Director: James Mather, Stephen St. Leger (Prey Alone)
Screenplay: James Mather, Stephen St. Leger, Luc Besson
Producers: Marc Libert, Leila Smith
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stomare, Vincent Regan, Joseph Gilgun, Jacky Ido
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 95 min.

(4/5)

Here’s the deal with Lockout: it’s awesome. Kurt enjoyed the hell out of it when he saw it earlier this year, I loved it to pieces and in what feels like one of the shortest DVD/Blu-ray release in some time, it’s now available so that everyone can enjoy in the fun.

There’s good reason for the love: Lockout is, hands down, the best action comedy I’ve seen in some time. Directors James Mather and Stephen St. Leger have cobbled together some pretty fantastic sequences where dialogue meets action in a one-two punch of comedy gold. Sure the story is a little familiar but there’s nothing wrong with a little familiarity in a 90 minute romp of entertainment.

There’s a lot to love about Lockout, from the evil badguys (look, it’s Rudy!) to sidekick female who doesn’t completely wreck the movie. Sure, Maggie Grace has her moments of petulant annoyance (it is all in character) but she is generally likeable in the role of Emily. Nevertheless, it is all about Guy Pearce as Snow, the man charged with entering the maximum security prison in space where a bunch of nasty guys have all been let loose on board just when the President’s daughter happens to be on-board. Pearce is always excellent and he’s played his fare share of manly men but the material in Lockout (written by Mather & St. Leger with the assistance of my Favourite French Dude Luc Besson) requires comedic timing that some simply can’t pull off but Pearce more than lives up to expectation making me think there should be more action comedies in his future. Maybe even a sequel where, this time, he rescues the President, preferably without the daughter in tow because though she’s not as annoying as she could have been, Snow is not a one gal kind of guy and really needs to meet some other hot tart on his next adventure.

I find it impossible to understand how anyone who loves a good dose of laughs could walk away from Lockout after the great opening sequence which pits Pearce against a fist and the ever excellent Peter Stormare who happens to be a good guy here (for once though he does seem to have a mean streak). The opening sequence is just a taste of what’s to come and though there are a few misses (most notably the effects which show the film’s small budget – even on the small screen the space action sequences are lacklustre), Lockout is a hugely entertaining bit of movie making. I loved the second time as much as the first and look forward to revisiting it again in the near future. I love the rhythm and tempo of the story which keep me coming back for more.

Lockout is out on DVD and Blu-ray today.

Disc Extras: Sadly, there are none. I was really looking forward to a commentary track or interviews with the cast but this is a sad barebones release.