Prime Time: Locked (2025)

A remake of an Argentinian thriller, 4x4, that I haven't seen, Locked was a film that ended up reminding me that, no matter how much older I get I can always be suckered in by a decent trailer. I was convinced that I was going to have a good time with this. Then it soon became clear to me that there was a big problem at the heart of the story that couldn't be overcome.

Bill Skarsgård plays Eddie Barrish, a petty criminal who is trying to get part of his life in order. Unfortunately, he needs money that he doesn't have to get his van repaired. He thinks there may be something valuable in a luxury SUV that he finds unlocked in a quiet parking lot though, and that's when his troubles really begin. The SUV is owned by William (Anthony Hopkins), a man who has rigged the whole thing with surveillance equipment, remote-controlled systems to make life as comfortable or uncomfortable for whoever is inside, and a whole lot of reinforcements on the body and windows. Eddie is trapped, and his only way out is to convince William that he's not the criminal that he appears to be.

Although I am not sure how closely this sticks to the screenplay by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, writer Michael Arlen Ross shows no real imagination or care, and he probably thanked the day that both Skarsgård and Hopkins signed on to play the two leads. Director David Yarovesky has kept me highly entertained with his last couple of features (Brightburn and Nightbooks), but he obviously needs a decent script to work from. This isn't it, mainly due to the fact that once Eddie is in the SUV everything becomes a series of circular moments until we get to the inevitable final act in which our anti-hero has been shown to have just enough goodness within him to allow a potential reprieve . . . depending on who the movie sides with in the final scenes.

Skarsgård tries his best here, and it's the kind of role that he has done in a few other movies from the past few years, but he's as trapped by the script as his character is trapped by William. Hopkins is allowed to have a bit more fun, as expected, but even he is let down by a screenplay that is forced to give too much baggage to both leads, steadfastly aiming for a middle ground between the two that should allow for viewers to enjoy some self-reflection and conversation after it's all over, but sadly just leaves it feeling like it was neutered to appeal to the widest possible range of opinions. We know Eddie is a bad guy, but he wants to become better for his daughter. We know William is a bad guy, but he's doing all of this in the name of someone he once loved. The more potentially interesting conversations that could be had, about the growing chasm between the very rich and those living in poverty (for example), are given brief lip service before we get to another sequence showing Eddie trying to outwit his tormentor. I understand why this was done, it's a thriller and not a social commentary piece, but I think adding more commentary would have made it more worthwhile. At least it would have felt as if it had something to say.

It can be difficult to make a movie all set in one location. While this isn't exactly that, the fact that so much of the runtime involves Skarsgård stuck in a car and talking on the phone to Hopkins makes it feel like a one-location film. And all of the added tech contained within the car cannot make up for the fact that it's not a very good one. The engine goes flat after the first 15-20 minutes, and any attempt to jump-start things before the end credits roll is just too little, too late. I give it a generous bonus because of my appreciation for the two star names.

4/10

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