"Brodie Walker" (Cody Hackman) is a spoiled movie star who keeps getting into trouble with the law to the extent that it is seriously affecting his ability to acquire any new roles in the film industry. "David Hendrix" (Dominic Purcell) is the leader of a SWAT team who was injured on duty and has to get medical approval in order to return to duty. So while working for the police department doing various tasks he gets assigned one particular job that nobody would voluntarily accept-having to escort Brodie Walker on patrol while he is serving on a court-appointed referral program designed to test his ability to stay out of trouble. As if this wasn't bad enough some dangerous criminals decide to raid the SWAT training site which happens to have some valuable bonds being held there in a secret storage room. And these criminals have thought of everything-or at least that is what they believe. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a pretty good action film which, unfortunately, suffered from too many unrealistic scenarios to be taken seriously. But that's Hollywood I suppose. Still, if a person is interested in action simply for the sake of action then I suppose this film is as good as anything else in that category. Average.
36 Reviews
Average action thriller
Otte112 September 2018
This is a passable action thriller. As many review have indicated, it is pretty much a Attack on Precinct 13 storyline. Once it gets going, the action is pretty consistent. Why only 5 stars? One unnecessary character was tasked with blurting out non-funny comedic one liners. Very few films can mix gun action and comedy successful, while maintaining the required tension(DieHard and Lethal Weapon did it best). This movie did not. So too many scenes where you are trying to slightly be concerned with someone's safety, dumb one-liner is inserted for no reason at all(think JarJar Blinks). Outside of that, it could have been a decent action movie.
An update of the update of John Carpenter's 'ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13' (sort of) Lots of fun! Very entertaining Blu-ray: A:10 V:9
lathe-of-heaven7 June 2016
This movie was a real blast! So many times films like this are usually pretty disappointing to me, mainly because producers always seem to go out of their way to ruin stories like this with over-the-top 'acting' and artificially pumped up stupidity (does that actually make sense...???)
Anyway, one thing that I really liked about the film, in addition to it's great @ss-Kicking all over the place, were the surprisingly intelligent characters and particularly the way the interaction between the two main guys was done. To me, this was by FAR the best performance of Dominic Purcell that I have EVER seen. I frigg'n LOVED 'Prison Break', but his acting was not even CLOSE to a highlight of that series (sorry man...) BUT... in THIS film, I actually felt that he came across far more 'REAL' as a person. I honestly thought that his acting has greatly improved with this role.
I also really liked the guy they chose to play the 'Star'; he was absolutely PERFECT! In a role like this, it would be so easy to screw it up by him being over-douchey and stupid. But, I thought that the way that the film makers portrayed him being a punk, but at the same time showing a believable, sympathetic side to him, was nicely balanced.
There was also a fair amount of rather clever humour that worked pretty well. So, all in all, I really found the movie to be very entertaining, not so over-the-top that it ruined it either character wise or otherwise. And, the action was pretty good too. All the 'Bullet Ballet' stuff (as another reviewer here mentioned) was done fairly well. Probably the only slight thing that I would mention in my lowly and wretched opinion, and maybe this is just my personal preference, is that SOME of the action I felt was a bit heavy handed with the fast, quick edit stuff. I've never really been a fan of that. It wasn't as bad as many films are in this area where you can't tell what the hell is going on, but for me personally, I think that if they had taken a BIT more of a classic, traditional approach (such as in the Carpenter film) and gone for just a TAD more of a pulled-back, classic, more moodily choreographed approach, just a BIT, and cut down a LITTLE on the tight, fast edited close action, I personally feel that that would have elevated this film almost to cult status.
If you wanna be bitchy about it, the last act probably COULD have been tightened up just a bit to give it more punch, but that is just a super MINOR thought, no biggie...
I really liked this movie and I personally found it VERY fun and refreshing, especially with all the destructively stupid, extreme crap that Hollywood continually tries to force down our throats. It was most engaging, the characters were intelligent and believable (something NOT usually done very well these days) and the action was great! I genuinely feel that this film does pretty much EXACTLY what it sets out to do, and does it far better than most...
