Locked

Anthony Hopkins must be in financial trouble to have taken on this major disappointment and waste of time. Even the free version of Copilot in Bing could've come up with a better plot and far better dialog.

The characters were so under developed they'd be blank if they had been traditional camera film in a photo lab. The dialog was so undercooked it should've come with a salmonella risk warning.

The movie attempted to be twisted but was annoying. It tried to be twisty but was predictable. It wanted to be suspenseful but was boring.

The audience is the victim locked in the theater suffering through a script that should've been locked away in the depths of a paper shredder.

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.

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 (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.