Lately, there have been more and more films shot in one location. The first of these that I can remember is Locke starring Tom Hardy. Ironically enough, this film is called Locked. It represents a man getting locked in an SUV, not a man’s name. It’s similar in tone to the other movie I mentioned, though, but not exactly the same. There is an intensity to both films in their own way.

Eddie (Bill Skarsgard) is a down on his luck man who can’t pay to get his van fixed which in turn makes it so he’s not able to pick his daughter up from school.He’s so desperate to get his van fixed he calls and asks friends of his to borrow the money. He has no luck with that, so while walking around, he decides the last resort is to try and break into an SUV parked in an abandoned parking lot. Once he tries to get out, he realizes he is “locked” in.  

After failing  to try to get out, a call comes over the car. A man named William says that it’s his SUV that Eddie tried to steal and failed miserably. He subsequently tortures the Skarsgard character for the rest of the film using yodeling, opera music, extreme cold, and heat. Also, while in the process of trying to escape, Skarsgard’s character shoots himself in the leg. The entire time, he’s bleeding all over the vehicle. In the process, he’s being treated quite badly by the owner. 

Bill Skarsgard has done a great job playing characters in his career that have to be caked in makeup. Nosferatu, the Clown from It, and The Crow , but recently, he’s had some roles where he is playing characters where he doesn’t have to wear makeup. The latest role where he’s not wearing makeup is in Locked. He plays a relatable father character who has normal everyday struggles like most people. I like seeing him play these types of characters. It shows he has more range as an actor, and he doesn’t have to always place horror roles. He does a good job as this character. I felt he showed the struggles he is dealing with during this ordeal.

Anthony Hopkins is coming off of his second Academy Award win a couple of years ago. Ever since he’s done some smaller more character roles. The latest in the long run of those is the character he plays in Locked which is mostly heard and not seen. He does a good job with the interaction between him and Skarsgard’s character.  Considering he’s not on screen, they have good chemistry with each other. He uses his usual delightful Welch accent very eloquently throughout the movie. It was kind of weird in a sense hearing him ve so mean towards the Skarsgard character then I remembered he played Hannibal Lector. So that cancels my thought process out there.

There are some technical aspects I thought were interesting: those are cameras in the vehicle where the owner can monitor what the criminal is doing in the vehicle. Which is quite a lot that plays into the story. The second thing was a vehicle control scenario that was fascinating. The vehicle was driven by remote control from the owner. That added a whole nother vibe that I wasn’t expecting from this movie.These elements added an entire new level of suspense. The driving scenes kept me riveted to my seat the entire time they were going on.

It was a cool concept having a millionaire create their own car DOLUS and use it to prove a point about crime and theft and so forth in Locked. There was a good point in the story. The overall finished product was good but not great. This kind of suspense thriller has been done before regarding one location.  Both Skarsgard and Hopkins did a solid job with the movie. This film will get the audience to go to it, but in the end, it doesn’t really say anything about what it wants to talk about. It’s probably just what it appears to be, which is a generic action two hander. I wish it had been more, though. The talent involved deserved better.

2 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen