Well, it doesn't break any boundaries or try to be anything particularly special, but Wedlock takes influence from films such as The Running Man and ends up with a fun and entertaining little thriller. As you would expect, the film offers little in the way of surprises; so it's a good job that getting from A to B is fun to watch. The film's main gimmick is the idea of a futuristic prison in which the inmates have to wear collars. This ensures that all the prisoners are constantly watching each other, as if your collar gets one hundred yards away from your partner's collar - both your heads explode! Naturally, no one knows who is whose partner, so the prison is pretty secure (I can't be the only one who thinks this could work in REAL prisons...). The film focuses on Frank Warren; a would-be robber who is double crossed by his girlfriend and ends up in the futuristic jail. Before getting double-crossed, our hero was smart enough to hide the diamonds that he stole. The head of the jail wants these gems for himself, and after Frank and his partner escape from the prison - a game of cat and mouse ensues.

The film relies a lot on it's lead star Rutger Hauer, and while this isn't his best performance of all time; it's suitably different from his more popular roles (Blade Runner, The Hitcher),and he makes for an offbeat action hero. He is joined by Mimi Rogers, who is good in support; as well as Stephen Tobolowsky, who steals every scene he's in. The action doesn't come thick and fast; but Wedlock benefits from this, as the action is good when it comes and the scenes between the lead characters are always interesting enough to keep the film worth watching. Standout scenes include a bus chase and obligatory exploding head scene. The title is something of a metaphor for our lead character, as his luck with women isn't exactly enviable, and the way that the collars lock the two main characters together makes for some interesting drama. The main problem with the plotting is that it constantly hints at what's going to come next; and even the central twist isn't all that shocking when it comes about. However, if you go into Wedlock expecting just good entertainment; it's a lot of fun, and therefore comes recommended to B-movie fans!

Recap: Part of a trio that is supposed to rob a jewelry mart for 25 million dollars worth in diamonds, Frank discovers that he has been had as his partners turn on him after the job. The only that saves him is that Frank has hidden the diamonds. Unfortunately for his partners Frank get sent to a prison where a new system is being tested. Each prisoner get a necklace with explosives in it, and each prisoner is paired up with another, unknown to them, prisoner. If more than 100 yards separate the necklaces, they both blow up. If the prisoners stay within the prison grounds they will be fine. However, Frank's diamonds are of great interest, to everyone. His ex-partners wants them, inmates want them and the warden wants them bad...

Comments: Not the greatest movie ever seen, but not bad either. But you need to get your expectations right. Basically it is in two parts, one prison part and one fugitive part. Neither part is special but contains your basic parts in the genre. Fighting inmates and gangs in the prison, car chase and police in the fugitive part. Nothing new really.

What I had expected more of is the Sci-fi part. I had imagined that it was set in the future with lots of change in society. It seems that the budget didn't cover more than the necklaces though, as they are the only things that doesn't exist now (or in the early nineties).

However, lacking in some parts, and nothing new in others, this movie is not bad. Not bad at all. Not if you like typical Hauer movies anyway.

What has it got then? Some decent action, actually. And even if the movie is quite predictable the suspense isn't bad either. The story is a little thin but you don't ever feel a need to worry about that. Simply put, this is good entertainment a lonely evening.

6/10

I enjoyed this movie, but then I always enjoy a good Rutger Hauer movie, or even a bad one for that matter. This movie has him as a convict in a prison who was betrayed by his girlfriend and by his buddy during a heist. He is sent to this weird prison though that is quite different from most. Here there is a mix of male and female prisoners...they even get to have a night a week they can get together. Water must be conserved, and the prisoners all get cute collars which are linked up to another prisoner and if these two get to separated they explode taking off the wearers head. Yes, only mild differences to be found here, eh? So after awhile at the prison, our hero ends up escaping said prison and must do certain things in order to find the loot that was hid and to keep themselves together or their heads are going to be blown off! So you get your differing ways for them to get separated and at times they have to get creative in keeping together. The flow of the movie is rather fast, and the ending to me was just perfect. Though one has to wonder if the exploding collar idea came from an earlier science fiction action movie "The Running Man"?