The year 2021 has only begun, but quarantine and the COVID-19 pandemic are starting to show up in some of the latest content. There are already films capitalizing on the difficulties of everything from social distancing to mortality to working from home. One such film seems to be Locked Down, which is headlined by Oscar winner Anne Hathaway and Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor as a couple struggling during the quarantine. Recently, the trailer for the HBO Max film dropped online.
In the upcoming film, Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor play couple Linda and Paxton who are living in London, dealing with being locked down together during the quarantine. A mix of high drama and relatable laughs ensue as the couple deal with the pressures of working from home from their respective employers. So, things become desperate following Paxton being furloughed and Linda suffering a moral crossroads at her job. This leads to the couple plotting a jewelry heist during the quarantine.
From the looks of the trailer, Locked Down seems like it will hark on current issues dealing with quarantine and all the trappings that came with it. Seeing Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor go toe-for-toe as they endure working from home while their romantic relationship seems to be falling apart. Just like real-life lockdown, the two characters deal with both anxiety and moral dilemma as they become increasingly desperate to find means to sustain their income.
While the trailer highlights some intense drama and action, a good chunk of it deals with witty, relatable humor as both Hathaway and Ejiofor deal with outside forces – passive bosses and insensitive co-workers. While Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor are masters of their craft as seen in the trailer, the supporting cast is nothing to sneeze at. Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley plays Paxton’s boss while Ben Stiller, Lily James, Stephen Merchant, Dulé Hill, Jazmyn Simon, Mark Gatiss, Mindy Kaling and Lucy Boynton round out the cast. In another “art-imitating-life” angle, much of Hathaway and Ejiofor’s interactions with the supporting cast happens over Zoom.
Locked Down was one of many films that decided to film after the Hollywood shutdown was lifted. Anne Hathaway was announced to be starring in the heist film in Sept. 2020 with Chiwetel Ejiofor and other cast members joining her later in London to shoot the film. The film was directed by Doug Liman and based on a screenplay by Steven Knight. Liman has a proven track record with films of a similar ilk to Locked Down, having directed and produced The Bourne Identity franchise and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Given the film’s prompt subject matter, it might be a better quarantine film compared to other releases. If you want to check out Locked Down, it will be released on HBO Max on Jan. 14.
