Locked (2025) is directed by David Yarovesky and features a screenplay by Michael Arlen Ross based on the Spanish film 4×4 (2019). It stars Bill Skarsgard, Anthony Hopkins, Ashley Cartwright, Michael Eklund, Gabrielle Walsh, and Navid Charkhi. The film follows Eddie Barrish (Skarsgard), a down-on-his-luck delivery driver struggling to make peace with his estranged ex-wife (Walsh) and beloved daughter, Sarah (Cartwright). When his car breaks down and he’s unable to pick up Sarah from school, Eddie decides that enough is enough. With no car and child support payments mounting, he reverts to his old life of petty crime in order to earn what he needs – nothing more, nothing less. During this spree, he comes across a fancy SUV that is surprisingly unlocked. Unfortunately, as soon as he enters, the doors lock, trapping him inside.  Forced into a deadly game of cat & mouse with the car’s owner, a sadistic billionaire named William (Hopkins), Eddie is forced to use his unique form of street smarts so he can escape before he dies of thirst, starvation, or something much, much worse.

Bill Skarsgard once again proves himself to be an uncommonly talented actor whose range is impressive to behold. Whether it’s Nosferatu, the billionaire villain in John Wick, or a street-level everyman, he absolutely nails it. It’s too bad, then, that Eddie is a mixed bag. His impulsive decisions are believable for someone who has consistently made poor life choices, but that doesn’t mean it makes him likable. When the film portrays him as resourceful and/or philosophical, he’s a worthy character to follow. Unfortunately, most of the back-and-forths just devolve into Eddie screaming obscenities.

Hopkins is committed as usual, but his character is a tad too silly for my taste. He’s a soulless rich guy who looks down upon the poor, but there’s little nuance. Even when the script gives us more insight into his motivations, they’re predictable and unoriginal. One thing I did appreciate about the character is that the script feels primed to provide him with some cheesy, last-minute change of heart, but thankfully, it avoids doing so. It’s a lot scarier knowing that the character’s psychosis goes a lot deeper than the sob story he provides. 

The film hits most of the required beats a person expects from the premise, but struggles to provide anything new. At 95 minutes, it doesn’t overstay its welcome, but I found myself occasionally confused about what it chooses to spend its time on. One plot point is that Eddie is forced to drink his urine to stay alive. I get it, he’s forced to go to desperate lengths, but what’s the point of making the audience gag? I feel like there were countless more interesting directions the story could’ve gone in, but I guess piss consumption was all the writers were striving for. The only thing that really saves the movie for me is that Eddie and his daughter’s emotional arc is effective despite its lack of originality. 

Overall, this movie is just okay. Nothing about it is particularly terrible, but despite the juicy premise, there’s not much to remember. If you like these kinds of contained thrillers, this should easily kill 90 minutes. Everyone else can steer clear; there’s not a lot to discuss. C+