‘Locked’ DVD (review)

Paramount Pictures

When petty criminal Eddie (Bill Skarsgård) stumbles upon an unlocked luxury SUV, he thinks he has got it made, however, once inside, the doors lock and he finds himself trapped.

More than just a mere mishap, Eddie soon learns that the vehicle is fitted with more than your average high end extras, and that he is at the mercy of William (Anthony Hopkins), who has a bone to pick with the thief.

What ensues is an unusual cat-and-mouse game, where Eddie is not only at his wits’ end from being unable to escape his vehicular prison, but is also perplexed by why William does not simply turn him in to the police, his captor only gradually revealing his motives as he toys with Eddie.

A remake of the Brazilian film 4×4, which was based on a real incident, Locked is as high concept as they come, with both its constrained setting and the dangers that await Eddie inside working overtime to produce something remarkable.

The cinematography is also hard at work to keep Locked interesting, and the film does have a sense of style that gives it a certain visual appeal, however, the script around the film and the overall direction unfortunately leaves too much to be desired.

The dialogue is stilted and the attempts at interlacing the story with social commentary about class dynamics and capitalism feel forced and stale, resulting in any potential for thematic appeal drowning in pseudo-intellectual word salad devoid of any challenging ideas, instead making the film feel woefully trite, as its attempts at being thought-provoking instead make the film feel oddly dated in spite of its contemporary setting.

This lackluster attempt at injecting the film with allegorical value only becomes more exhausting when it becomes apparent that the film is not seeking to provide subversive commentary on how these subjects have been addressed to death in films in recent years, which makes the film’s thematic tent poles feel like a shallow regurgitation of overused buzzwords.

This is not to say that the film is completely devoid of entertainment value, as having a lead of Skarsgård’s caliber means he once again gets to prove that he will throw himself at any project with full commitment, resulting in a yet another compelling performance by the Swedish actor.

Hopkins clearly relishes his role here, approaching his character with gusto, however, the tone the veteran actor accomplishes feels misplaced rather than menacing, resulting in his voice performance feeling almost caricatural, the added menace of his physical performance later in the film being too little, too late.

As such, much like the main character is locked in a car, the film as an entity is also severely constrained by its central premise, and while there is a clear sense of style at play, there is nothing of substance here to make the film truly memorable, making it yet another forgettable remake that fails to justify its existence.

Verdict: 4 out of 10.