Lock Down and Out
Lock Down: Down for The Count
By Shane Olesen
A movie set during a pandemic. In London? With big name actors in minor roles for brief appearances? No this is not 28 Days Later, its HBOMax’s newest film Lock Down.
Directed by Doug Liman, with such works as Mr. and Ms. Smith (2005), Jumper (2008), Edge of Tomorrow (2014) as well as a few episodes of The O.C. which we all know him from, the film is set in our world. 2020, Covid-19 panic as spread across the globe and everything is shut down, or you could say…...Locked Down. Get it? Cause that is the title of the movie.
The story centers on Linda (Anne Hathaway) and Paxton (Chiwetel Ejiofor), longtime romantic partners who suffer the trials, no, the tortures of a life in lockdown. Zoom calls, pajama pants, smoking indoors. Linda whines about feeling inactive and that her life is purposeless; Paxton, in a marathon of poor taste, calls neighbors “fellow inmates” and jokes about suicide. Despite cohabitating, the couple has recently split up, and they avoid each other by working and sleeping in separate, lavish bedrooms in their multistory brownstone.
But going into the 2nd act the pair find themselves with an opportunity, rob from their respective employers and try and find some joy from this miserable predicament. This is where the fun SHOULD start, but sadly Lock Down never really gets going.
Maybe it was the marketing for the film that should be blamed. It came across as more of a comedy when in fact, its more of a melodrama focusing on a relationship crumbling under the pressure of a global pandemic. As well, sadly most of the jokes in the film feel outdated by the time they arrive. Frozen Zoom calls, out of toilet paper, virus deniers. We have seen it all before at this point and sadly Lock Down does not add anything new to these jokes to make them land.
This film will not go down as a fantastic heist film like such greats as Ocean’s Eleven (2001), The Italian Job (1969/2003), Heat (1995) or my personal favorite The Town (2010) but rather will feel like a time capsule. Forever marking the moment in time when we were all alone, stuck inside and wondering what tomorrow holds for us all. I had hoped for more from this film, but maybe it comes down to the fact that it was shot during the pandemic, during lockdown protocols, in a bout two weeks. Had the crew had more time to work on this, develop the story and tighten the ending up a bit more, maybe we would be discussing the film in a few years. For now, it will be that quant quarantine film you show to friend years from now to say “Hey, remember when….”
2.5/5