Anyway, one thing that I really liked about the film, in addition to it's great @ss-Kicking all over the place, were the surprisingly intelligent characters and particularly the way the interaction between the two main guys was done. To me, this was by FAR the best performance of Dominic Purcell that I have EVER seen. I frigg'n LOVED 'Prison Break', but his acting was not even CLOSE to a highlight of that series (sorry man...) BUT... in THIS film, I actually felt that he came across far more 'REAL' as a person. I honestly thought that his acting has greatly improved with this role.
I also really liked the guy they chose to play the 'Star'; he was absolutely PERFECT! In a role like this, it would be so easy to screw it up by him being over-douchey and stupid. But, I thought that the way that the film makers portrayed him being a punk, but at the same time showing a believable, sympathetic side to him, was nicely balanced.
There was also a fair amount of rather clever humour that worked pretty well. So, all in all, I really found the movie to be very entertaining, not so over-the-top that it ruined it either character wise or otherwise. And, the action was pretty good too. All the 'Bullet Ballet' stuff (as another reviewer here mentioned) was done fairly well. Probably the only slight thing that I would mention in my lowly and wretched opinion, and maybe this is just my personal preference, is that SOME of the action I felt was a bit heavy handed with the fast, quick edit stuff. I've never really been a fan of that. It wasn't as bad as many films are in this area where you can't tell what the hell is going on, but for me personally, I think that if they had taken a BIT more of a classic, traditional approach (such as in the Carpenter film) and gone for just a TAD more of a pulled-back, classic, more moodily choreographed approach, just a BIT, and cut down a LITTLE on the tight, fast edited close action, I personally feel that that would have elevated this film almost to cult status.
If you wanna be bitchy about it, the last act probably COULD have been tightened up just a bit to give it more punch, but that is just a super MINOR thought, no biggie...
I really liked this movie and I personally found it VERY fun and refreshing, especially with all the destructively stupid, extreme crap that Hollywood continually tries to force down our throats. It was most engaging, the characters were intelligent and believable (something NOT usually done very well these days) and the action was great! I genuinely feel that this film does pretty much EXACTLY what it sets out to do, and does it far better than most...
Sharp Comedy and Balls-To-The-Wall Action!
hueyshadwell15 October 2015
As a fan of 80s and 90s action movies, I had an absolute blast with this movie. Fans of that era/genre will no doubt love this movie and all that it has to offer. The film stars Dominic Purcell as David Hendrix, a hardcore, highly skilled detective forced to assist Hollywood actor Brody Walker (Cody Hackman) with his court-mandated sentence. After a recent run-in with law, Walker has been sentenced to ride along with a police officer instead of doing real time in prison. The gruff, no-nonsense Hendrix and the smart-ass, wise cracking Walker definitely butt heads, but are forced to put their differences aside when a criminal attack occurs at a police station.
This highly lovable throwback by writer/director Allan Ungar, who co-wrote the film with Rob Robol, wears its obvious influences on its sleeves, but has enough original and modern charms of its own. The film may deliver plenty of laughs, but the violence and action does get gruesome and realistic. Still, Ungar and Robol do great work in balancing the two, though a small amount of the jokes fell flat for me. The movie boasts an amazing cast in addition to Purcell and Hackman which includes Stephen Lang, Trish Stratus, Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, and Saul Rubinek. If my positive review still hasn't persuaded anyone to seek it out, three words: Funky Cold Medina!
This highly lovable throwback by writer/director Allan Ungar, who co-wrote the film with Rob Robol, wears its obvious influences on its sleeves, but has enough original and modern charms of its own. The film may deliver plenty of laughs, but the violence and action does get gruesome and realistic. Still, Ungar and Robol do great work in balancing the two, though a small amount of the jokes fell flat for me. The movie boasts an amazing cast in addition to Purcell and Hackman which includes Stephen Lang, Trish Stratus, Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, and Saul Rubinek. If my positive review still hasn't persuaded anyone to seek it out, three words: Funky Cold Medina!
This has shades of Assault on Precinct 13. It isn't quite as good, but it is entertaining and watchable.
cosmo_tiger13 June 2016
"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+.
