The straight-to-Netflix thriller directed by Nour Wazzi, Locked In, features a surprisingly impressive cast led by Famke Janssen, Rose Williams, and Anna Friel. While the movie is predictable and formulaic, it has that B-movie charm you’d expect from a guilty pleasure.
Where can you watch Locked In in the UAE?
Locked In is now streaming on Netflix in the UAE. If you don’t have one, you can create a Netflix account to watch this series and other shows on Netflix. Unfortunately, Netflix does not offer any free trials in Dubai and the UAE, so you’ll have to subscribe for at least one month.
Locked In tells its story non-linearly, but the premise is easy to follow if slightly convoluted. Protagonist Lina (Rose Williams) was adopted by washed-out Hollywood actress Katherine (Famke Janssen) as a child after her mother’s untimely demise. Katherine was also in charge of her late husband’s sick son, Jamie (Finn Cole), who inherited all his father’s wealth, including the massive manor they all lived in.
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To say Katherine felt some resentment towards her stepson would be an understatement. Wanting to help her new adopted mother, Lina becomes Jamie’s de facto carer and marries him when they’re old enough.
In the present, we meet Katherine after she suffered from a grievous accident, which she believes was attempted murder. Her injuries left her in a vegetative condition, also known as locked-in syndrome (hence the title of the movie), and she can only communicate by blinking at her nurse holding up an alphabet board. Speaking of nurse Mackenzie (Anna Friel), she’s not just interested in her patient’s care but also has an unusual passion for figuring out who tried to kill Katherine.
Locked In’s title has a second meaning; Flashbacks reveal that Lina felt stuck in her life at the manor with her sickly and manipulative husband and her critical mother-in-law. So the young woman does what any B thriller protagonist would; has an affair with Doctor Lawrence (Alex Hassell), her husband’s GP.
A fun, formulaic thriller
Some of the most suspenseful scenes are in the beginning when we see Katherine’s point of view in the immediate aftermath of her injuries. It adds a terrifying layer to what it must be like for someone unable to control any parts of their body.
This is a very predictable B-thriller with all the elements specific to the genre. There’s murder, betrayal, and an overarching mystery that’s not as mysterious as the writers would have us believe. However, the movie does feature a very talented cast who elevate this otherwise formulaic feature.
Famke Janssen does not get enough screen time but steals the spotlight in every scene she’s in. That’s especially true in the movie’s final act when the actress has to express Katherine’s feelings by using only her eyes. For his villainous part, Alex Hassell is brilliant as the charming but menacing Dr. Lawrence.
Anna Friel does a decent job as the inquisitive nurse, but her role is mainly expositional, and the film would have been the same without her character in it. And Rose Williams does a competent enough job as the protagonist, leaving her character’s true motivations ambiguous until the very end.
Overall, Locked In is a mediocre yet highly enjoyable flick. While forgettable, it’s a perfect film to stream on a Friday night after a long week.
What are other critics saying about Locked In (Video Reviews):
SPOILER WARNING: In his ending explained video, Brain Pilot describes Locked In as “one of the worst movies’’ he’s seen this year.
SPOILER WARNING: Unleash The Ghouls believes the movie is worth watching for its performances and easy-to-digest plot.
Lori C
Lori C. is an entertainment writer who studied Film and Television at University. She watches and reviews films and series from most genres, but some of her favourites include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, The Handmaid’s Tale, Westworld, and True Blood.
