Piégé

David Yarovesky's Locked is a remake of the 2019 Argentinian film 4x4, and while the original was a claustrophobic and tense thriller with a pointed social commentary, this American version feels like a watered-down, Hollywoodized copy. Despite having Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins, the film's attempts at a high-concept battle of wits fall flat. The witty, dark humor and social critique of the original are replaced with generic and often preachy dialogue that feels shoehorned in. Skarsgård's performance, while energetic, is wasted on a character whose motivations are stripped of their nuance, turning him from a desperate father into a one-dimensional thug. Hopkins, as the disembodied voice of a self-righteous vigilante, delivers a performance that feels like a caricature of his more memorable roles. The film's attempts to escalate the stakes feel more ridiculous than suspenseful, and the ending, in particular, lacks the satisfying punch of its source material.

Is it worth watching? No. It's a pale imitation of a much better film, with a wasted cast and a clumsy script.

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.

A man, sick and tired of people breaking into his car, traps the next thief and extend his torture for longer than necessary by making his own justice. A man willing and capable to do anything, and a youngster at the wrong place.

I wasn't expecting the sound design to be so crunchy, or for it to be as gore-y as it was. The setup isn't particularly memorable, and most of the dialogue isn't that good. I enjoyed Collateral (2004) much more than this for that simple reason. But it takes its premise and goes places with it.. but not enough to fill in 90 minutes. Sadly, there's a LOT of "empty space" and the pacing suffers a lot because of its content. The acting is good, but not great.

Overall, it's okay.

You understand what it is doing/saying, and you know where it is going to go (more or less). The sad part is that there is no particular reason to watch this.

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.