Follows a familiar story you've seen before
Badmovieboy12325 March 2022
If you've seen one you've seen them all. I've seen this movie about 8 times with different actors. Lockeddown in the police station fighting off a group of bad guys. A team of policeman fight there way out. Notable things I learned from this. I'd you someone tries to gas you to death ...pee neutralizes it so get to peeing. Also Trish stratus was a Solid minor character...give it a watch for free but don't pay for it.
A Bullet Ballet
gregsrants19 October 2015
"Hey, I know you!" is a phrase you are likely to say to yourself with each new character introduction while watching the new action/thriller Gridlocked. It is stuffed with familiar faces such as Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon), Stephen Lang (Avatar), Dominic Purcell (Prison Break), Saul Rubineck (Unforgiven), Vinnie Jones (Snatch) and Trish Stratus (WWE). It is a gaggle of competent bodies that lend their extensive talents to a film in the vein of John Woo's action adventures where bullets outnumber words on the script page.
Dominic Purcell plays former SWAT leader David Hendrix. David is a no nonsense bag 'em and tag 'em kinda guy. His job is his life and his life is put on the line in the daily pursuit of justice. David's rogue actions require muting when he is paired with movie action Brody Walker (Cody Hackman) who is court ordered to participate in police ride-alongs after his hard partying behavior jeopardizes his career.
The newly formed reluctant couple of David and Brody could not be further apart in their views on life in general but are thrust together mirroring Michael J. Fox and James Woods in 1991's The Hard Way. Brody attempts to win favor of the hardened Hendrix but the bonding lacks reciprocation. Hendrix does however take Brody to secret training lair where his fellow badass do-gooders practice their search and shoot skills.
The evening of fun and guns gets interrupted when a group of mercenaries infiltrate the training complex. Their objective is not immediately clear but their violent resolve is. Little is known of their purpose but they do share a connection with another handful of mercenaries lead by Korver (Lang) who has secured a nearby rural farmhouse much to the shigrinning death of its two inhabitants.
What ensues is a shootout. A shootout between the mercenaries that have breached the perimeter and the police, Hendrix and Brody inside. And then a shootout between more mercenaries and the police, Hendrix and Brody inside. And when Korver reveals his intentions, objectives become clear and bullets become commonplace.
Gridlocked transforms into a full blown shootout on par with a John Woo film. There is a stretch of bullet firing through the films third act that, had I had a counter, might just have set the record for the total number of shots fired within a 10-minute film span. Director Allan Ungar piles up a body count while unleashing an arsenal of unfathomable abandon.
Gridlocked is an action film true and through. There is a story to help jettison the firepower, but the story is worn and used with plot points used more admirably in better films. For what little original story is presented, Gridlocked takes its sweet ass time. Nearly an hour into the almost two hour adventure we still had no clue what the mercenaries were after. Luckily, the two main characters – particularly Purcell's Hendrix are interesting and compelling enough to help us wade through the urgency of the villain's purpose.
If you are the kind of individual who enjoy an all-out barrage of bullets then Gridlocked is the chicken soup to your flu like symptoms. Reminding us a lot of John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 is a relentless rat-a-tat-tat echoing through a theatres sound system. An assault of the senses, Gridlocked is the no-holds-barred action film that effectively uses its confined setting to provide a highlight reels worth of bullet ballet.
Dominic Purcell plays former SWAT leader David Hendrix. David is a no nonsense bag 'em and tag 'em kinda guy. His job is his life and his life is put on the line in the daily pursuit of justice. David's rogue actions require muting when he is paired with movie action Brody Walker (Cody Hackman) who is court ordered to participate in police ride-alongs after his hard partying behavior jeopardizes his career.
The newly formed reluctant couple of David and Brody could not be further apart in their views on life in general but are thrust together mirroring Michael J. Fox and James Woods in 1991's The Hard Way. Brody attempts to win favor of the hardened Hendrix but the bonding lacks reciprocation. Hendrix does however take Brody to secret training lair where his fellow badass do-gooders practice their search and shoot skills.
The evening of fun and guns gets interrupted when a group of mercenaries infiltrate the training complex. Their objective is not immediately clear but their violent resolve is. Little is known of their purpose but they do share a connection with another handful of mercenaries lead by Korver (Lang) who has secured a nearby rural farmhouse much to the shigrinning death of its two inhabitants.
