Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor star as former lovers caught collectively in Locked Down (Image: Warner Bros.)
Look, there’s at all times going to be combined emotions a few film set within the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic – particularly once we’re nonetheless going by means of at this very second.
For a lot of the concept of watching individuals caught indoors with one another whereas they themselves are actually unable to flee the nest could possibly be seen as some form of twisted torture, however by some means Locked Down manages to make it work.
The movie follows Linda (Anne Hathaway) and Paxton (Chiwetel Ejiofor) as a longtime couple that break up up simply earlier than the pandemic started.
Sadly for them, they have been nonetheless residing collectively of their London house once they discovered themselves in lockdown. As you’ll be able to think about, co-habiting in the identical home is slowly driving them each to new ranges of frustration.
Then – due to a weird sequence of occasions – they quickly discover themselves working collectively on an outrageous plan that will surely carry some luck their means – stealing a diamond value £3 million ($4,069,650) from luxurious division retailer, Harrods.
In some ways, one of these zany heist plot may simply have been made pre-pandemic with the posh of a number of filming locations, a much bigger forged and all the standard issues we took as a right earlier than issues shut down.
Hathaway and Ejiofor completely seize the frustration of quarantine (Image: Warner Bros.)
Nonetheless, the intelligent script by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, Burnt, Allied) manages to make use of the pandemic as software to create one thing that feels recent and worthy of creation.
He’s no stranger to creating a movie targeted on a small variety of characters. The truth is, his critically-acclaimed 2013 movie Locke was 85 minutes of watching Tom Hardy having cellphone conversations whereas driving his automotive.
Right here Knight has way more to work with relating to characters and places because the movie manages to open out to as many locations as doable exterior of the principle house.
Zoom calls are used completely to spotlight relatable struggles (Image: Warner Bros.)
From bumping into strangers within the backyard and having conversations with neighbours from the window to even attending to do the odd bit of labor exterior. Naturally, many of the interplay with different characters over video chat.
In the course of the first name along with his half-brother (Dulé Hill) Ejiofor says it greatest as he states: ‘We’re all locked on this psychological jail of burning aloneness.’
The primary a part of the movie explores that very sentiment as we watch two individuals with very sophisticated emotions about one another strive as they may to outlive being couped up collectively.
Among the motion truly takes place in Harrods because the pair’s characters try a heist (Image: BACKGRID)
It shouldn’t be humorous however the actuality of so many conditions we watch play out on the display naturally raises a chuckle from the viewers. Particularly due to the charming performances from the lead actors.
Awkward zoom calls, examine. Queuing exterior the grocery store solely to see individuals have been shopping for all the bathroom roll for no cause, examine. Much more annoying zoom calls, examine and examine.
Masks characteristic within the movie nevertheless it’s not as triggering as one would possibly anticipate (Image: BACKGRID)
Hathaway and Ejiofor are joined by the likes of Stephen Service provider, Mindy Kaling, and Mark Gatiss throughout their zoom calls however the funniest appearances come within the type of Ben Kingsley as Paxton’s questionable boss and Ben Stiller as Linda’s condescending CEO.
Director Doug Liman (Mr and Mrs Smith, The Bourne Identification) is simply the person for the job as he manages to transition the movie from a locked dramedy to thrilling heist film.
Out of the blue the movie swerves from Marriage Story to Ocean’s Eleven, with the viewers simply as exhilarated by the motion shifting to Harrods because the characters.
With a working time of slightly below two hours, the movie could possibly be a bit shorter however that doesn’t cease it from being an attention-grabbing experience with a enjoyable payoff.
This isn’t an exploitative movie that has been made simply to capitalize on what the world goes by means of, slightly it’s exploring how we’ve all been pressured to benefit from such an unprecedented scenario.
It’s good to assume that someplace on this planet, the pandemic has given some individuals the possibility to take their life in a course that frees them from the lure they’d felt caught in earlier than Covid-19… with out the criminal activity, in fact.
Locked Down is about for launch on HBO Max on January 14 within the US.
