By Mark Hockley
A relatively simple premise has a petty criminal played by Bill Skarsgard (Pennywise from It) breaking into a car that then becomes his prison. He is the captive of William (Anthony Hopkins) who toys with him, having some kind of judgement and retribution in mind.
As the majority of the story is set within the confines of the vehicle, especially built by Dolus for the movie, this could have created an issue with pacing. Thanks to two strong performances and good dialogue, Locked maintains interest throughout.
Although it’s difficult to fully understand Hopkins’ character’s ultimate goal, his motivations are clear. He’s a dying, rich old man who lost his daughter to violent crime. Skarsgard’s Eddie Barrish also has a young daughter and this relationship allows us to empathise with him, while acknowledging he hasn’t been a very good dad.
If there are issues with this effective thriller, it’s the ultimate intentions of Anthony Hopkins’ antagonist. He is obviously unstable and homicidal, but doesn’t appear to have any meaningful end game planned. Fortunately, Hopkins is so commanding and charismatic it doesn’t really matter. It’s just a joy to first hear (he only appears in person late on) and see one of our greatest living actors in action.
However, it’s Bill Skarsgard who carries the real weight of this feature, as he’s on screen for much of the runtime. The screenplay ensures the down on his luck thief has some redeeming virtues, so the viewer still hopes he gets out of his ordeal in one piece.
In conclusion, Locked is a small scale thriller that will pass the time for most audiences without complaint. The writing and direction are solid, but it’s the actors who give this real quality. Worth seeing for Sir Anthony alone.
Locked is released in U.S cinemas from 21 March 2025.
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