Gefangen

All the standard ingredients of a brutal prison film are here, interwoven with a very tender gay romance. The action takes place in a German institution, but among the inmates are some British and American prisoners, so there is a substantial amount of dialog in English as well as German, which is well translated in the subtitles. The chemistry of attraction between the newly arrived young German prisoner and the muscular Caribbean-American man of color is palpable and exciting. The plot alternates between brutal realism and romantic fantasy, with lots of eye candy along the way. Never a dull moment! The extras on the DVD include candid interviews with the two gay actors who play the leads so effectively. Hugely enjoyable for the target audience.

I was reluctant to watch this film because I have never enjoyed films about men in prison. Though brilliant , "Midnight Express" still haunts me and the repellent treatment of homosexuality in "Fortune in Men's Eyes" made me steer clear of this genre. The only other prison film with a "gay:" subtext that I have enjoyed was "Kiss of the Spider Woman" That said, this little German film, "Locked Up", was a rather tender and provocative gay love story. Filmed on video, in an apparent real prison, this film struck me as quite entertaining. The two leads are very good actors and even though it has a somewhat unbelievable ending, I liked it. WARNING SPOILER.............This film has a few graphic scenes that take it close to porn. There is a lot of male on male nudity and a real masturbation sequence. There is also a very graphic rape scene, which, if it had not been integral to the plot line, could never have been acceptable to any audience. Now that doesn't mean all viewers will appreciate this film. No this little hummer is not for the weak at heart or the homophobic. In the end it manages to be quite a charmer. The oddest thing about this film is not the bi-racial love story of the two male leads, but the hauntingly beautiful sound track, which somehow manages to be romantic, meaningful, and surprisingly "new age". The music, coupled with the hideously depressing and stark prison ambiance, raises the emotional impact of this film. It actually brightens up the story line and the romance between the two male leads. Definitely not for everyone. However, if you like the new "Gay Cinema", and enjoy film in general,this little odd duck of a movie will shock, entertain, and bring a tear to the eye as well. 31/2 out of 5 stars.....Clive2

In this case, the significances of the term "reasonable" are many . From the expected prison atmosphere, more a sketch, and the portrait of a forbidden relation - so familiar- to the brutal graphic scenes. From violence, in different forms, to the image of self discover.Yes, it is just that kind of film - easy dialogue, easy story, sex scenes as axis . But it has the virtue to try be little more, with reasonable succes. The romance is more significant than sex scenes, the pornography is not more than price to attract some kind of public, Mike Sale and Marcel Schlutt are good options for the roles and the delicacy of relation remains touching. A reasonable film ,mayb provocative for few reasons, giving the fair story, acting and romance.The sin - maybe the end who can be too much , against its poetry. The good points- Ulrike Schirm

This film was made by a company that usually makes (gay) porn-movies. It shows in the level of the dialogues (acted out a bit weirdly, most actors apparently aren't used to so many words) and the relative explicity of the sex-scenes. (but it never does become porn, it just seems to lack shame).

In spite of all this it is a nice and very romantic drama, that's worth watching. Though the strange dialogues sometimes make one laugh unintendedly, the story keeps being appealing.

I think Marcel Schlutt is to credit for this mostly. He's not just another pretty face (though he is very beautiful) but he acts convincingly even in the most corny-written scenes.

This guy deserves better movies! (anything from action thriller to romantic comedy seems possible).

I've seen this film twice - once in the "erotic" version some years ago and just now in the porn release. On balance the latter is the more interesting.

I'll not make a detailed analysis or long review as others have done that previously but content myself with saying that the sex scenes are horny and the storyline around them passable. One can see it's low budget but then so are loads of other films and this one makes the most of its restrictions.

The actors looked as if they were enjoying the porn rather than actually acting which is why i preferred this edition of the film.

Oddly some of the storyline is echoed in the 2021 film Grosse Freiheit - the older prisoner is serving a longer sentence for murder in both films and the endings of both films are absolutely identical down to the type of shop used as a way to return. Coincidence? Who knows?