Gridlocked (2016)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Fantastic!

Blistering performances.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

"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.

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!

"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.

These days action films are as abundant as horror films with new ones coming out all the time. Like most there are typically more bad ones than good, with the biggest thing separating them being the quality of action. The latest, Gridlocked features a good cast including Dominic Purcell, Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, Cody Hackman, Stephen Lang, Trish Stratus, and Saul Rubinek, but does it pack the punch to make this a standout action flick or will it run out of ammo during the fight?Gridlocked follows former SWAT leader David Hendrix and hard-partying movie star Brody Walker who must cut their forced ride-along short when a police training facility is attacked by a team of mercenaries. This appears to be one of those team ups that we have seen time and again but it becomes quickly clear that will not be the case. The first moment we see Purcell on screen you see that he is going to be a force to be reckoned with and he does not disappoint. They spend just enough time setting up the annoyed relationship these two have before thrusting them into the onslaught of mayhem. Once they get them to the place where everything will be going down bullets begin to fly and do not let up until the very end. This is a full on old school action film that showcases a barrage of bullets with pin point accuracy. They keep the story simple and only bother with just enough information and plot twists to keep the story moving forward, but make no mistake the action is the center piece and it works well. Purcell brings the rugged bad ass mentality to the role and carries the action to perfection alongside a great cast who all hold their own as well. The highlight of the film is seeing them take the old school action approach and while thrusting some fun spins on execution didn't try to reinvent the wheel. They took what works and lets it speak for itself while taking it up a notch with the blood and direction.Story is important, but when you want to deliver an action film it has to work with the story and not feel forced. Here they have crafted an Assault on Precinct 13 style story that while familiar does its own thing in a fun way. They veer away from the cheesy partner actioner and make sure you know that no one is safe and bodies will pile up and they do. The action sticks mostly to the gun play, but the few hand to hand sequences are well choreographed and executed by all involved making it work on just about every level. If you are an action fan then this is a great addition to the genre, that requires little more than strapping in and enjoying the ride through a ballet of bullet ridding mayhem.