As it started out I was pleasantly surprised, the first 35 minutes is genuinely entertaining and I was starting to think it was cool to see Dominic Purcell in something good again.But in the second third the plot just get stuck... or gridlocked if you will, set in the same building throughout and it becomes rather dull with little action and I'm sure this bit was meant to be intense and unsettling, but the acting really prevents that from happening.Don't get me wrong, the actors are fine when it comes to the action bits and funnier parts but yeah they don't really have the dramatic skills to make the second third interesting.Luckily it picks up a bit in the last third, but man... By then it was hard to start getting the same excitement you had in the beginning, so yeah could definitely done with some more excessive editing.The ending opens up for a potential sequel, which I honestly wouldn't mind seeing but just hoping for they'll set it on a little more locations than they did this one.Cool soundtrack though, some old school rap from Tone Loc and others.
... View More"Do you even know who this man really is?" David Hendrix (Purcell) is a former leader of SWAT who is now working the streets. When troubled movie star Brody Walker (Hackman) needs to take part in a ride along to not only save his career but stay out of jail David agrees to take him. Personalities clash, but when the training facility is attacked David and the rest of the force must not only fend off the attackers, but deal with past issues that threaten everyone. There isn't really a whole lot to say about this movie. It is a predictable B action movie but does have some pretty good action and is entertaining all the way through. Purcell is becoming a pretty reliable movie star and his movies are usually exciting. This has shades of Assault on Precinct 13 but isn't quite as good. On the other hand with all of the low budget action choices this is definitely one of the better ones. Overall, nothing amazing and not anything to rush out and see, but it is entertaining and watchable. I've seen worse from this genre. I give it a C+.
... View MoreI originally heard of Gridlocked through the website Twitch, who had said that it was like a throw back to 90's action movie. They were not wrong. Felt like I was watching an old PM Entertainment movie. The only thing missing was an appearance from Jeff Wincott.Originally I was a bit apprehensive, as star Dominic Purcell has not got the best track record. No fault to him, as he is always a welcome presence, but his films of late have been poor. This may be down to the fact that they have mainly been directed or produced by Uwe Boll.Luckily there are no such drawbacks this time round, with great production values, and excellent action scenes, this is definitely one of the better DTV actioners I have seen in a while.Performance wise, Purcell is his usual reliable self as the lead. Stephen Lang is great as the villain, although could have had a bit more screen time. Danny Glover gets limited screen time for his usual too old for this role. WWE superstar Trish Stratus still looks great and gets a number of decent action scenes, and Vinnie Jones is thrown in for good measure.The only drawback is Cody Hackman, as the film star that has to work with Purcell as part of his Community Service. He can be slightly annoying, and the fact that he is playing an A list movie star, it would have been better to get someone that has movie star quality. This is a minor problem, and with the rest of the movie being of higher quality than usual, its not much of a complaint. Surprisingly Hackman is a karate champion, but he actually doesn't really participate in a lot of the action in the film.There is a slight slow build to the siege part of the film, but once it begins it doesn't let up, with there being a number of violent shootouts taking place. The film definitely earns its R rating. The Director is going to be someone I will be keeping an aye on.
... View MoreHow to describe Gridlocked? It's a mix of Die Hard, Assault on Precinct 13 and The Hard Way. Now before you get all excited and happy you need to know one thing. It's bad. Real bad. And not the Michael Jackson or the so bad it becomes good kind.Gridlocked strips down the movies it's inspired by removing all the elements that make it fun to watch in the first place. It's incredibly basic and minimal and it makes you wonder what they were going for. There is not even that much action until very late into the film. But chances are you will be bored to death long before that. It is quite sad that Dominic Purcell has been reduced to B stardom like this since he is capable of doing more. If you don't believe me then go track down a little show called John Doe and then come back to me. But for what it's worth his no nonsense hard boiled cop suits the movie just fine. It's even more tragic for Stephen Lang and Danny Glover since they are completely wasted in their roles and they obviously are only there to collect a pay check. I would have appreciated it if they had hammed up their performances like Nicolas Cage or offered something nice to chew on. Yes I got the "I am too old for this..." joke. It only reminded me of a vastly superior franchise that once was. Speaking of comedy. I read some comments and reviews where they kept saying how funny the film was. Take my word for it that above Lethal Weapon reference / joke was the funniest bit in the whole damn movie. Well, maybe another one in a scene during the credits. Most of the time every event is taken and played out very seriously and most characters are uninteresting and lifeless. All that is left is the action which is adequately choreographed but nothing else. No attempt has been made to make the action intense and enjoyable. It just action for the sake of action without thrills, excitement and style. Then what is the point? I have given this a fair shot and believe me that was quite tasking since I had to fight sleep throughout the film. But there are no redeeming factors whatsoever making this action flick a giant waste of your time. So stay clear!
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