Certainly one of my favourite issues about films is how writers and administrators can take the daily and use it to offer us meals for thought.
Locked In author and director Carlos V. Gutierrez hopes to do this together with his movie.
Locked In shouldn’t be solely profitable, however you will be trying over your shoulder the following time you are in a storage facility.
Mena Suvari stars as Maggie, a pious lady elevating her 17-year-old daughter, Tarin (Jasper Polish), alone.
Maggie’s husband is in jail, which provides the religious character some wiggle room when coping with seedy people and reminds her that the final word purpose is survival.
In different phrases, morals be damned in terms of defending your loved ones.
Maggie is a supervisor for a storage facility. It is a construction a number of tales excessive and a maze-like floorplan.
Proper out of the gate, we be taught that Maggie is struggling financially. She will’t hold it collectively, and with eviction looming, her ethical bargaining begins.
Maggie and Tarin would not be on the StoreMore facility late at evening if she weren’t determined. However desperation takes on a brand new kind when mom and daughter get caught up in a deal gone improper within StoreMore.
4 males discover themselves at crossroads looking for diamonds beforehand heisted. Lee (Bruno Bichir) owns StoreMore. He isn’t one of the best boss on the earth, however Maggie nonetheless cares for him.
Whereas in her workplace attending to her personal ethical quandary, she witnesses two males, Ross (Manny Perez) and Mel (Jeff Fahey), confronting Lee. Fearful for Lee’s life, Maggie decides to research.
That will likely be a choice she would possibly remorse.
Maggie, and ultimately, Tarin get roped right into a recreation of cat and mouse with males decided to get their fingers on their valuable diamonds.
Earlier than it is all stated and executed, Costas Mandylor enters the scene as Harris, a detective who may be Maggie’s saving grace.
There are various the reason why utilizing this setting is smart. It is desolate and stark, with many choices to inflict hurt on somebody.
Coming into Locked In, I assumed somebody could be, effectively, locked in. Because it seems, the time period should discuss with one thing else that I have not decided as a result of no person is locked in with out the means to flee.
They’re out and in of that facility on a number of events, and Maggie and Tarin’s concern for one another’s well-being all the time drags them again in when one or the opposite escapes.
Locked In is a film the place each two steps ahead result in three steps again.
Simply after you are whooping it up as a result of Maggie pulled one over on the baddies, you are dumbstruck at her subsequent transfer.
It will get a little bit irritating watching characters who don’t act as anticipated, by which I imply how I’d react in the identical scenario.
Then once more, if everybody acted as I’d, the film could be a lot shorter.
The solid is comprised of working actors who pump up B films with their presence. They’re greater than up for the duty, but it surely’s exhausting to not marvel how they ended up right here, as most are higher than the fabric.
What makes Locked In attention-grabbing is that Maggie is constantly not sure of her actions however is aware of she’s obtained no different selection.
Her confliction works, but it surely nonetheless seems like we solely scraped the floor of why it really works.
As a lot as Gutierrez tried to discover how far you’d go to guard those you like, a deeper understanding of Maggie would have made the movie extra impactful.
You will discover Locked In on VOD platforms comparable to Prime Video and Apple TV.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a employees author and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Selection Affiliation, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of tv and movie with anybody who will hear. Comply with her on Twitter and electronic mail her right here at TV Fanatic.
