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Lockout review

Although Guy Pearce has fun with a droll turn the action and effects let the film down a bit though

A futuristic prison break movie that boasts a smart-mouthed turn from Guy Pearce but pitiful special effects.

The hype...
Green screen wizards John Mather and Stephen St Leger are the men behind this sci-fi thriller produced by Luc Besson, a man who can go from the sublime to the ridiculous in the blink of an eye. Guy Pearce stars, and he's been on the verge of a big hit for such a long time that he has become something of a nearly man. Could this finally be the role to cement him at the top of the A-list?

The story...
Secret service agent Snow (Guy Pearce) is framed for the murder of a colonel and arrested. The evidence points to his guilt, and despite the best efforts of Shaw (Lennie James) to prove his innocence, Snow faces a long spell in space prison MS One.

Meanwhile, at the orbiting jail, an uprising occurs and it just so happens that the President's daughter (Maggie Grace) is on a humanitarian visit to assess claims that MS One is the answer to overcrowding problems back on Earth.

In these desperate times, Snow is asked to free the valuable hostage, and in the process clear his name. Security Service bigwig Langral (Peter Stormare) doubts that anything can be done, and has a contingency plan ready. Can Snow break in, find the cargo, escape and clear his name before it's too late?

The breakdown...
Although his constant stream of one-liners and off-hand quips can start to irritate, overall Pearce nails the sarcastic Agent Snow - who has a glint of the devil in his twinkling eyes and cheesy grin. It's not a patch on Kurt Russell's Snake Pliskin from the 'Escape from....' movies, but it does evoke those fond memories.

The film is too timid in its execution to give a sense of real danger, but when it works it feels like a cross between 'Con Air' and 'Face/Off'. The criminals are straight from the cookie-cutter mould of villainy, right down to two brothers fighting for leadership of the prison uprising, but there is something to be said for OTT shenanigans in a film like this.

The bits outside the prison are pure set up, and attempts at injecting exciting chases are scuppered by poor CGI. One painful sequence sees Pearce evading the police on a high-powered, computer-generated unicycle that looks painfully out of place within the surroundings. It looks and feels like a computer game, and not a particularly modern one at that.

Once things move to the confines of the prison, however, it all begins to take shape. The cast of bad guys don't really stand out much, but Pearce has fun kicking, punching and mugging his way through them. Maggie Grace isn't bad as the eye candy 'girl in peril', but her 'disguise' when she tries to convince the inmates that she is just one of the boys is laughable.

With a nifty twist and some well-handled dialogue, this is an enjoyable romp that establishes Guy Pearce as an actor who can handle pretty much any genre. Give this man something decent to do again, and we're sure he will breakout with flying colours.

The verdict...
Guy Pearce is having a lot of fun with a droll turn that is as sassy as it is outlandish. The action and effects let the film down a bit though.

Rating: 3/5

'Lockout' is released nationwide on 20 April. Certificate: 15.

Watch the 'Lockout' trailer