Locked Down

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Allan C Dull COVID quarantine-set heist film Locke Down (2021) ** Set during (and filmed during) the COVID-19 pandemic in London, Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor play a bickering couple whose relationship has been strained by the extended lockdown, but when they hatch a jewel heist scheme together, will it rekindle their dying love? The film was directed by Doug Liman, who made exciting films such as THE BOURNE IDENTITY and MR. AND MRS. SMITH and the underappreciated GO, and written by Steven Knight, who created the fantastic series PEAKY BLINDERS and the smart crime film EASTERN PROMISES, so I went into this film with some fairly high expectations. Unfortunately, the first 90 minutes of the film are a real slog as Hathaway and Chiwetel have Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting from their home (wearing off-camera pajama bottoms, of course), day drinking, and endless bickering. There are a few funny moments here and there, but the script is surprisingly lackluster, and the would-be witty banter is not all that witty. I think the film was aspiring to be Nick and Nora Charles in lockdown, but it’s nowhere in that league. However, the film does come to life when they actually do perform the heist, which is a pretty low-key affair and hardly something out of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, and is closer to A FISH CALLED WANDA. Overall, Hathaway and Chiwetel carry the film and make it watchable, but it would have been a lot better with wittier dialogue and if it were about 30 minutes shorter. Stephen Merchant and Lucy Boynton also appear in the film, as do Mindy Kaling, Ben Stiller, and Ben Kingsley via Zoom.  AI CAPSULE REVIEW: Locked Down wastes its strong cast and creative team on a sluggish, Zoom-heavy COVID-era slog that mistakes bickering for witty banter. The film only sparks to life during its modest heist finale, but not enough to overcome its dull, overlong setup. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/30/25 Full Review Eye C It seems far ago when this lockdown craziness happened. The thing about this movie is that it starts as a reflection of a reality in the time of COVID, even a well exercise of acting, but then suddenly it turns into… a heist movie… really?… in the end it’s neither and so convenient to please the audience. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/14/24 Full Review Daniel W Some of the jokes made me chuckle slightly but overall the film was very slow. And some of the jokes aren't funny at all, for example when Paxton (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is locked down in his flat he decides to go out and read poetry to his neighbours, but that would have worked better if they had cast a stand up comedian and gotten him to do a bit of stand up in the street. I also like heist films that make me say, "ooo that was clever, I really like the way they did that." But when it came to the heist it was not clever and even an idiot could have done this heist. I would give it 4/10 - Overall it was a bit boring, but maybe there are some goodish bit that you could fast forward to. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/08/23 Full Review sonny p It's 30 minutes of tedium, followed by an hour thirty of prominent (if fleeting) cameos and strong performances. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/22/23 Full Review Lucas G My experience was ruined by Minda Kaling's performance. She's truly horrible and needs to find a new job far away from this! Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review steve d Extremely unlikable despite its very likable cast. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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