What ensues is a shootout. A shootout between the mercenaries that have breached the perimeter and the police, Hendrix and Brody inside. And then a shootout between more mercenaries and the police, Hendrix and Brody inside. And when Korver reveals his intentions, objectives become clear and bullets become commonplace.
Gridlocked transforms into a full blown shootout on par with a John Woo film. There is a stretch of bullet firing through the films third act that, had I had a counter, might just have set the record for the total number of shots fired within a 10-minute film span. Director Allan Ungar piles up a body count while unleashing an arsenal of unfathomable abandon.
Gridlocked is an action film true and through. There is a story to help jettison the firepower, but the story is worn and used with plot points used more admirably in better films. For what little original story is presented, Gridlocked takes its sweet ass time. Nearly an hour into the almost two hour adventure we still had no clue what the mercenaries were after. Luckily, the two main characters – particularly Purcell's Hendrix are interesting and compelling enough to help us wade through the urgency of the villain's purpose.
If you are the kind of individual who enjoy an all-out barrage of bullets then Gridlocked is the chicken soup to your flu like symptoms. Reminding us a lot of John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 is a relentless rat-a-tat-tat echoing through a theatres sound system. An assault of the senses, Gridlocked is the no-holds-barred action film that effectively uses its confined setting to provide a highlight reels worth of bullet ballet.
Giant waste of your time!
chrichtonsworld4 June 2016
How 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!
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!
Boring and bad
Gordon-1125 December 2019
It is hard to have a boring action film, but this film manages it. The plot is puzzling for the first hour, and events are very poorly explained. The second half of the film is supposedly adrenaline fuelled, with lots of really gross scenes. But it still manages to be boring. Acting is consistently bad across the board. Have I said that the film seems to last forever as well?
Passable low-budget actioner/bromance with good martial arts scenes
ginocox-206-33696820 June 2016
"Gridlocked" is a watchable and mildly entertaining bromance/action film. Dominic Purcell's martial arts scenes are well executed and adequately choreographed. Stephen Lang does as well as can be expected with the lines that he's given. Cody Hackman plays a young actor with impulse control issues, but can't seem to decide whether to channel Robert Downey Jr. or Justin Bieber. In general, the performances fall a bit short of exemplary. One of the more memorable dramatic performance is delivered by an uncredited extra in a secretarial role who takes some documents and walks away without a word of dialogue. The bit of business has nothing to do with the plot, but she performs it convincingly, which cannot always be said for the rest of the cast.
One significant shortcoming is a problem with which many males in its presumptive target audience can relate, a shortage of females. There are two female newscasters, one policewoman who claims to be a lesbian but may be involved with a male character, an old lady, a psychologist who speaks to a character over the telephone and an unidentified woman shown in a still image. Consequently, there is no heterosexual love interest to counterbalance the bromance. While diversity for its own sake generally detracts from a film, this film seems a bit unreal for its lack. There are a few black criminals in an early scene and Danny Glover milks a supporting role. There's a Jewish guy in a stereotypical role. Otherwise, it seems very male and very WASP-ish.
For a low-budget actioner, it's entertaining enough. Some scenes seem derivative of "Die Hard 2," "Assault on Precinct 13," "Now You See Me" and other films. The acting isn't inspired, but isn't terrible. The plot is familiar and a bit contrived. Costumes, sets and such betray noticeable compromises to meet budgetary constraints. The entire film seems to have been shot without using a single tripod or other rigid mounting system, although the SteadiCam operator managed to keep the jiggle to a minimum. As a low-budget direct-to- video effort, it's a little better than average.
One significant shortcoming is a problem with which many males in its presumptive target audience can relate, a shortage of females. There are two female newscasters, one policewoman who claims to be a lesbian but may be involved with a male character, an old lady, a psychologist who speaks to a character over the telephone and an unidentified woman shown in a still image. Consequently, there is no heterosexual love interest to counterbalance the bromance. While diversity for its own sake generally detracts from a film, this film seems a bit unreal for its lack. There are a few black criminals in an early scene and Danny Glover milks a supporting role. There's a Jewish guy in a stereotypical role. Otherwise, it seems very male and very WASP-ish.
