Parents' Guide to Locked

A compact, tense movie with only five speaking parts, this effective thriller taps a bit into contemporary cultural divides and social anxiety to make the most of its cat-and-mouse game. A remake of a 2019 Argentinian movie called 4x4, Locked doesn't waste any time getting started. But it also establishes a strong sense of place, depicting an extreme level of human struggle (conveyed by trash on the streets, graffiti, unhoused people, etc.). There's a feel of desperation, and the dialogue reflects differing opinions of how things got that way and who's to blame.

Star Skarsgård—a gifted physical performer—cuts quite a figure in this landscape, tall, wiry, and clad in a bright pink hoodie, as if to suggest that he hasn't quite lost his heart. Once inside the car, it seems as if he's in constant motion, keeping viewers on their toes the whole time. Hopkins can play an elegant psychopath in his sleep, but he still gets the job done here in style. (We mostly hear his voice; he appears in person late in the movie.) Directed by David Yarovesky (Brightburn, Notebooks), Locked sets a snappy pace and sticks with it, which helps to blow past the many logistical questions the movie ignores, most of which have to do with how Eddie stays alive and alert for so long and other, untried possible methods of escaping. But, these things aside, this is a thriller so gripping that you'll definitely want to buckle up.