‘Locked Down’ a movie for the times
Conceived, filmed and released during pandemic, it’s bizarrely enjoyable
Watching the new HBO Max original movie “Locked Down” is a rather enjoyable experience, even if it takes you right back to the early days of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Set in London during England’s initial lockdown, this romantic dramedy-turned-willthey- won’ t- they- diamondheist is “one of the only films to be conceived, written, shot, finished and released during the pandemic,” as its production notes state.
As you take it in, you have questions, not so much about what’s happening on screen but how it was pulled together behind the scenes.
When did the idea start to take hold with the folks who made it?
When was it shot?
How long was the shoot? In order: July; September; and 18 days.
By viewing it, you can guess how it was shot, with leads Chiwetel Ejiofor and Anne Hathaway working on set together and most of the other actors — the film is crammed with brief appearances from the likes of Stephen Merchant, Mindy Kaling, Ben Stiller and Ben Kingsley, along with lessprominent names — filming their scenes via video-conferencing.
Although the story feels less focused as “Locked Down” winds toward its surprisingly high-stakes conclusion, the film certainly feels fresh and hits home in a way most movies released since March have not
With respect to skilled director Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identity,” “Edge of Tomorrow”) and writer Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders,” “Dirty Pretty Things”), the project’s greatest asset is Ejiofor, who starred in 2002’s “Dirty Pretty Things.” Admittedly, we’d watch the “12 Years a Slave” star read the phone book, but he really is good here.
So is Hathaway (“The Devil Wears Prada,” “The Intern”), although it’s a performance that grows stronger as the proceedings wear on and her character becomes further frayed by the life she is living.
She plays Linda, a highranking executive in a company dealing in expensive merchandise, and Ejiofor is Paxton, who is stuck working as a delivery driver because of a criminal conviction stemming from the night years ago when he assaulted a man to protect another man. Oh, and by the way, he has been furloughed.
To make matters worse for Paxton, Linda has left him — although not physically, as they essentially are forced to keep cohabitating in their London home. Having lost everything else, he has decided to part ways with his beloved motorcycle, news that stuns his half-brother, David, and his wife, Maria (married couple Dulé Hill and Jazmyn Simon), during a video call.
By contrast, Linda is extremely valuable to her employer, and her Zoom calls tend to be work-related. That said,. she may be just as unhappy as her partner — highlighted by the fact that the first call we see her make is a group termination of subordinates her superiors have deemed not crucial enough to stay on during the suddenly challenging economic period.
She’s smoking again; he’s dabbling in opium. They’re arguing over still-hanging holiday tinsel and whether he should be allowed to make bread.
Like the bread-making process, it’s a mess.
On a basic level, however, “Locked Down” works because this isn’t a movie in which exlovers spiral into hate and vitriol. Instead, they clearly still care for each other, if each in his or own way and to different degrees depending on the moment. It is one of the ways in which the movie, which ultimately becomes a little silly, feels very real.
After Paxton is rehired by his Christian-but-scheming boss (Kingsley) and given a comically problematic false identity under which to work several jobs requiring a driver without a criminal record, his and Linda’s professional lives intersect. He is scheduled to pick up very valuable merchandise from department store Harrods — merchandise under the control of her company and that includes a large diamond worth millions of pounds.
Due to the fact that she knows all her company’s and the store’s security procedures and that there is a near-perfect replica of the gem at the store, Linda is certain it would be easy for them to pocket the real stone.
Sure, stealing is wrong, but the man who has just acquired the diamond apparently is a lousy human being. She and Paxton each could go their separate ways wealthy, even after making a significant pandemic-related donation, she figures.
And who knows? Maybe the couple that commits grand theft together gets back together.
“Locked Down” certainly is rough around the edges for a movie from a terrific director such as Liman and featuring stars the level of Hathaway and Ejiofor, but it’s understandable given the nature of the project. It’s also part of its, well, charm — for lack of a better word.
“Locked Down” takes us back to a pretty rotten time — a time we’ve not yet truly been able to put in the rearview — but it has a pretty good time doing it.