Music video director David Yarovesky brings together Bill Skarsgård and two-time Academy winner Anthony Hopkins for his third feature film, “Locked” from the Avenue. Horror icon Sam Raimi produces the film, while Michael Arlen Ross pens the film’s screenplay.
A remake of the 2019 Argentine film “4×4”, “Locked” follows small-time criminal Eddie (Bill Skarsgård), who is on the grind to do right by his ex so he can see his daughter Sarah (Ashley Cartwright). With his money beyond tight and in need of some quick cash to pick up his daughter from school, he makes the spontaneous decision to break into a luxury SUV
However, Eddie soon learns that he has stepped into a deadly trap set by the vehicle’s owner, William (Anthony Hopkins), a self-proclaimed vigilante delivering his brand of twisted justice. With no means of escape, Eddie must fight to survive on a ride where escape is an illusion, survival is a nightmare, and justice shifts into high gear.
Regarding genre pics, Bill Skarsgård is one of the actors excelling in the genre. Fresh off a transformative performance in last winter’s “Nosferatu,” he goes somewhere different here. After seeing the initial trailer, I was under the impression that “Locked” would only take place in a single day or use the real-time approach. Instead, the creative team spans the film over a few days as we watch Eddie go through a mental and physical breakdown.
Skarsgård elevates the material since he’s the only face we see on screen for most of the film’s duration. The range of emotions he must go through, from hunger and thirst pains to having to drink his own urine for survival, is refreshing. It was refreshing to see the usual confidence his characters had stripped away.
The film’s first two acts feature Hopkins in a voice-only role, but he’s as meaningful as ever, and it’s clear he has a grand time playing evil. The genre of revenge films that utilize the cat-and-mouse trope isn’t new, but when the leads don’t have a previous connection, it is where you can flesh out the material.
So, in that regard, “Locked” shifts in the third act when Eddie and William finally come face to face. Yarovesky doesn’t turn the scene into a physical fight to the death where William uses old man strength on Eddie, but we learn what triggered the lesson. Hopkins has a fantastic monologue and sells it with his eyes.
Kudos to director David Yarovesky for what he accomplished with the budget due to the difficulty of filming in super small spaces and with high-voltage scenes that are resolved with great brilliance. I also commend the screenwriter for avoiding jokes in the script and choosing to focus on the severity of the situation.
Taking more of a vibe similar to 2002’2 “Changing Lanes” as opposed to a traditional horror film, “Locked” is a quick time waster and another solid addition to the already impressive filmography of Bill Skarsgård.
Final Grade: B
“Locked” opens in theaters this Thursday
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