Sylvester Stallone is most synonymous with the Rocky and Rambo franchises. However, the 80s and 90s brought forth many more iconic action roles for the Italian Stallion. Throughout his career, his characters have been up against some insuperable odds, yet, they always rise triumphant.
In the 80s, prison movies were beginning to pick up steam. While Sylvester Stallone starred in Victory in 1981, which was met with a modest amount of praise, his next prison flick, Lock Up, slipped under the radar massively. So, chances are, you likely missed it. Here’s why you should definitely check it out.
What Is the Plot of Lock Up?
Director John Flynn (Rolling Thunder, Best Seller), serves up an eclectic blend of drama and dazzling action with Lock Up. The plot focuses on Frank Leone (Stallone), a minimum-level prison inmate with only 6 months left on his sentence. Granted weekends outside of prison, Frank is no threat to anyone. However, his whole world is tipped upside down when he is taken in the middle of the night and transferred to a maximum security prison ran by Drumgoole (Donald Sutherland), a brutal, scheming prison warden who has a personal grudge against Frank. As Frank attempts to keep his head down so that he can get out on time, Drumgoole sets out to break him so that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Was Lock Up a Box Office Flop?
By the time Lock Up was released in 1989, Sylvester Stallone was at the peak of his fame after delivering four Rocky movies and three Rambo movies. 1985’s Rocky IV grossed over $300 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the Rocky franchise, and 1988’s Rambo III pulled in an impressive $189 million. But the next year, Lock Up failed to match these numbers, only grossing $22,099,847 against a reported budget of $24 million, meaning it was a significant financial loss for the studio. While traction picked up slightly upon home release, it is still a rather overlooked movie in Sylvester Stallone’s filmography.
The main thing to note here is how the trailer may have done the movie a slight injustice. While there was certainly action present, it was also clear that this would be a return to dramatic form for Sly. By this point, many had forgotten that drama is where he started before he became a huge action hero. And perhaps, audiences weren’t ready for such a return, as most had come accustomed to his larger-than-life persona.
Why This Sylvester Stallone Hidden Gem Is Truly Underrated
By the end of the 90s, Stallone was in a full-on competition with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The two box office titans were battling it out to see who could kill the most people, blow up the most things, and generally create the most carnage. As a result, both actors had become a little far-fetched and over-inflated with their characters. Lock Up saw Stallone take somewhat of a step back, delivering a much quieter and nuanced performance, pretty close in tone to that of the very first Rocky movie. Although Frank is a tough guy, he is somewhat down-trodden as he tries his best to stay out of trouble, all the while facing intense bullying from the brutal inmate Chink (Sonny Landham), as well as the evil Drumgoole and his corrupt prison guards. However, this gritty slow-burn prison movie still builds to an explosive showdown that will exhilarate the most die-hard of action fans.
Lock Up also shines in its stellar supporting cast. As Frank adjusts to life in maximum security, he forms a bond with a tight-knit group of prisoners who spend their freedom hours working on broken down automobiles in the prison’s car workshop. These camaraderie-soaked scenes add a sense of levity and light humor to the film, lightening the load amidst its more dark and dingy moments. Stallone is joined by some of the most recognisable faces of 80s action cinema, with the likes of John Amos (Coming to America, Die Hard 2), and Frank McRae (48 Hrs.). Amos stands out with his role as head prison officer Meissner, a man torn between right and wrong as he begins to see the injustices dealt out by Drumgoole. Lock Up also introduced audiences to two actors that would go on to bigger things – Tom Sizemore as the loud-mouthed comedic relief Dallas, and Larry Romano as First Base, who would go on to star in hit sitcoms like Mad About You, and The King of Queens.
So, all in all, Lock Up is a movie that never tried to live up to its classic prison drama predecessors like The Great Escape or Escape from Alcatraz. But it is a true hidden gem in Stallone’s filmography that near-perfectly balances his knack for drama, intense physicality, and captivating charm. Campy 80s action elements aside, at its core, Lock Up is a gritty prison drama about resilience, perseverance, and the human desire to not be broken.
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