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Living together in London, Ejiofor’s Paxton has just quit his job as a van driver, while his partner Linda (Hathaway) is forced to lay off some of his company’s employees. This only adds to the shared sense of unease and discomfort, as Linda – first seen screaming into a pillow – had “planned to end our thing” before the lockdown kept them in. less physically together.
The tension in the relationship shows up in a lot of quick dialogue, almost like in an Aaron Sorkin movie, but there isn’t much room to walk around while talking.
“I’m not normal lately, I know that,” Paxton admits, before stepping out onto the streets to read poetry, aloud, as a way to “entertain our fellow inmates.”
Like most productions filmed in quarantine, it’s intriguing for around 30 minutes, thanks in part to the charismatic tracks. Over the next half hour, most viewers – like their predicament – will likely have seen enough and just want to get out.
The second half, however, takes a marked turn, as the opportunity presents itself for the two to collaborate to escape with priceless (OK, extremely valuable) merchandise. The scenario creates uncertainty as to whether they will actually follow the plan, if they will get away with it, and whether sharing such a business can undo the damage done between them.
Along the way, the duo chat with various friends and coworkers like Ben Stiller, Ben Kingsley and Dule Hill, but it’s mostly a two-handed card game.
Once again, it’s possible to admire ingenuity – and in this case, core performance – without finding the result particularly satisfying. Seeing glamorous people engage in mundane feuds and get under their skin doesn’t necessarily make it that much more fun.
“Locked Down” premieres January 14 on HBO Max.
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