THE LOCKDOWN Boasts Extreme Action & Human Drama in a Bone Crackling Thriller that Fails to Make Contact in the Finale – ACTION-FLIX.COM

It’s been a busy week for me as I’ve probably done more reviews this week alone than I have in the last two months and with the Big Bad Film Fest over, I’m still catching up with my reviews on that front but with Tiger Style Media’s second effort The Lockdown releasing today on Digital, I thought I’d check it out seeing as the trailer included some tasty looking fight action and a it contains a cast of favorites of mine in Leo Howard, Caity Lotz and the genre icon himself Michale Biehn. The first flick, Art of Eight Limbs with Ludi Lin from Mortal Kombatwas a mixed bag for me and a disappointment per say so I was hoping for a step up here with the talent involved. I do like what Tiger Style Media is doing here as they are bringing back that DTV martial arts action that was ever so popular back in the day but as of now, the titles are hit and miss.

I can say that The Lockdown which sees Ryan Jaeger, who produced Art of Eight Limbsin the director’s chair this time as well is a solid step up with some exciting action and a more human story that resonates love, loss and most importantly family. In terms of plot, this one is a little more humanized than the James Bond/Enter the Dragon trope of the first movie. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but I feel that this grounded story of two American siblings caught in a really bad situation and forced to fight their way out of it was more grounded and delivered a more emotional punch to go along with the physical ones.

The Lockdown stars Caity Lotz (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and Leo Howard (GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra) as siblings Charlie and Jack Hightower respectively. Charlie is a journalist fighting the good fight against homelessness in America while Jack is struggling to keep their father’s gym afloat after the death of their mother. Charlie and Jack’s father Max (Biehn) has been absent for most of their lives and is currently rooting away in a ruthless Myanmar prison for drug trafficking. The only problem there is that Jack needs Max’s signature so he can transfer the business over to him and Charlie as Max still owns the gym.

Jack still has some resemblance of hope that dad will eventually come around, but Charlie wants nothing to do with him as she blames him for leaving. Seeing as Charlie has been suspended from her job for beating up some thugs who were terrorizing some unfortunate homeless people, she reluctantly agrees to fly to Myanmar with Jack in hopes of getting dear old dad to sign the papers. Did I forget to mention that said prison hosts illegal fights to the death for sport and to entertain the masses and that Max is suckering his own children in to fight so he can win his freedom? Yeah, there is that also.

Upon arriving, Charlie and Max are framed for drug possession and are incarcerated by the ruthless warden Cetan (Hon Ping Tang) who runs the fights and even has his two sons helping with the marketing and advertising. It’s a family business so whatever keeps them close I always say. Once incarcerated, brother and sister are forced to fight and not just in the ring as every day is a battle for survival in a prison where disappearing is easy.

Once again, just like Art of Eight Limbsthis film is a homage to those classic grindhouse, direct to video store shelves martial arts barnburners that we all know and love. The plot is utterly ridiculous just like in the 90’s but just like in that era, that was most of the fun about watching them. The more absurd the plot the better because it was just an excuse to watch the hero or heroine, or both decimate countless goons with lightning and lethal precision signature skills on the way to a shattering climax where many a bone was broken. The more fighting the better and the more extreme the choreography even better.

I am happy to say that the first 2/3 of The Lockdown does satisfy, at least it did for me, and a main reason was for the two leads who share some stellar chemistry together as brother and sister. it was also refreshing that they were related so there would be no romantic entanglements to stall the proceedings. Lotz and Howard are immediately likable, and we spend enough time with them between all the chaos and mayhem to want them to succeed and get out of their sticky situation. It also helps that Howard is a professional martial arts talent and is more than solid in the action and Lotz gets to showcase that she can party with the best of them as well. I’m sure there were stun pros used here and ther but for the most part, it’s them doing all the beating.

What can you say about Michael Biehn. The man is an icon in genre films and has starred in some of the best that action and sci-fi have had to offer. Even though he’s older now, he still commands the screen and elevates even the worse material with his sheer presence. As Max, Biehn plays him as a lost soul who will sell anyone out, including his children, but his character arc has layers leading up to his inevitable redemption surge. I think it’s still pretty awesome that I got to meet at NYCC years ago and I got to chat with him about all his movies before he signed a Hicks photo with the words “stay frosty” on it. Priceless.

