WWE’s Dean Ambrose is one of my favorite wrestlers, and I didn’t want to miss his film debut.

What’s It About? When troubled cop John Shaw discovers evidence of a drug-smuggling operation in his precinct, corrupt officers lock down the building and force Shaw to shoot his way out.

STRAIGHT UP: An all-around disappointment. 1/5

What I Liked

No messing around – This is a movie that knows what it is and what its audience came to see. There are maybe 15 minutes of exposition in the entire film, while the rest of the run time is basically one shootout after another.

Gory takedowns – Lockdown features enough juicy headshots, oozing gut wounds, and exploding kneecaps to satisfy most pulp action movie fans.

Use of the environment – Some parts of the movie distinguish themselves with the way the characters use the precinct building itself to their advantage. Shaw sneaks around cameras and clambers through vents to set up cool Batman-style ambushes, while the villainous Burke and co. manipulate lights, elevators, and comm signals to keep Shaw off-balance.

What I Disliked

Shaky cam – I thought action movies were done with this nonsense. Apparently not.

Everyone looks the same – Almost everyone in this movie is wearing the same outfit (black T-shirt and dark pants/jeans) and aside from Shaw and Burke, they all have the same facial hair, too. Combined with the unsteady camera, it’s sometimes hard to tell who’s doing what to whom during action scenes.

Monologuing villain – Burke inexplicably keeps Shaw alive in order to taunt him on at least 3 occasions, despite constantly telling his henchmen about the importance of killing Shaw ASAP. This even figures into the conclusion, where Burke probably could’ve gotten away if he had just shot first instead of opening his mouth.

The saddest explosion ever – In a scene where a henchman is killed by a grenade, the explosion effect is so poorly-rendered that it probably should have been left out entirely.

Misuse of Dean Ambrose – While Ambrose does a perfectly acceptable job in this movie, I’m not sure this was the best role for him. Ambrose’s appeal as a performer in WWE stems from his loose-cannon personality, unrefined fighting style, and the growling, violent rants that have become his trademark. Casting him as a taciturn, guilt-ridden cop with a strong sense of justice takes those tools away from him, and makes the role feel generic.

CLOSING THOUGHT: I’ve seen three or four WWE Studios pictures recently, and while I’m usually impressed by the seemingly genuine desire of everyone involved to create good movies, I keep walking away feeling underwhelmed. Somehow, these films come out feeling generic when they should all be schlocky good times. I actually had high hopes for Lockdown, given its charismatic star, but the end result was the same. Maybe it’s time to stop inflicting these films on myself.