Locked

A film about being trapped in a car? Ironically fitting, because watching Locked feels exactly like that-stuck, suffocating, and desperate for an escape.

Bill Skarsgård does his best with a script that insists on making him both a victim and an idiot, while Anthony Hopkins delivers lines with the air of a man who signed on for a better movie. What is he doing in this mediocrity of a film is honestly beyond me. The tension fizzles out early, leaving a predictable, boring, and frankly annoying ride to nowhere.

If you're after a claustrophobic thriller, watch Buried instead. At least that film knows how to keep you gasping for air.

Locked (2025), the English-language remake of Argentina's 4x4, sets out with a chilling premise-a carjacker trapped inside a high-tech SUV turned psychological prison. Directed by David Yarovesky and starring Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins, the film delivers on claustrophobia and unease but falls short of leaving a lasting mark.

The plot unfolds as Eddie, a reckless thief, breaks into what he believes is just another luxury car-only to find himself ensnared in a twisted game of justice by a vigilante played briefly, but brilliantly, by Hopkins. While Skarsgård carries the majority of the film, shifting between fear and frustration, it's Hopkins' minimal screen time that lingers most-his voice alone lends gravitas the film sorely needs.

Technically, the film scores well-direction, editing, background score, and cinematography all pull their weight. But narratively, it's a slow-burner that doesn't quite ignite. The tension builds steadily, yet the climax arrives too suddenly and is followed by a rather muted epilogue, dulling the impact of the confrontation and its moral undertone.

In the end, Locked feels like a high-concept thriller that loses steam halfway. It grips, but doesn't quite throttle. A one-time watch, especially for fans of psychological tension, but not one that demands a revisit.

Rating: 3/5 A tense setup with strong performances, but the payoff doesn't quite justify the ride.

I got back from the theaters a few mins ago

I thought this movie looked more like something I would watch on streaming, but since I have Regal Unlimited, I decided to go on a slow day at the office.

Long story short - the movie isn't good. You're better off waiting for streaming

The plot itself is bare-bones. Bill Skarsgard (who looks a little like Pete Davidson here) gets trapped inside a car, basically. And as a result, very little actually happens for most of the movie. What we get, instead, is about an hour and change of watching Skarsgard sit inside the car by himself, which gets dull very quickly. The movie simply doesn't have enough to maintain interest while Skarsgard is trapped. The dialogue between him and Hopkins isn't interesting: Hopkins' characters meanders on and on, and they seem to repeat themselves ("What do you want from me?" "I want you to understand" .. seriously, I feel that I heard that exchange at least 5 times). The little acts that Hopkins does to terrorize Skargard similarly become repetitive

The movie is basically a two-man show in Skarsgard and Hopkins, and neither one of them is likable. Hopkins' character is obviously too pyscho for the audience to like. And though the film tries to make Skarsgard appear likable by using his daughter as well as a scene where he randomly gives water to a dog, the basic truth remains that he's scum who steals people's money and belongings . There is no one here for the audience get behind

The movie takes a bit of a silly turn when Hopkins somehow controls the car remotely; the events that happen here become almost unintentionally funny. Some of the dialogue near the end (e.g. Dirty Harry references) become cringe

4/10.

Totally boring, implausible and pointless. Another disappointing flop featuring Skarsgård. It's not tense so much as just tedious. The back and forth moralizing of the protagonist and his captor seems like a stale attempt at courting the public discontent. The protagonist's complaint that laws serve to only protect the rich elicited a real groan from me. Fortunately this evaporates quickly, and never returns. However there's else here to captivate. All of the characters are ugly, and unlikeable. Save yourself the time and watch the 2000s classic 'Phone Booth' instead, which is much more thrilling.

Locked tries to be an intense, claustrophobic survival thriller, but it never quite stands out in the genre. As a fan of these types of films, I appreciate when a simple, single-location premise can be turned into something tense and immersive. But Locked spends way too much time leaning on clichés without bringing anything new or truly engaging in the first half. The pacing drags, the narrative barely moves forward, and the attempts at suspense just don't land.

The second half is definitely an improvement-it picks up the intensity and has moments that actually manage to grab your attention. But even then, it never reaches a level where it feels memorable. The concept has potential, but the execution falls short, failing to dive deep into the psychological dynamics of the main character or create a truly suffocating atmosphere.

Bill Skarsgård, as always, delivers a solid performance, though this is far from his best work. He has the screen presence and charisma to carry a film almost entirely on his own, and he does a good job of selling the frustration and desperation of the situation. But the script doesn't give him much to work with, leaving his character too one-dimensional for his performance to truly shine.

One of the film's most interesting aspects is the car's design, which was adapted to function as the main setting. The way the space is utilized adds to the sense of confinement and gives the experience a layer of realism. That said, Locked could have tapped into something deeper-whether about the economy, modern society, or even humanity's relationship with technology. Instead, it settles for being a middle-of-the-road thriller, entertaining enough but lacking any real impact.

In the end, Locked is fine for a 90-minute distraction, but it's the kind of movie you'll probably forget as soon as the credits roll. It does the job, but it never pushes itself beyond just being "good enough."