Uncork’d Entertainment
Available Feb 1st, 2021 on YouTube
Not to be confused with the similarly titled Lock Down coming to HBO Max, there’s another work that deals with the pandemic. Lockdown (formerly COVID-19: Invasion) stars WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash (John Wick, The Punisher). This man of few words is out on the hunt!
This low-fi indie thriller nails the lowdown on what can happen when fear gets the better of people. The story written by Micah Lyons shows what if the world could not get a handle on the virus that’s decimating millions. Everyone has been segregated into groups and it’s by their choice to remain sick or not. In this tale, Rex (Nash) and his men plan on killing a bunch of squatters at a high school in the belief that will slow down the spread of covid. But another individual doesn’t want to see his little sister die.
Those curious in this look into the mirror darkly–a common trope for this new sub-genre of pandemic films–will find that this world is a dog eat dog. There’s nobody being kind here. The dialogue is heavy with thoughts on what Lyons sees civilization turning into. For some odd reason, I can’t help but be reminded of the Star Trek episode, “Miri.” What isn’t the same is the realisation that the survivors grow into catching the man-made plague. There’s no Doctor McCoy. Instead, what we get is a story perhaps more influenced by the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Can there be peace? It’s hard to say. I’m more curious to see if Nash can make that transition to an A-lister in the Hollywood scene. Other WWE talents succeeded, but can this old timer pull it off too? Only time will tell, as he needs meatier films to build his filmography before we can fully see.
3 Stars out of 5
