Gridlocked is probably one of the more surprising movies based on expectations since my history with direct-to-video flicks hasn’t been the greatest. Sure, the acting isn’t anything special but Dominic Purcell and Stephen Lang serve well as the protagonist and antagonist respectively.
Gridlocked
(2016)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Action, Crime
Magnolia | R – 113 min. – $29.97 | June 14, 2016
Date Published: 06/17/2016 | Author: The Movieman
  |
|
THE MOVIE – 3.0/5 |
|
Plot Synopsis: Former NYPD SWAT leader David Hendrix (DOMINIC PURCELL) has failed to receive medical clearance after taking a bullet on the job. As if things couldn’t get any worse, he’s forced to babysit Brody Walker (CODY HACKMAN), a hard partying celebrity that’s been sent on a mandatory ride-along as part of his probation. But all of that changes when a police training facility comes under attack by a team of ruthless mercenaries led by the mysterious Korver (STEPHEN LANG). Now Hendrix, with his team of fellow officers (TRISH STRATUS, JAMES A. WOODS, STEVE BYERS), and Walker must band together to fight back and stay alive. Quick Hit Review: Clearly an homage to both Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, Gridlocked actually wasn’t a half bad action-thriller. The story isn’t anything special and the supporting characters, not to mention the villain, is rather cookie-cutter, but I found this to be an entertaining little film where Dominic Purcell isn’t asked to do much and serves well in the lead and Cody Hackman as the fish-out-of-water sidekick. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.25/5 |
|
This release comes with an embossed slip cover. Kicking It Old School: The Making of Gridlocked (15:53; HD) is a behind-the-scenes featurette containing interviews with the cast and crew discussing the plot and characters. Inside the Action (6:40; HD) breaks down some of the action sequences. Deleted Scenes (11:34; HD) — We get a few scenes that were cut down or completely removed. Nothing of note, just some minor character moments. Blooper Reel (6:03; HD) Previews – The Wave, High-Rise |
VIDEO – 3.5/5 |
| Gridlocked breaks onto Blu-ray with an AVC codec a 1080p high-definition transfer and shown with a 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio. As with many direct-to-video flicks, this may not look the best yet colors are at least well balanced and detail was OK yet there was plenty of banding in places, so hardly a great transfer, it’s still more than adequate. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| The disc comes with a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which isn’t quite as robust as I had hoped given it is almost entirely action oriented, however dialogue levels did sound crisp and clear and during the numerous shootouts, there’s at least some satisfactory depth, just nothing resounding. |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
| Overall, Gridlocked is probably one of the more surprising movies based on expectations since my history with direct-to-video flicks hasn’t been the greatest. Sure, it copies Die Hard yet it far exceeds the crapfest that A Good Day to Die Hard was… In any case, the acting isn’t anything special but Dominic Purcell and Stephen Lang serve well as the protagonist and antagonist respectively. The Blu-ray release offers good video/audio transfers with some basic bonus material. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.