For a low-budget actioner, it's entertaining enough. Some scenes seem derivative of "Die Hard 2," "Assault on Precinct 13," "Now You See Me" and other films. The acting isn't inspired, but isn't terrible. The plot is familiar and a bit contrived. Costumes, sets and such betray noticeable compromises to meet budgetary constraints. The entire film seems to have been shot without using a single tripod or other rigid mounting system, although the SteadiCam operator managed to keep the jiggle to a minimum. As a low-budget direct-to- video effort, it's a little better than average.
Die Hard in a Police Training Facility.....
FlashCallahan16 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Former SWAT leader David Hendrix has failed medical clearance after taking a bullet on the job, and his efforts have been reduced to routine tasks for the NYPD.
He's been forced to babysit Brody Walker, a Movie star that's been sent on a mandatory ride along as part of his probation.
Obnoxious and irritating, Walker is the last thing Hendrix needs. But all of that changes when a police training facility comes under attack by a team of mercenaries.
Now, Hendrix and Walker must band together with the remaining survivors to fight back and keep the mercenaries from overtaking the compound...
When a film is mooted as 'the best action film of the year', one has a lot to live up to. So understandably, as a fan of B-grade action movies, my expectations were quite high, especially considering some of the 'talent' featured in this.
But no, my worst fears were realised when its discovered that it's just another paint by numbers Die Hard rip off that features zero humour, lethargic action, and a lead that looks so bored, he may just shoot an unarmed person in cold blood.
So on the one night he's escorting the equivalent of a 1992 Christian Slater, he stops by to see his old team, and they get infiltrated by a gang of nobody actors, led by special guest star Stephen Lang, and supported by special guest pain in the neck, Vinnie Jones.
One of the team may or may not be a saboteur, Danny Glover cameos as a security guard, who embarrassingly references his 'too old for this ****' line from Lethal Weapon, and it all ends with Land and Purcell re-enacting the final fight from Under Siege.
It's all tepid stuff, it's far too long, and the majority of the film just features one corridor and people shouting at each other.
The high concept of having the main protagonist have an irritating sidekick could have made the film something different, having our hero save him from scrapes every other minute, and them quipping against each other, but no, the whole aspect of this is never used, and rather pointless.
Just like the film.
And to top it all off, after the siege is over, and everybody is safe, Purcell comes across the last bad guy, who is the token unarmed, bespectacled nerd, much like Theo in Die Hard, and literally kills him in cold blood.
Words fail me.
He's been forced to babysit Brody Walker, a Movie star that's been sent on a mandatory ride along as part of his probation.
Obnoxious and irritating, Walker is the last thing Hendrix needs. But all of that changes when a police training facility comes under attack by a team of mercenaries.
Now, Hendrix and Walker must band together with the remaining survivors to fight back and keep the mercenaries from overtaking the compound...
When a film is mooted as 'the best action film of the year', one has a lot to live up to. So understandably, as a fan of B-grade action movies, my expectations were quite high, especially considering some of the 'talent' featured in this.
But no, my worst fears were realised when its discovered that it's just another paint by numbers Die Hard rip off that features zero humour, lethargic action, and a lead that looks so bored, he may just shoot an unarmed person in cold blood.
So on the one night he's escorting the equivalent of a 1992 Christian Slater, he stops by to see his old team, and they get infiltrated by a gang of nobody actors, led by special guest star Stephen Lang, and supported by special guest pain in the neck, Vinnie Jones.
One of the team may or may not be a saboteur, Danny Glover cameos as a security guard, who embarrassingly references his 'too old for this ****' line from Lethal Weapon, and it all ends with Land and Purcell re-enacting the final fight from Under Siege.
It's all tepid stuff, it's far too long, and the majority of the film just features one corridor and people shouting at each other.
The high concept of having the main protagonist have an irritating sidekick could have made the film something different, having our hero save him from scrapes every other minute, and them quipping against each other, but no, the whole aspect of this is never used, and rather pointless.
Just like the film.
And to top it all off, after the siege is over, and everybody is safe, Purcell comes across the last bad guy, who is the token unarmed, bespectacled nerd, much like Theo in Die Hard, and literally kills him in cold blood.
Words fail me.
