A while back, I went through a phase of reading a lot of contemporary British thrillers. They tended to share several qualities: there was usually a sympathetic young woman who found herself in a moral quandary—debating whether she should report the malfeasance of the boss she was in love with, for example. There was at least one terrible man (God, we are the worst!)—a scumbag psychopath who seduced women and then betrayed them. And there was usually a middle-aged character in some position of authority—often a police detective—who would solve the crime with a kind of world-weary detachment.
All of this is on display in “Locked In,” a British Netflix entry from 2023.
The plot is a bit unwieldy. Young Lina is adopted by Katherine, a movie star friend of her deceased mother. But Katherine is also caring for Jamie, the young son of her dead husband. (The movie’s barely started and we’re knee-deep in corpses!) Lina and Jamie grow up together on a remote estate and marry. But Jamie is sick, and Lina is tempted by the handsome town doctor.
Murder ensues and various people betray each other. People’s moral systems are tested.
It’s not a bad film and mostly succeeds in what it’s attempting to do. But I was never sympathetic to any of the characters, so it was hard to root for anyone. And, as usual with these kinds of stories, the twists and turns demand ever-increasing levels of disbelief suspension.
Famke Janssen, who plays the movie star, is always captivating.
The “Locked In” title references a few aspects of the film. For one, many of the characters seem locked into their fate. But one character also ends up suffering from the medical condition called locked-in syndrome, where they are completely immobilized, but may or may not be conscious (and in possession of the solution to the mystery).
It’s, you know… fine.
