6:12.

Cast and Crew Interviews (29:59)

     In separate sections Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace and Joe Gilgun speak about the action, working with two directors, each other and the green screen sequences. Co-director Stephen St. Leger discusses his working methods and the multi-national crew. Lots of good behind the scenes footage, story boards and pre-viz made these interviews quite interesting. It does seem, however, that a low bit-rate was used as there is a lot of blurring of the images.

     The Region 1 US DVD has similar technical specifications although different audio and subtitle options – there are Spanish and Portuguese dubs for example. Extras include a making of (11 minutes) and a special effects featurette (10 minutes), but not the cast interviews. Call it a draw I think.

     The Region B Blu-rays of Lockout in Australia and the UK include, as well as the cast and crew interviews, a couple of featurettes on M.S. One plus deleted scenes.

     Lockout stars an excellent Guy Pearce as an action hero and features explosive, loud action, funny one-liners, good interaction between the leads and a satisfying ending. Perfect for a summer’s evening.

     The video is fine, the audio loud and enveloping. The extra is worthwhile.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall