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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 432429" data-attributes="member: 23">Locked (2025) <img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.heavenofhorror.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F03%2FLocked-2025-horror-thriller-movie-review.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=832c1dd5819366d9a22612393a42d3c065ca5f8a06c548a595e5a5703a8d4ff3" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 953px" /> I'm easing out of slasherville with a first-time watch of a thriller. I've been curious about this one for a while, partly due to the ever-reliable Anthony Hopkins, but mostly on the Phonebooth-style "confined location" premise. For me, the biggest challenge was buying into this car being completely soundproof and the windows being completely blacked out so that nobody from outside can hear loud music or door and windows being kicked or see any movement at all inside the vehicle. Thankfully, even that wasn't difficult because it was set up well. The choice of vehicle was a good one, as it's spacious enough to allow for movement and lots of different angles even within the contained space (turns out Dolus is a brand created for this film, and a disguised, kitted out Land Rover Defender was actually used). It's always fun to see how creative a film can be with such challenges, and this makes the most of smart features in cars, from heating, hands-free phones and audio setup to autonomous driving. Plus some elaborate rigging such as seats with built-in Tasers. The performances really sell this as a feasible scenario, and this is really Bill Skarsgård's film. He's on-screen for every frame and doesn't let up with the intensity of the situations in which he finds himself. He sells his character's desperation before he even enters the car, and it gets worse. He's terrific, and convinces as the cocky and arrogant young small-time criminal who gets in over his head (I was reminded of Josh Henderson at times). Anthony Hopkins is solid as ever, but his character is less fleshed out. He has relatively little screen-time, being a disembodied voice on the phone for most of the film, and has to sell being a sadistic psychopath with nothing to lose due to the fact he is terminally ill. It all works, but it's quite "out there" and watching him is a less connected experience. Instead one watches with a kind of detached fascination. There are a number of gaps, and some aren't filled in, but that's presumably deliberate on the basis that the unknown is more frightening. This is definitely a step up from the material I've been watching lately, and well worth a watch.</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?