Don't listen to the Negative ,this is a very COOL,COOL,FILM,SEE IT YESS.
mikevonbach5 June 2016
Dominic Purcell, kICK SOME ASS IN THIS high power buddy cop movie . Lots of twist and turns tricks and jokes.They have some good stunt men and women . Fun movie to watch with a great ending . It felt like one of the old JOhn Woo flicks one busted head after another . This could go to a franchise If they can get some good follow up writing ..This highly lovable throwback by writer/director Allan Ungar, who co-wrote the film with Rob Robol, wears its obvious influences on its sleeves, but has enough original and modern charms of its own. The film may deliver plenty of laughs, but the violence and action does get gruesome and realistic. Still, Ungar and Robol do great work in balancing the two, though a small amount of the jokes helped a lot. The movie boasts an amazing cast in addition to Purcell and Hackman which includes Stephen Lang, Trish Stratus, Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, and Saul Rubinek. If my positive review still hasn't persuaded anyone to seek it out, three words --you missing it .
Entertaining
kurisutofusan14 January 2021
Gridlocked indeed
Seth_Rogue_One9 August 2016
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.
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.
Average but likeable
mroberts-2821520 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
First, I want to comment on the head through the TV screen. A CRT is extreamly hard and if it were even possible to accomplish, the tube, being under an near perfect vacuum, would implode with great force. So, the guy would most likely be brain dead but, for a second tier action movie, I found it suprising enjoyable.
"We're going to need more men."
classicsoncall6 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This was my first look at actor Dominic Purcell, he has sort of that Dave Bautista/Jason Statham thing going on. I liked him in this even if his character Dave Hendrix was played a little too one dimensional. Asking him to crack a smile every now and then would probably have been too much.
It seems action flicks like this get short shrift by a lot of viewers here on IMDb. Taken as one of many seen by the average viewer, I guess it's no surprise. I try to watch these stories as if I hadn't seen a few hundred like it before, and when I do that, I usually find them entertaining enough. This one had a neat hook with the good guys burning up the bearer bonds that the bad guys were after, but not for one minute did I think they actually did it. After that, the intended heist turns into a revenge story with the action ramping up accordingly.
Siding with the naysayers somewhat, this is a rather by-the-numbers film that doesn't break any new ground in the genre. When Brody (Cody Hackman) asked Hendrix - "You ever watch action movies?" - I did a slow groan myself, but the story redeemed itself with the reveal that Gina (Trish Stratus) was in with the villains and did it for the money. Isn't that always how it is?
It seems action flicks like this get short shrift by a lot of viewers here on IMDb. Taken as one of many seen by the average viewer, I guess it's no surprise. I try to watch these stories as if I hadn't seen a few hundred like it before, and when I do that, I usually find them entertaining enough. This one had a neat hook with the good guys burning up the bearer bonds that the bad guys were after, but not for one minute did I think they actually did it. After that, the intended heist turns into a revenge story with the action ramping up accordingly.
Siding with the naysayers somewhat, this is a rather by-the-numbers film that doesn't break any new ground in the genre. When Brody (Cody Hackman) asked Hendrix - "You ever watch action movies?" - I did a slow groan myself, but the story redeemed itself with the reveal that Gina (Trish Stratus) was in with the villains and did it for the money. Isn't that always how it is?
Couldn't make it
kerfufflenco3 August 2016
A bad cult style movie can be seen for what it is. A tongue in cheek action puss-take can also be enjoyed. And usually I will give a film the benefit of the doubt. But this one ? Sorry, I couldn't even make it to the end. It was so full of forced, over played stereo-types trying very hard to be cool the director must have been saying to himself throughout the making - only Trump supporting knuckleheads will be watching this, so I better make the obvious a bit easier to grasp. Why get the main character to keep stumbling around in a made up accent that he has no aptitude for ? Why try to be tough and then do the whole bullets flying everywhere except into the heroes thing, again and again ? This movie is bound for 3 am viewing by lonely stoners who aren't actually watching anything. Sorry but its a firm, No.
I took a bullet for you
nogodnomasters27 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
David Hendrix (Dominic Purcell) is a hard nosed NYC cop. He has the dubious assignment to chauffeur around movie star Brody Walker (Cody Hackman) who is doing community service for an assault on a reporter. The bad guys were poorly developed but they do have Vinnie Jones. The police get held up in an archive building, where most of the action takes place. The plot mystery is revealed about half way through.
