Locked Down: Not another Pandemic Movie
Show of hands for those who are unaware that we are still in a pandemic? Well, how hard is it to avoid such a grueling situation, when entertainment has made COVID-19 into its own genre. And that is the surrounding plot of Locked Down, a Romantic/Comedy/Heist movie, directed by Doug Liman and written by Steven Knight.
It stars Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, who play the couple Linda And Paxon. It follows the resentful couple, who live in London, as they go through the COVID quarantine restriction. Paxon is a recently furloughed truck driver, who was charged with an assault 10 years prior, and has not been able to find work outside of driving a delivery truck. His wife Linda, however has managed to build her way up into a CEO at a high fashion company.
Despite their grievances, faith has brought them together one last time. Paxon, after feeling immensely stagnant about his life, was presented an opportunity for growth. He was offered a delivery position for high end brands, under a fake alias. Linda is tasked with clearing out inventory at a Harrod store, that is on Paxons route. Once it is disclosed that an unfavorable buyer was purchasing a $3 million diamond, the two develop a scheme to steal the prized jewel.
Despite the temperaments and chemistry between Hathaway and Ejiofor, the movie itself falls short on profundity. Locked Down has a difficult time juggling a drama romance, a heist and quarantine.
Linda and Paxons relationship is set in resentment and shame. Tensions erupt periodically between the two, that you almost wonder; “Gee what is the issue NOW?” . Whether it be a random Christmas ornament still hanging, sporadic poetry readings , or someone smoking again; there seems to be a continuous cycle of the couple distancing themselves. A distance filled with idle remarks and boisterous monologues.
What makes a Heist movie so special, is the build up to the actual Heist. Dead Presidents, Set it Off , All the Ocean’s and even Tangled , spent a portion of the movie developing the anticipation. Only for the climax of the planned burglary to be so exhilarating and pumped with momentum, that the viewer becomes fidgety. Locked Down, even with it being a reproach to movie development in general, gave a bleak escalation into the third act. Majority of the movie was spent around the dynamics of the center couple, that they should have just stayed in the direction of a Drama-Romance, and excluded the Heist completely!
The added flare of Covid restriction’s emotional torment is an unnecessary mnemonic of real life troubles. Plots surrounding the pandemic are not only redundant, But at this point, played out and burdensome.
