Survival is the key in the engrossing thriller ‘Locked’
The claustrophobic “Locked” is the epitome of high-concept. A desperate, down-on-his-luck, young dad turns to petty crime to repurchase the relinquished van he needs to shuttle his daughter around, but falls victim to a sadistic billionaire itching to exact a little retribution before buying a ticket to heaven. That’s all there is to it.
Luckily, director David Yarovesky has “Nosferatu’s” Bill Skarsgård and Hannibal Lecter himself, Anthony Hopkins, to bail him out – repeatedly. As characters on the opposite ends of the economic spectrum, Skarsgård’s Eddie and Hopkins’ William fill the bill in arousing animosity reflective of these deeply divided times. It’s not their fault that “Locked” underutilizes them to the point of frustration. Heck, we don’t even see Hopkins until the movie is almost over.
No, Hopkins wiles away most of his screen time doing his best version of a malevolent KITT from “Knight Rider,” taunting Skarsgård’s Eddie remotely through a dashboard readout inside a luxury SUV rigged to imprison intruders. Once inside, there’s no way out. The vehicle is soundproof, blocks cell phone signals, and has tinted bulletproof glass and fixed door locks.
It’s an intriguing setup that could quickly turn tiresome, but Skarsgård seldom fails to keep you engaged. With his bleached-blonde hair and hip salmon-colored hoodie, his Eddie is suggestive of a less smug Pete Davidson. In fact, I kept thinking he was Davidson. Somebody write a movie for this pair because they could easily pass for brothers. But I digress.
It’s an impressive performance, especially considering Skarsgård is physically limited to the tight confines of the SUV, and the only character interaction he has is with the sardonically cheery voice of Hopkins relentlessly goading him. Things get considerably more interesting when Hopkins finally arrives on the scene, presumably to deliver the coup de grâce. Nothing personal against Eddie, mind you. It’s just that William hates folks of his type, whom he deems lazy wards of the welfare state. He’s convinced they’re destroying the city by creating crime and filling the streets with filth and moral decay.
Perhaps it’s because his modified “Dolus” has been the target of car thieves six times already that he’s gone to such lengths to ensure that it won’t be breached again. So, it’s only by chance that on the day he finally wins the lottery, Eddie – a divorced, deadbeat dad with no gumption and even fewer prospects – winds up as Williams’ unlucky No. 7.
Once Eddie is hermetically sealed inside the vehicle, William gleefully subjects his prey to various forms of torture from delivering strong electrical jolts through the well-appointed seats to toying with the SUV’s climate control, making it feel like a meat locker one night and a sweat lodge the next. At one point, Eddie fires a gun at the window, only to have the bullet ricochet and strike him in the calf. What could be worse? How about William taking him on a remote-controlled drive, threatening to mow everything down in its path, including a couple of thugs and – OMG – Eddie’s preteen daughter, Sarah (Ashley Cartwright)?
Suspenseful, yes! Even terrifying at times. But what message are Yarovesky and writer Michael Ross seeking to convey in their adaptation of the Argentine hit “4×4”? I don’t think either of them knows. And eventually that murkiness catches up with them. By the time Yarovesky gets around to ending it all, you’d swear “Locked” was much longer than its compact 93 minutes. But if you’re intrigued by a movie where the protagonist is repeatedly forced to find resourceful means of survival, including drinking his own pee, “Locked” is for you. All others might want to find another ride.
Movie review
Locked
Rated: R for language and violence
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Anthony Hopkins and Ashley Cartwright
Director: David Yarovesky
Writer: Michael Ross
Runtime: 93 minutes
Where: In theaters March 21
Grade: B-