Cody was made to look like a cocky Brad Bieber Pitt, while Trish Stratus looks like Angelina. There was an awkward table scene where Purcell and Hackman converse, showing us they are better actors with their mouths shut. With Purcell as a good guy and Vinnie as a bad guy, we all know where this goes...it has to. Some light humor in the banter.
Who still has tube TV sets? No great twists.
Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. Watch the credit roll.
Cody was made to look like a cocky Brad Bieber Pitt, while Trish Stratus looks like Angelina. There was an awkward table scene where Purcell and Hackman converse, showing us they are better actors with their mouths shut. With Purcell as a good guy and Vinnie as a bad guy, we all know where this goes...it has to. Some light humor in the banter.
Who still has tube TV sets? No great twists.
Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. Watch the credit roll.
Avoid if you can
gsm-jansson26 March 2017
In short: Avoid this if you can.
The only highlights is the main character killing a enemy by sticking a grenade behind his flack jack and Danny Glover saying "I'm to old for this ****". That's it.
Vinnie Jones plays a bland version of the Vinnie that can be seen in "lock stock", "snatch" or even "the condemned". The same goes for the rest of the cast. In this regard Cody Hackman, who plays a child celebrity that likes to party and get drunk, stands out. He's irritating to say the least. He asks people he's just met if they are having sex and actually suggest that the main character should smile more.
While the most things Cody says in this movie is irritating or stupid, the last part about "Dominic smiling more" seems more like the film makers try to make a joke that the main character is boring. Dominic, who plays the main character, have played characters with more emotions like Dracula/Drake in "Blade 3" or in "Assault on Wall street", but here it's just bland. Stephen Lang does a passable job, but nothing that stands out. His performance in Avatar is by far better but this might just be his part as his character is always calm.
Looking through the cast list a lot of potential is never used. Cody is a "5x World Karate Champion" and Trish Stratus who plays "Gina" is a former wrestler for WWE. This is never shown, It would be a bit of a stretch if Codys character was a good fighter but Gina is a some sort of SWAT officer and only shoots guns.
For a better movie about trapped cops, watch "The Raid" or the newer Judge Dredd movie "Dredd". For a better action movie, that's not as bad as this one, with a irritating sidekick watch the older "Judge Dredd". For a better, but still bad, movie with Dominic as lead watch "Assault on Wall Street". For a better lower budget movie on Netflix watch "Arq". For a better action movie on Netflix watch "Spectral". Only see this if you are desperate and have no other choice.
The only highlights is the main character killing a enemy by sticking a grenade behind his flack jack and Danny Glover saying "I'm to old for this ****". That's it.
Vinnie Jones plays a bland version of the Vinnie that can be seen in "lock stock", "snatch" or even "the condemned". The same goes for the rest of the cast. In this regard Cody Hackman, who plays a child celebrity that likes to party and get drunk, stands out. He's irritating to say the least. He asks people he's just met if they are having sex and actually suggest that the main character should smile more.
While the most things Cody says in this movie is irritating or stupid, the last part about "Dominic smiling more" seems more like the film makers try to make a joke that the main character is boring. Dominic, who plays the main character, have played characters with more emotions like Dracula/Drake in "Blade 3" or in "Assault on Wall street", but here it's just bland. Stephen Lang does a passable job, but nothing that stands out. His performance in Avatar is by far better but this might just be his part as his character is always calm.
Looking through the cast list a lot of potential is never used. Cody is a "5x World Karate Champion" and Trish Stratus who plays "Gina" is a former wrestler for WWE. This is never shown, It would be a bit of a stretch if Codys character was a good fighter but Gina is a some sort of SWAT officer and only shoots guns.
For a better movie about trapped cops, watch "The Raid" or the newer Judge Dredd movie "Dredd". For a better action movie, that's not as bad as this one, with a irritating sidekick watch the older "Judge Dredd". For a better, but still bad, movie with Dominic as lead watch "Assault on Wall Street". For a better lower budget movie on Netflix watch "Arq". For a better action movie on Netflix watch "Spectral". Only see this if you are desperate and have no other choice.
