Lock Up (1989)

John Amos: Meissner

Photos 

Quotes 

• Captain Meissner : Convict... two things. One - I am Meissner. Two - Never fuck with Meissner. Inside.

• Captain Meissner : You'll be issued one bar of soap, two rolls of toilet paper for a month! Somebody steals... *turn* your ass around! Somebody steals them or you lose them, you *will* be wiping your ass with your shirt! You have one uniform! Your number is five one zero! *Remember* it! This is C wing! You will eat, shower, and take yard time with your wing! There's six counts a day! You miss one, you're in the hole! Miss two, and I'll personally put you in the house of pain!

• Warden Drumgoole : [Leone has faked an escape from Gateway. While Meissner and Braden lead a fruitless search outside the prison walls, Drumgoole double-checks the security cameras from his darkened office. Suddenly, Frank emerges from the shadows and takes the warden at knifepoint]  ... You won't get away with this. You know that, don't you?

  Frank Leone : I could've gotten out... But I'm not gonna spend my life running from you.

  [He marches Drumgoole from the warden's office to Gateway's execution chamber] 

  Frank Leone : Get your ass inside... Bolt that door, bolt it!

  Warden Drumgoole : You can't use me as a hostage...

  Frank Leone : Shut up! You recognize that chair? You built it, didn't you? Now get in it. Sit there! Don't even think about moving.

  [He goes about buckling and strapping Drumgoole into the electric chair] 

  Frank Leone : You said you'd give me a guided tour of hell; now I'll *show* you Hell! All right, move your leg...! You double-crossed Dallas and then fried him; now *you're* gonna fry...! You had First-Base murdered, broke his goddamn neck...!

  [Having been alerted to what's happening, Meissner and Braden lead a squad of armed guards toward the execution chamber] 

  Warden Drumgoole : You can't make this work. You're not smart enough. You're just a stupid piece of scum.

  Frank Leone : Shut up! We'll see who's scum.

  Warden Drumgoole : You're no murderer. You don't have the guts to kill another man, not even to save your own life.

  Frank Leone : Wanna bet...?

  [He turns on the generator and starts running it up to full power] 

  Frank Leone : Ten more years, isn't that what you said...? How about *twenty*? Or maybe *forty*...? No, it doesn't matter what they give me; because you won't be satisfied... until you've got me for *life!*

  [Outside the execution chamber, Braden moves up with a battering ram while Meissner looks on] 

  Captain Meissner : Make a hole. Take it down...!

  Frank Leone : Well, I ain't serving life for nothing!

  Captain Meissner : ...Lean on it, man!

  Warden Drumgoole : ...They're gonna break that door down, Frank. And when they come in here, they're gonna take you're fucking skull apart! You're gonna beg me to let them kill you!

  Captain Meissner : ...Come on, break it down!

  [Leone tapes his wrist to the master switch, the one that will electrocute Drumgoole] 

  Captain Meissner : Harder, man. Harder! Lean on it!

  [the door is broken down; Meissner and his men sweep into the execution chamber] 

  Warden Drumgoole : No!

  Captain Meissner : Take out the glass!

  Warden Drumgoole : No, don't shoot! He's taped himself to the lever. Don't shoot, or you'll...!

  Captain Meissner : Hold your fire. Relax - HOLD YOUR FIRE! Just relax.

  Frank Leone : I'm glad you're here, Meissner. This wouldn't be official without witnesses.

  Warden Drumgoole : He's bluffing. He wants me to take responsibility for his escape attempt, just like before.

  Frank Leone : Tell them how you set me up, how you set everything up!

  Warden Drumgoole : I don't know what you're talking about.

  Frank Leone : I'm talking about Chink Weber killing First-Base. I'm talking about that guard you sent to rape Melissa. I'm talking about that deal you cut with Dallas and then broke!

  Warden Drumgoole : Prove it! That's your problem, Frank. You can't prove *jack shit!*

  Frank Leone : I don't *need* to prove jack shit. I'm not here for a trial; I'm here for an execution.

  Warden Drumgoole : I demand to be released from here...!

  [Leone prepares to pull the lever] 

  Warden Drumgoole : ... No!

  Captain Meissner : Don't do it, Leone. Don't do it. Take it easy.

  Frank Leone : This is the way things ought to be, remember? You stood right over there, in this same room, and told me so yourself! Care to eat those words now...?

