Condena brutal

Sly Stallone hit gold with this seriously under rated film. This is surely Stallone's best films with Cliffhanger and Demolitian Man following.

There are superb performances from the main man and his supporting characters like Donald Sutherland(the assignment), Tom Sizemore(enemy of the state), John Amos, Sonny Landham(predator) and Danny Trejo(desperado).

The story is gritty and involving, and the best scene is Sizemore's last bid for Stallone's friendship. Watch it and you'll know what I mean.

This a great film. Do not miss it. Rating=4/5

The mechanic Frank Leone (Sylvester Stallone) is a model inmate in a low security prison and has only six months to serve. He intends to spend the rest of his life working in his garage and with his beloved girlfriend Melissa (Darlanne Fluegel). Out of the blue, Leone is brutally transferred during the night to the maximum security Gateway Prison without any explanation. Soon he learns that Warden Drumgoole (Donald Sutherland) is the responsible for his transference.

Leone had been sentenced to Treadmore Prison after beating the punks that hit his mentor and friend that taught him his profession of auto mechanic. When his mentor was dying, he asked permission to Drumgoole to go to visit his friend but the request was denied. Leone fled from Treadmore and his lawyer went to the press to expose Drumgoole's behavior. The result was Leone in a minimum security prison and Drumgoole sent to Gateway. Now the warden is seeking revenge and will do anything to keep Leone behind bars.

"Lock up" is an entertaining prison drama full of action with Sylvester Stallone after the successful Rambo trilogy. The story is flawed and shallow, and the viewer shall not think how a prisoner is transferred the way Frank Leone is and his lawyer simply does not exist in the story. The characters are not well developed and there is no explanation for the sadistic behavior of the prison guards. However this type of movie is not to think and entertains. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Condenação Brutal" ("Brutal Conviction")

This is a definite must for anyone following Stallone's movies! It is great in its storyline, its atmosphere, its characters and its ending! If you let it, it'll really grip you and hold you in tight suspense till the very end of the drama. I'd say this is one of the most underrated movies ever. If someone knows why, please write me a note.

This is probably Sylvester Stallone's best performance that wasn't in Copland or a Rocky / Rambo film.

While the muscle dudes of the 80s did a lot of character-free action, this one is an action film with some character and drama.

I was surprised that the average rating was only 5.8. I would rank it among the best action films of Stallone's resume and also among the best action films of the 80s.

The supporting performances are quite good all around. Donald Sutherland is solid as always, and you get easily the best performance of Sonny Landham's career and Tom Sizemore showing why he became a bigger star about 5 years down the road.

This is the only big movie where Larry Romano got more than a few lines and he does a good job as "First Base." I was a little surprised he didn't go much further and generally only appeared in the future when the casting director needed someone to "look and sound Italian." I recommend this one even if you aren't a big Stallone fan. If any lesser known film will change your mind about him, it's probably either Copland or this one.

I often find myself disagreeing with the critics, but in this case I am in agreement with the other reviewers on this page... This is a terrific movie, pure entertainment. I am frankly tired of so many modern movies that are nothing but violence, nudity and special effects. Well, this movie is not one of them -- it actually has a good plot. Oh, what a rare treat!

The best acting is not Stallone's (no surprise there) but that of Donald Sutherland's portrayal of the sadistic and bloodthirsty prison warden. And the scene with the Mustang nearly made me cry.

If you haven't yet seen this film... What are you waiting for? You're missing what is probably Stallone's best films! Run, don't walk, to your nearest video store! :-)