It's entertaining factor comes from all of the movies it obviously rips off
subxerogravity27 August 2016
Remember a movie called the Hard Way? Micheal J Fox plays a pampered movie star who goes on a ride along with a tough as nails New York City cop played by James Woods. Gridlocked is a lot like a remake of that movie.
Updating the movie star to having to do the ride along in order to stay out of jail, Broody walker is a child actor trying to be an adult actor, somewhere between Lindsey Lohan and Justin Beiber, and his hard as nails street cop is a lot more tougher than James woods ( a lot bigger too)
So this is the movie premise, but the film's plot seems to be a rip off of Die Hard (Like Die Hard in a special police task force armory). It's kinda funny considering Danny Glover plays a security guard in the place, even doing his famous line from Lethal Weapon.
Best part of the movie is the great Stephen Lang who plays the antagonist in the film. I've become a huge fan of this man since he played the perfect soldier in Avatar. His purpose in the movie is to be a dark and gritty soulless villain whose purpose out weighs any lives that come across him.
Adding to his perfect villain is the just as great Vinnie Jones who complements Lang as his lead henchman.
Gridlocked could have been better. I feel it looses track as it tries to bounce back and forth from the Hard Way plot to the Die Hard plot and a few other plots in-between that change the focus on the film.
http://cinemagardens.com
Updating the movie star to having to do the ride along in order to stay out of jail, Broody walker is a child actor trying to be an adult actor, somewhere between Lindsey Lohan and Justin Beiber, and his hard as nails street cop is a lot more tougher than James woods ( a lot bigger too)
So this is the movie premise, but the film's plot seems to be a rip off of Die Hard (Like Die Hard in a special police task force armory). It's kinda funny considering Danny Glover plays a security guard in the place, even doing his famous line from Lethal Weapon.
Best part of the movie is the great Stephen Lang who plays the antagonist in the film. I've become a huge fan of this man since he played the perfect soldier in Avatar. His purpose in the movie is to be a dark and gritty soulless villain whose purpose out weighs any lives that come across him.
Adding to his perfect villain is the just as great Vinnie Jones who complements Lang as his lead henchman.
Gridlocked could have been better. I feel it looses track as it tries to bounce back and forth from the Hard Way plot to the Die Hard plot and a few other plots in-between that change the focus on the film.
http://cinemagardens.com
Bad tactics
threeohiii9 February 2019
So many! Where do I start? The initial shootout in the police station. Bad guy in the center. Cops all around aiming their guns at each other. Think of a clock face. Also, same scene, the bad guy is very distracted by conversation but no cops sneak up behind him, even though at least 2 behind him. Juvenile stuff.
Great 90's Style Action Movie
darrenmurray849 June 2016
I 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.
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.
Just another B-movie
elmarvanm6 February 2022
Bad
marter20065 March 2022
What an utter failure. Not even remotely thrilling in any way, shape or form!
imseeg25 September 2022
Beware: fans of Vinnie Jones and Danny Glover, I have to disappoint you, they only play supporting roles, so dont get your hopes up of seeing them on screen a lot.
The bad: this movie isnt thrilling or exciting. At all. It should be, because it is marketed at an action loving audience and although there are a lot of "action" scenes they are without any thrill or suspense whatsoever.
More bad; perhaps the "jokes" are good? Because it is suppose to be funny as well. Bummer again. Not even the supposedly jokes are any fun. This is mostly due to a terribly bland script, with sleep evoking dialogues.
Even more bad: the leading actors (NOT Vinnie Jones or Danny Glover) are terribly bland and uncharismatic.
I prefer watching paint dry, because that would be more exciting then watching this failure.
The bad: this movie isnt thrilling or exciting. At all. It should be, because it is marketed at an action loving audience and although there are a lot of "action" scenes they are without any thrill or suspense whatsoever.
More bad; perhaps the "jokes" are good? Because it is suppose to be funny as well. Bummer again. Not even the supposedly jokes are any fun. This is mostly due to a terribly bland script, with sleep evoking dialogues.
Even more bad: the leading actors (NOT Vinnie Jones or Danny Glover) are terribly bland and uncharismatic.
I prefer watching paint dry, because that would be more exciting then watching this failure.
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