Locked (2025)

​“Locked” stars Bill Skarsgård, Anthony Hopkins, Ashley Cartwright, Michael Eklund, and Navid Charkhi.  Released on March 21, 2025, the film has a carjacker fighting for his life after getting trapped inside a car.

The film was directed by David Yarovesky, known for directing “Brightburn” and “Nightbooks”.  It is an English-language remake of the 2019 Argentinian film “4x4”.  Many of us have our methods of giving criminals a dose of retribution.  Some involve abiding by the law, while others tend to go above and beyond to ensure the lawbreakers think twice before committing another crime.  For the latter, one such person takes it upon themselves to exact justice by doing the unthinkable: locking a carjacker inside their own car.  It’s quick for me to call it karma since the guy who steals cars gets jacked by someone else’s vehicle, but this form of “justice” may be seen as anything but.  This weekend offers plenty of counter-programming to coincide with Disney’s latest live-action remake and appease the Mouse House’s biggest detractors.  One of which is an action thriller from producer Sam Raimi that has Bill Skarsgård surviving inside a cramped vehicle courtesy of Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins.  Were they enough to deliver a thrilling experience worth stealing?  Let’s find out.

The story centers on Eddie Barrish (Skarsgård), a young man carjacking people’s vehicles to make ends meet with his family.  His pursuit leads him to a peculiar black car that’s seemingly valuable enough to earn some cash.  However, as he proceeds to carjack it, Eddie winds up being locked inside, with no way of escaping.  Eddie also discovers that his entrapment was part of a scheme by the car’s owner, William (Hopkins), a mysterious sociopath who seeks to punish Eddie for his crimes.  As a result, Eddie is forced to survive William’s punishment and escape the sociopath’s form of “justice”.

I first heard of “Locked” through its trailer that played before “Presence”.  Obviously, it looked like another vigilante action thriller you’d find on streaming instead of the theater.  However, the talent involved, including Skarsgård, and its premise were enough for me to check it out this weekend.  Additionally, it’s the latest film to be produced by Sam Raimi, who has been hit and miss regarding his track record as a producer.  But considering his distinct approach to a film’s frightful antics, seeing Raimi’s name in the credits usually gets me intrigued by his ideas.  It’s enough to keep us Raimi fans occupied until his latest directorial effort releases next year.  However, even with the familiar names involved, what matters most is the execution of the film’s concept and whether it’s entertaining enough to avoid getting locked up in cinematic hell.

Movies involving someone trapped in one location can be a make-or-break experience, depending on their plots and characters.  They certainly have merits in providing claustrophobic tension and thrills in a person’s battle of survival and wits, especially when they have limited resources at their disposal.  But, they can also restrain their narratives and themes, especially when we know little about the characters until later.  The runtime also plays a role in the concept’s longevity, as having too much or too little could affect the excitement of someone inside a trap throughout its duration.  “Locked” is no exception, as it’s tasked with utilizing its man-trapped-in-car plot to match its limited narrative capabilities.  Based on my experience, I thought the film handled this task well.  It’s far from a cinematic achievement in the single-location thriller genre, but the film delivered enough jolts in its suspense and themes to provide a simple yet enticingly entertaining car ride.

While “Locked” is described as an action thriller, the “action” part doesn’t happen until its third act.  However, that doesn’t make the journey toward that point less enjoyable.  I would best describe the film as a dialogue-driven survival thriller involving Eddie attempting to outsmart William’s forms of punishment while learning more about the latter’s true intentions.  Amid his attempt at survival, the film reflects more on Eddie through his struggle to be a good father to his daughter Sarah (Ashley Cartwright) and a good person following his mistakes.  The engaging chemistry between Eddie and William and Michael Arlen Ross's script showcased how the story limitations can effectively convey character backgrounds. "Locked" serves as another example of this technique while also addressing its themes, which are subtly woven into its seemingly straightforward narrative.  In addition to Eddie’s redemption, the movie examines the different sides of justice and how criminals deal with the consequences.  In William’s case, he seeks to provide his kind of punishment in ways no authorities would dare to do, hence his vigilante persona.  But, of course, it does more harm than good, especially Eddie’s psychological breakdown.  At least his SUV was pretty fancy regarding the interior design.

In a way, “Locked” is a battle of wits that reflects society’s perception of the justice system.  Would I say it’s the best representation of its commentary?  Not in the slightest.  Michael Arlen Ross’s screenplay does get credit for injecting empathy into its seemingly unlikable protagonist and some of its themes.  It also utilized the claustrophobic yet fancy location to provide some surprisingly genuine laughs and even a few squeamish moments.  However, the only thing holding itself back from greatness is its reliance on genre cliches to appease general audiences, especially in the third act.  Luckily, the film compensated for its flawed story with David Yarovesky’s handling of its tension.  I only heard of Yarovesky through “Brightburn”, a Superman-themed horror movie produced by James Gunn, which I thought was enjoyable regarding the concept and direction but not groundbreaking in its story.  Fortunately, his latest directorial effort further showcased Yarovesky’s potential as a filmmaker.  Utilizing a sleek and gritty presentation that cruises smoothly with Michael Dallatorre’s cinematography, Yarovesky provided a no-holds-barred and suitably-paced experience that balances the intensity of its character-driven scenes with its style and mild depiction of violence.  Even the third act, involving Eddie’s car ride through hell, was effectively tense.

As for its cast, the real stars that drove “Locked” were its main leads, and they unsurprisingly did not disappoint.  Bill Skarsgård is another actor who can do no wrong in portraying his characters.  Whether it’s something unique, villainous, downright chilling, or all of the above, Skarsgård has enough spark in his talents to convey his distinctive roles.  Even in specific movies that are painfully subpar, like the “Crow” reboot, Skarsgård usually impressed me through his ability to carry a narrative’s weight.  Unsurprisingly, his role in “Locked” marks another example of this case, as his performance elevated Eddie as a flawed and guilt-ridden father attempting to do right with his family.  It doesn’t match what he accomplished in some of his other movies like “Nosferatu”, but for what he’s given regarding the concept and screenplay, the actor gets the job done better compared to Eddie’s attempt to steal a single vehicle.  As for Anthony Hopkins, the Oscar winner certainly had a ball playing a crazed “vigilante” seeking to make Eddie’s life a living hell.  There were a few times when he was close to being a bit too campy, but Hopkins managed to balance out the camp with the character’s menacing yet mischievously playful aura.  With the movie’s limitations of its location and characters, it relied on the two leads to invigorate interest in the plot and the good-vs-evil chemistry between Eddie and William.  The result is a nail-biting and intensely fun showcase of the actors’ game of cat-and-mouse.

Overall, “Locked” is a slick, intense, and highly invigorating car ride that utilizes its single-location concept to drive past most of its narrative speed bumps.  Regarding the storytelling and themes, the film may not have all the proper traps to perfectly reflect its provocative topics involving the justice system in a thought-provoking manner.  However, it succeeds in being a simple and vigorously entertaining thriller held together by its main leads and David Yarovesky’s smoothly crafted style.  Considering the film’s origin, I would also say this is another example of a watchable remake sitting comfortably alongside the original, even though I haven’t watched the latter yet.  Fortunately, that may change, thanks to this movie.  I wouldn’t call it a must-see at the theater, but it is worth watching if you’re a fan of the actors and the single-location thriller genre.

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