  [He gets ready to throw the master-switch] 

  Warden Drumgoole : Frank! Please, Frank. Don't kill me. It's true.

  [speaking up] 

  Warden Drumgoole : I confess, Mr. Meissner. Everything that he said is true. I set him up; I had those two prisoners murdered; I sent one of your men to rape that girl... Don't kill me, please. Don't...

  Frank Leone : It's time to take what you dished out.

  [He pulls the lever; Drumgoole reacts accordingly, but doesn't die. Then Leone opens the fuse-box, letting Meissner see that one of the fuses missing. Frank produces the missing fuse from his pocket and passes it to Meissner] 

  Frank Leone : ... Works better with this.

• Warden Drumgoole : [after Leone has gotten Drumgoole to confess, and then revealed that the electric chair's fuse had been removed beforehand]  ... Take him to the Hole, Mister Meissner.

  [Meissner doesn't move] 

  Warden Drumgoole : And *somebody get me out of this chair*... Thank you. Mister Meissner, *I said take him to the Hole*.

  Captain Meissner : Can't do that. Take the warden into custody.

  [Braden cuffs up Drumgoole] 

  Warden Drumgoole : ...Stop that! I am warden of this institution, and you will obey my - Stop it! - That was just a stupid confession I made to try and save my own life. ARE YOU INSANE, MEISSNER?

  Captain Meissner : No, but *you* are. And until this matter is resolved by a judicial inquiry, you *will* remain in our custody.

  Warden Drumgoole : I'll have your ass for this. *I'll have your sorry black ass*.

  Captain Meissner : You're welcome to it. Now *I'm* gonna tell *you* something. If so much as *half* of what he

  [indicates Leone] 

  Captain Meissner : just told us turns out to be the truth, I'll see you back in this chair... I'll *personally* throw the switch... and next time, IT *WILL* WORK.

  [to Braden] 

  Captain Meissner : Move him.

  Frank Leone : ...I just wanted to do my time, Captain.

  Captain Meissner : You'll get the chance. Move him.

• Frank Leone : [after arriving at Gateway]  You've got the wrong man! You made a mistake!

  Warden Drumgoole : There's no mistake... Welcome to Gateway, Leone.

  Frank Leone : Drumgoole?

  Captain Meissner : That's Warden Drumgoole, convict!

  Warden Drumgoole : Captain?

  Captain Meissner : Move him!

• Captain Meissner : Every hour, when the light comes on, you'll stand, face the camera and state your name and number

  [BZZZZZ] 

  Captain Meissner : Name and number!

  Frank Leone : [Leone faces wall]  Leone. Five ten.

  Captain Meissner : Face the camera!... Name and number!

  Frank Leone : [Leone turns]  Leone. Five ten.

• Braden : [Braden finds Manly and a two other guards torturing Leone in his cell]  That's enough! Who ordered this?

  Manly : The warden. What's it to you?

  Braden : Does the warden hate this guy enough to kill him? 'Cause that ain't my job.

  Manly : Check out *Mr. Sensitive* here; he thinks we're treating Leone too rough. So who are you, one of the cops or one of the cons?

  Braden : You want me? Come on!

  [as Manly savagely turns on Braden, Meissner walks in on them] 

  Captain Meissner : Break it up...! Damn you, I said break it up! BREAK IT THE HELL UP...!

  [He forcefully parts Braden and Manly] 

  Captain Meissner : Your stick, Mister Braden.

  Manly : [to Meissner]  Warden's orders.

  [to Braden] 

  Manly : You're lucky he showed up, Pussy.

  [Braden lunges at him but is stopped by Meissner] 

  Captain Meissner : Then let me *hear* it from the warden. And *you* get out of my sight, before I shine my boots with your face... you fat piece of shit!

  Manly : [insulted]  What did you call me? Just try that, you sorry limp-dicked nigger...!

  [Meissner sends Braden's nightstick crashing into Manly's solar plexus; Manly sags to his knees, gasping and choking] 

  Captain Meissner : Get him out of my sight. Now.

  [Braden and the other guards pull Manly to his feet and haul him away] 

  Captain Meissner : And don't ever call me "sorry" again!

  [Turns back to Leone] 

  Captain Meissner : You -- Time's up. Let's go.