Gefangen

GEFANGEN (LOCKED UP) is a testy little German film that dares to push the envelope of NR rating, and given the concept of the story and the background of the writer/director Jörg Andreas making his first legitimate (ie non-porn) movie, it succeeds despite some technical shortcomings. No, it is not a film for those with issues concerning same-sex films, but for the target gay audience and for that audience eager to see innovative independent film-making adventures, LOCKED UP is well worth watching! The setting is a prison somewhere in Germany and the story begins with the handcuffed young credit card fraud 'criminal' Dennis (Marcel Schlutt) encountering his first entry into a prison. The tone of the film is set at the induction desk where Dennis is stripped and zealously 'inspected!' by the eager prison guards. He is then placed in a cell and begins his two-year prison term. Naturally the other prisoners (all body builders) on his bloc intimidate him into submission to their rules of the house. Through his cell window Dennis gazes on a fellow inmate, an African American hunk named Mike (Mile Sale), in prison for a fifteen-year sentence for the murder of his wife, digging trenches. They make eye contact and there is a mutual interest. Gradually the two meet under the rigid time frames for the prisoners, talk, share coffee in Mike's room, and eventually respond to their mutual attraction. During one interlude they are observed by a guard envious of Mike's attention and affection for Dennis. And as the routine prison dramas go, the inmates polarize over the two men's connection. Dennis is brutally raped, talked into cooperating with the drug ring, but Dennis' growing love for Mike is stronger than the resistance of both inmates and prison officials and they are eventually able to share a cell.

Dennis' mother visits her son, encourages him, and arranges for a lawyer to gain a shortened term for Dennis, a favor that Dennis greets with mixed emotions, as he does not want to leave his lover Mike as others have done. But in a tender scene Mike convinces Dennis that he is young and should accept the early release, an act of love that Dennis finally accepts. Dennis is released, but continues to visit Mike whom he loves and his love is reciprocated. The manner in which the film ends is yet another act of sacrifice and love and is best left unsaid.

Both Marcel Schlutt and Mike Sale are handsome of face and body and spirit and the story benefits from their on-screen chemistry. In an extended Feature on the DVD each actor (both openly gay) discusses his approach to making the film, and as in the movie itself, these dialogues are in both German and English. The men speak frankly and bravely about their participation in gay porn movies, stating the sex scenes in the film are real-time and not simulated. People will argue about the propriety of this but keep in mind the story and the director's background and perhaps the film will be more readily viewed as an experimental genre. This is a different kind of love story and I think it works! Grady Harp

This film was made by a company that usually makes (gay) porn-movies. It shows in the level of the dialogues (acted out a bit weirdly, most actors apparently aren't used to so many words) and the relative explicity of the sex-scenes. (but it never does become porn, it just seems to lack shame).

In spite of all this it is a nice and very romantic drama, that's worth watching. Though the strange dialogues sometimes make one laugh unintendedly, the story keeps being appealing.

I think Marcel Schlutt is to credit for this mostly. He's not just another pretty face (though he is very beautiful) but he acts convincingly even in the most corny-written scenes.

This guy deserves better movies! (anything from action thriller to romantic comedy seems possible).

I found this movie appealing despite its flaws. Whether you can forgive the flaws depends greatly on what you find hot. Some people find the whole men-behind-bars, dominance/submission, "young pup manhandled by older, bigger dudes" scenario highly erotic. Others will be bored during the long stretches between the explicit sex scenes, and probably shouldn't bother watching. These are the critics who complain about porn with pretensions. What they don't understand is that for some viewers, the pretensions -- the attempts at character development -- are part of the porn.

The flaws are many and serious, lol. This is a low-budget movie rife with silly stereotypes, bad acting and unintentional humor. Oh, and the music is terrible. But the two stars, Marcel Schlutt and Mike Sale, are a pleasure to look at, there are some very hot scenes, and there are also some surprisingly good non-sexual moments. And Schlutt, considering his inexperience and lack of training, is not a bad actor! He's at least twice as good as Keanu Reeves, though admittedly that's not saying much, and is absolutely adorable in the role of the shy, blushing ingénue. (Watch the cast interview afterwards and you can see he was definitely acting.) Also, in the rape scene, he's disturbingly convincing.

Unfortunately, Schlutt's co-star, Mike Sale, can't act to save his life, God bless him. It doesn't help that he's supposed to be American and has a British accent, but in a low-budget movie you can overlook things like that. What you can't overlook is a lead actor who reads his lines woodenly, occasionally glancing at the camera, and who's supposed to be the toughest thug in a maximum-security prison but comes across as cuddly and effete. It's kind of cute in a way, lol. I guess there aren't many black actors to choose from in Germany. To be fair, though, he is attractive, and pleasing to watch during the sex scenes.

I won't catalog all the things about the movie that are silly, as other critics have covered that in excruciating detail. I will say I couldn't help noticing that the sole African-American character is portrayed as the toughest, most dominant guy in the whole prison, he's the best basketball player, etc., and uses the word m-----f----- once or twice (with a British accent). Personally, I found this rather cute and quaint. It's like a little slice of sociology, seeing how African-American men appear (exotic! feared! revered!) through German eyes.

I'll just mention two scenes that surprised me. One is the scene in which Schlutt's character, Dennis, returns to his cell after being outed as having an affair with a black man. The other prisoners chant "N----- Whore" over and over again as he's marched down the cell block. It's actually a little scary. And the scene in which the Letarsky character comforts Schlutt's character after the rape is rather touching. Some critics seem to have found that scene funny, so maybe I'm just under-critical or something, but it moved me.

So, to summarize: It's undeniably bad in a lot of ways, but I watched it three times, so am giving it 7 out of 10 stars. (I would so never admit to that if I were posting under my real name!)

I've seen this film twice - once in the "erotic" version some years ago and just now in the porn release. On balance the latter is the more interesting.

I'll not make a detailed analysis or long review as others have done that previously but content myself with saying that the sex scenes are horny and the storyline around them passable. One can see it's low budget but then so are loads of other films and this one makes the most of its restrictions.

The actors looked as if they were enjoying the porn rather than actually acting which is why i preferred this edition of the film.

Oddly some of the storyline is echoed in the 2021 film Grosse Freiheit - the older prisoner is serving a longer sentence for murder in both films and the endings of both films are absolutely identical down to the type of shop used as a way to return. Coincidence? Who knows?

This film is about the life of a young gay man who has been sentenced to prison for credit card fraud. In prison, he meets the love of his life and strives to maintain the relationship.

The film obviously has a very low budget. From the state of the set, the number of actors, lack of cinematography and soundtrack shows the incredibly low budget.

The plot is so unbelievable. I know it is an erotic fantasy, but still it is laughably unrealistic. Everyone in the prison, including the guards are gay! Prison guards spying on the inmates' gay sex...that's not very likely to happen in the real world.

The dialog is bad. The acting is bad, apart from the lead actor Marcel Schlutt. He is the only one who showed acting skills in the whole movie. All other characters are unable to handle more than 2 lines of script.

The film tries not to be viewed as porn, so it has no hardcore sex scenes. However, it is filled with various fantasies, including spit, power and submission. Oh there was conveniently a scene of a man pissing down the toilet. It is a scene which could have been cut out, and was not because of the sexual appeal.

Though the thought of a gay romance story in the prison is appealing and even a turn on for some people, this film fails to ignite in any aspect.