Generally speaking when someone refers to most horror films, no one likes to put the words "thinking man's" and "horror" together. Horror is often perceived to be a genre that requires no thinking, no logic, and one would even go as far to say no plot, but one thing people always can associate horror with is violence, gore, nudity, etc.
So when it comes down the nitty gritty, horror films aren't often looked upon with kind eyes by critics alike for this said reason. They expect nothing more than a senseless bloodbath with no retribution whatsoever. Well thankfully, times are changing and horror although still having its share of mindless bloodbaths is turning into a genre that is becoming somewhat respected. Films like Saw while being grotesque also manage to put forth not only an interesting story, but a twist here and there that keeps the viewer guessing and constantly on their toes. It's a thinking man's horror film in sense. A whodunit if you will.
When it comes down to looking at a film like Lockout one can only assume two things by viewing the cover art and the synopsis on the back; it's going to be one of those senseless bloodbath types of films, or it's going to be boring as sin. Thankfully, it's neither.
The film has a basic premise, a story about a Dan, a man who cannot adjust to his company's new procedures and after 10 years of service, he is let go. It appears that the company needs people that can speak other languages and Dan cannot. He decides to move out to a country home he and his family have to take it easy and minimize the cost of living. Upon arrival things appear normal, but nothing is ever what it seems especially in a horror film.
The film mostly takes place in the old home and an abandoned barn where we meet our protagonists; two very messed up individuals who come into the picture due to a certain girl's strange habits. They enjoy violent sex and the occasional bodily dismemberment. It becomes clear very quickly that the pair is stalking Dan and his family and soon a final confrontation begins.
As the film moves on, one picks up little hints here and there about the film's subject matter. It's very clear Dan is not friendly amongst the Hispanic or other foreign language citizens as everyone he meets he is either rude to, or just blows off. Odd considering that his wife and sister-in-law are also from other countries but that's just another part of this story's wonderful brain.
The film does move along quite slowly but it builds up to a nice confrontation and a hell of a twist ending that I saw part of it coming, but the rest was a total shock. In any film's case, not just horror, a good twist these days is very hard to find.
The acting sells the story as each actor portrays their characters very well. The arguments are real, the talking is real, it all feels real, nothing sounds pre-written or staged which is also, something difficult to find. The protagonists have no speaking lines which add not only to their weirdness but make them feel like more of a threat.
The special features on the disc unfortunately are nil, nothing but a behind the scenes documentary and a trailer. Although the documentary was lengthy, a commentary would have been nice but the film works well enough on its own so I cannot complain. The picture comes through very clear and has that shot-on-video look but doesn't quite nail it, looks more like digital than anything but it does not detract from the film's viewing experience at all. If anything it adds to it.
Lockout is one of those films people are either going to really love, or hate incredibly. I loved it. The film works its way under your skin, keeps you thinking at the end as it all falls into your lap and holds the viewer's interest for its running time. The story is thick, the acting is great, and the twist is one of those that won't make sense at first; but once you place all the facts of the film together and think about how it all falls into place; it will. Definitely a film you will be going, "Oh, okay so THAT'S what happened and that's why this was like this, okay I get it now." But it's not going to be something you will get right away, you'll have to think.
If something that's going to pick at your brain hours after you watch it is what you're looking for, Lockout is it. If it isn't, well you might want to look elsewhere. This film has its brain planted firmly into its grizzly end and doesn't stop ticking until the credits roll. I applaud the writers and the people behind this film for bringing something like this to the horror genre. It's just the kind of film it needs to push itself up from being mindless entertainment to actual entertainment. Seek this one out, it's well worth it.
Blurbtastic - "...the film works."
