Locked

A film about being trapped in a car? Ironically fitting, because watching Locked feels exactly like that-stuck, suffocating, and desperate for an escape.

Bill Skarsgård does his best with a script that insists on making him both a victim and an idiot, while Anthony Hopkins delivers lines with the air of a man who signed on for a better movie. What is he doing in this mediocrity of a film is honestly beyond me. The tension fizzles out early, leaving a predictable, boring, and frankly annoying ride to nowhere.

If you're after a claustrophobic thriller, watch Buried instead. At least that film knows how to keep you gasping for air.

LIKES: The Concept The Acting The Dialogue Food For Thought Deep A Different Character Development Movie Summary: Locked looks like a movie about escaping, and in a way, it is, but the trailers mislead how much deeper this film is than a simple survival film. The concept is unique in that it takes a philosophy class and crams it into an interesting scenario that the movies serve to portray. Throughout Eddie's journey, he is forced to answer questions and undergo trials to test his morals, question choices, and study how rules apply. Within the movie is a lot of dialogue that blends reality with theatrical precedence, shaping a casual conversation into an artful debate that will push both players to wild behaviors. To think a car could prove to be such an extreme classroom impressed me, as Yarovesky and his team created a scenario that is intelligent and yet approachable on many levels. Such content manages to bring great thought wrapped up in an engaging package of horrific fights for survival in such a simplistic measure, yet is truly deep in causing the audience to perhaps self-reflect on this journey. Locked is a movie with a very unique character development method, but the story emphasizes character evolution in the most unlikely ways. And the acting is simply wonderful despite the limited cast involved in bringing this film to life. Cartwright's quick interludes are impressive for someone so young; she just needed more time to sparkle. Instead, the two leads grab the most attention, with Skarsgard, the headliner who continues to be so engaging in roles and comfortable with the dark material. He's raw and abrasive in this film, but it works to so many levels and is still contained without spilling into too much, a task not easy to achieve by any means. Hopkins's voice is well-suited for this role, a perfect antagonistic drawl that he has mastered and utilizes like a weapon to challenge the youthful urgings. The chemistry is fantastic, the bouts so sincere and maniacal that I felt a true kindred of animosity between these two parties.

DISLIKES: Not Really Thrilling A Bit Drawn Out At Times Uneven Pace Anthony Hopkins's Backstory Is Dull Torture is a tad extensive The Language Gets Stale Quickly Summary: For this film, I did not find it as thrilling as I had imagined it would be. Sure, there are close moments and an ordeal that pushes Eddie to limits, but for most of the movie, I did not feel he was in danger (thanks to the trailers). Yet, the movie is missing a few elements to make the whole ordeal exciting, with only the end finally moving past that plot shield for me. Locked also felt very drawn out at times, the initial trapped in the parking lot concept a little too long when not supported by external stories that could have upped the intensity as it could have. The uneven pace leads to a rather slow middle part, which only becomes relieved when the car starts moving. Until that point, the torture components are the only "sport" for enjoyment and some of them are very disturbing given how real they are and the evil dialogue that taunts the victim. Such wickedness is hard to handle in such a setting, no matter how well it is acted. In regards to backstory, all the waiting proves to be somewhat worth it for Hopkins' character, but I felt there was a lot more to tell that was left on the cutting board. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't think it was quite up to snuff for how calculating William was. Yet, the worst thing for me was the cursing. No matter how accurate it might be, nearly ninety minutes of the F-bomb does little but bore me when that becomes much of the dialogue. The writers help this by giving Hopkins free rein over responding, but it still is not enough to get past what I call limited writing and thus was not my cup of tea. So, for those who do not like such excess in language, you've been warned in this movie.

The VERDICT: Locked in an engaging philosophy class in a horror-like package. A fantastic cast of two is the backbone to make much of the wit, material, and dialog excel, providing deep moral concepts to drive a character-centric plot. The engaging will to survive alone is an admirable concept, but to have such content reflect the audience is a level of film that is hard to balance. It's a much deeper movie than I anticipated, and for that, I give it higher props. Sure, the pacing is uneven, the thrills are minimalistic if you like something with more popcorn bite, and the story is lacking in some departments. In addition, the cursing is excessive, and the darker moments can be difficult to handle for those who have a low tolerance for such things. Still, Locked proves to be one of the more intelligently-written films I've seen in a while, and worth a watch or two. Is it theater-worthy? Tough call, but the movie's lack of conventional thrills might be better suited for a home viewing. By factoring everything together, my scores are: Horror/Thriller: 7.0 Movie Overall: 7.0.

Totally boring, implausible and pointless. Another disappointing flop featuring Skarsgård. It's not tense so much as just tedious. The back and forth moralizing of the protagonist and his captor seems like a stale attempt at courting the public discontent. The protagonist's complaint that laws serve to only protect the rich elicited a real groan from me. Fortunately this evaporates quickly, and never returns. However there's else here to captivate. All of the characters are ugly, and unlikeable. Save yourself the time and watch the 2000s classic 'Phone Booth' instead, which is much more thrilling.

Locked tries to be an intense, claustrophobic survival thriller, but it never quite stands out in the genre. As a fan of these types of films, I appreciate when a simple, single-___location premise can be turned into something tense and immersive. But Locked spends way too much time leaning on clichés without bringing anything new or truly engaging in the first half. The pacing drags, the narrative barely moves forward, and the attempts at suspense just don't land.

The second half is definitely an improvement-it picks up the intensity and has moments that actually manage to grab your attention. But even then, it never reaches a level where it feels memorable. The concept has potential, but the execution falls short, failing to dive deep into the psychological dynamics of the main character or create a truly suffocating atmosphere.

Bill Skarsgård, as always, delivers a solid performance, though this is far from his best work. He has the screen presence and charisma to carry a film almost entirely on his own, and he does a good job of selling the frustration and desperation of the situation. But the script doesn't give him much to work with, leaving his character too one-dimensional for his performance to truly shine.

One of the film's most interesting aspects is the car's design, which was adapted to function as the main setting. The way the space is utilized adds to the sense of confinement and gives the experience a layer of realism. That said, Locked could have tapped into something deeper-whether about the economy, modern society, or even humanity's relationship with technology. Instead, it settles for being a middle-of-the-road thriller, entertaining enough but lacking any real impact.

In the end, Locked is fine for a 90-minute distraction, but it's the kind of movie you'll probably forget as soon as the credits roll. It does the job, but it never pushes itself beyond just being "good enough."

Locked (2025), the English-language remake of Argentina's 4x4, sets out with a chilling premise-a carjacker trapped inside a high-tech SUV turned psychological prison. Directed by David Yarovesky and starring Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins, the film delivers on claustrophobia and unease but falls short of leaving a lasting mark.

The plot unfolds as Eddie, a reckless thief, breaks into what he believes is just another luxury car-only to find himself ensnared in a twisted game of justice by a vigilante played briefly, but brilliantly, by Hopkins. While Skarsgård carries the majority of the film, shifting between fear and frustration, it's Hopkins' minimal screen time that lingers most-his voice alone lends gravitas the film sorely needs.

Technically, the film scores well-direction, editing, background score, and cinematography all pull their weight. But narratively, it's a slow-burner that doesn't quite ignite. The tension builds steadily, yet the climax arrives too suddenly and is followed by a rather muted epilogue, dulling the impact of the confrontation and its moral undertone.

In the end, Locked feels like a high-concept thriller that loses steam halfway. It grips, but doesn't quite throttle. A one-time watch, especially for fans of psychological tension, but not one that demands a revisit.

Rating: 3/5 A tense setup with strong performances, but the payoff doesn't quite justify the ride.