Like I mentioned before, the first 2/3 of the film are satisfying as we get to know Charlie and Jack and we are treated to ample empty handed action design that rises above what was seen in the first Tiger Style Media flick. The action is more fast and fierce here and Howard proves why he should be headlining more of these kinds of films. It also helps that he looks positively charming with a boy next door texture to him to compliment the insane and extreme martial arts skills that he has. He’s not huge but he’s in shape and he is more than capable in delivering what is needed for a martial arts action role.

Lotz is equally as good and as Charlie she resonates a sincere and modest likability to her as well. Charlie is just a journalist so when she is thrown into this extraordinary situation, Lotz plays her for real and far from perfect or indestructible. She’s just a regular woman who just happens to know how to protect herself so when the fists and feet start flying, the audience isn’t quite sure if she’ll come out of it. No worries though as Lotz keeps up with Howard evert step of the way and pummels a few unfortunates into submission including an opening salvo that sees her taking on veteran baddie Ron Smoorenburg from Triple threat and the aforementioned Art of Eight Limbs. Smoorenburg has been really getting around lately and was even seen in the rad Bangkok Dog that just premiered at the Big bad Film Fest.

In terms of cinematography, the audience is treated to some nice shots of Thailand and its beautiful city of Bangkok but just like in the 90’s, most of the action takes place within the prison giving the film that usual Die Hard feel to it where all the excitement is confined to one spot. it’s oar for the course and it surely isn’t a deal breaker. Just like Ludi Lin’s entry, the action takes place in Myanmar which is interesting as that country is viewed as hell on earth essentially.

The fight action is definitely solid and legit worthy with Lotz and Howard getting in on most of the fun. The choreography and action design, done by elite Thai stunt teams, deliver a mixture of the extreme and trickery with a little MMA thrown in and more complex joint and body manipulation for a well-rounded effect. The carnage is shot well and isn’t hampered by too much heavy editing and at least the camera is steady for the most part when the actors are doing their thing. The disciplines involved once again range from the classics like the pulverizing knees and elbows of Muay Thai to the more modern tricks of extreme combat sport with aerial assaults and flash infused with a dash of MMA ground and pound. The film does suffer from the lack of true in ring combat villains for each of the stars to face off with and they unfortunately aren’t memorable when all is said and done.

The finale is where the movie really stumbles as it tries to make its way to the finish line. Charlie and Jack do face off with their respected champions of the tournament but aside from some nice action direction, there really isn’t any tension and even with the outcomes, which are unexpected but realistic, the movie really misses the target by not having a rousing and bombastic climax. I was expecting a huge breakout sequence with our heroes taking on a horde of guards but what I got instead was, well it was less than stellar. Maybe Jaeger and company were going for a realistic conclusion to these events but if this was to be a true throwback to the 90’s then where was my over-the-top battle royale. Still, there are some exciting battles to be had and most of the earlier aspects of the film contained all the action.

Overall, The Lockdown is a solid step up from the initial first release from Tiger Style Media. There’s a welcoming human element to the proceedings that makes it more of a crowd pleaser but the execution in the finale is a missed opportunity. the movie does have the strength of its stars, especially Biehn, and they do have chemistry but at the end of it all, I wanted my pure 90’s throwback with sick action and jaw dropping stunts.

Lotz and Howard are solid and likable in their roles, and I must say that I would sport another outing with the Hightower kids kicking some more ass in future installments. the first 2/3 of the movie does sell the old school style theatrics that fans are craving for, but the finale will certainly leave you wanting so much more when it comes to the savage science. All in all, a decent step up and we will see how the next two offerings in Lady Scorpions and Kung Fu Games does to round out this first slate from Tiger Style Media.

Verdict: 3 Out of 5 Stars

Caity Lotz and Leo Howard excel as fierce fighting siblings with genre icon Michael Biehn watching their six but, in the end, a promising start falls short due to an anti-climactic finale.