Locked Ending Explained: Why Does William Want to Kill Eddie?

In David Yarovesky’s psychological thriller film ‘Locked,’ a small-time thief named Eddie (Bill Skarsgård) finds himself in a precarious situation when he gets trapped inside a luxury SUV. He enters the car, hoping to steal anything he can sell for some quick money, and pick up his daughter from school. Soon, however, he realizes that the owner of this car is closely following his actions and wants to teach him a lesson. As the narrative progresses, it becomes clear that the car’s owner, William (Anthony Hopkins), is trying to tell the burglar something important about the society they live in, and how petty criminals are ruining everything. With every conversation, the thief realizes that he is inching towards his demise and finds himself at a crossroads, forced to confront not just the man behind the voice but the harsh realities he has been ignoring for far too long. When Eddie finally comes face-to-face with his nemesis, he learns that the owner of the car is not just out for retribution; he wants to make a point, and Eddie is the example. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Locked Plot Synopsis

‘Locked’ begins with a young man named Eddie trying to get his van back from a mechanic. However, he doesn’t have the required money, and the mechanic tells him that he can get his car back when he has the money. Moreover, he is getting calls from his daughter, Sarah, asking him if he would be able to pick her up from school. Desperately trying to get out of this situation, he calls people and asks them if they could help him with some cash. Unfortunately, everyone disconnects the call when he asks for money, prompting him to steal from the cars standing on the road. A few moments later, he sees a modified ultra-luxury SUV named DOLUS standing in a parking lot. Interestingly, the car is unlocked, and he manages to get inside. He thoroughly checks the car and hopes to find anything he could take away with him.

Eddie tries to leave the car when he doesn’t find anything valuable, but as soon as he does that, he realizes that he has been locked inside the car. He tries everything to get out of the car and even injures his arm. While trying to get out, he receives a call through the car’s entertainment system. After refusing the call several times, he finally gives in and taps the green button. The man behind the voice is William, the owner of the car, who knows that Eddie has broken into his car and is watching him through hidden cameras. William wants to have a conversation with Eddie about his motives and why he wants to steal the car, telling him that six other people have previously tried to steal the vehicle. After listening to the car’s owner momentarily, Eddie takes out his gun and shoots at the window, but the bullet ricochets into his leg. That’s when the man on the call tells him that the car is bulletproof, soundproofed, and installed with tasers. Every time Eddie says something that William doesn’t like, he tases him.

As their conversation moves forward, William acknowledges that he doesn’t think much about people like Eddie because they are scums. Moreover, he starts talking about himself, telling Eddie that he is a wealthy doctor. But the robber passes out because of his bleeding leg, and a few moments later, he awakens to find his wounds treated. The following day, the wealthy doctor calls him again and talks about his daughter, Emma. But when the robber refuses to listen to him and curses, William torments him with shocks, irritating music, and freezing air conditioning. This prompts Eddie to apologize for the cursing and pleads with William to stop, as he wants to be with his daughter. But William refuses to let him go and talks about how criminals like him are destroying the peaceful atmosphere. While Eddie tries everything to get out of the car, William makes him realize why he is doing this and what drove him to take the matter into his own hands.

While Eddie’s night continues to get more and more catastrophic, William finally decides to show his face. When he enters the car, he makes it clear that he has no intentions of letting Eddie out of his car alive. His presence in the car is terrifying, and his words even more so. He feels like a man on a mission; he’s not here to negotiate, he is here to finish what he began. At that moment, Eddie believes that he is not trapped in this ultra-modern SUV; he is actually trapped inside someone else’s twisted sense of justice.

Why is William Trying to Kill Eddie?

At the beginning of the movie, it seems William wants to teach him a lesson for trying to steal his SUV. As a result, he traps him inside the vehicle and starts talking to him about his life. However, as the narrative progresses, it becomes clear that the owner of the car is a disturbed old man looking for justice. But for what? In the initial parts of Eddie’s ordeal, the wealthy doctor talks about his personal life with the thief and tells him about his daughter, Emma, and how they used to go together to her favorite mall. But Eddie stops him from talking and tells him that he wants to go. William torments him and never mentions her daughter until the final few moments of the production. While taking Eddie to an unknown place, the owner of the car opens up about what happened to Emma and why he seeks justice.

Eddie tries to get on William’s nerves by talking about his daughter. He talks about the bracelet the doctor is wearing and asks what happened to Emma. Although William doesn’t want to talk about what happened, Eddie’s continuous pursuit of knowledge frustrates him, and he finally gives in. The doctor reveals that a couple of thieves robbed him and his daughter at gunpoint. However, the criminals didn’t stop there and killed Emma by shooting her in the neck. After his daughter’s death, he takes matters into his own hands, delivering his brand of twisted justice. On numerous occasions, William talks about how thieves and other criminals should die. He doesn’t want them to go to prison because the laws are not strict, and the criminals tend to come back to the streets. So, he probably built this luxury SUV to lure them in and kill them one by one.

As he mentioned earlier, six people before Eddie tried stealing his car, but no arrests were made. Now, it’s clear why no one went to prison because what he is doing to Eddie, he probably might have done to the previous robbers as well, and they all died in the end. For William, the justice system failed the day his daughter died. Maybe her killers never got caught or never received the punishment that they should have. In his eyes, punishing criminals through legal means is pointless. So, by turning his car into a massive trap, he has created his own legal system, one where guilt is proven and the sentence is nothing but death. For others, this might look like a person with mental health issues. But, for him, it’s a way to ensure that nobody else suffers like he did.

How Does Eddie Survive the Trap?

When Eddie enters DOLUS, he just wants to take a few things away that would help him make quick money. But things change quickly for him when he finds himself locked in the vehicle. Initially, he thinks the car might have a security feature that senses that the person inside is not the owner. But when he is unable to get out of the car, he realizes that he has become a victim of someone’s sinister plan. Eddie’s ordeal continues as William tells him about his actions and how he needs to face the consequences for them. Eddie sees the blurry image of a man in the rear-view mirror who is calling from the nearby condo and apologizes for the cursing. William tells him that there’s only one way Eddie can get out of this car, and that’s by proving if this is his first-ever crime.

For which, he asks for Eddie’s full name and social security number. Initially, he refuses to do that, but when William promises that he’ll get water for telling him that, he reveals his credentials to him. Later, Eddie apologizes to William for trying to steal his car and gets emotional while talking about his actions. Although the car’s owner doesn’t feel bad about him, he gives Eddie a cookie as a reward for being sincere. When Eddie opens the glovebox for the cookie, he sees the car’s safety switch and tries pressing it when William leaves the call. However, he is unable to do anything because William sees him doing something unusual in the car. As time progresses, Eddie begins to lose his mind and even drinks his urine to dehydrate himself.

Night falls, and Eddie just starts pressing the car’s Start button multiple times. Surprisingly, he manages to start the car and even drive it. Nevertheless, his joy ends soon when William calls and takes control of the car. By driving the car remotely, he takes Eddie to several places before stopping the car in an isolated place and next to his own car. William steps out of his car and enters DOLUS before putting a bag in the back seat. The doctor tells the thief to zip-tie himself to the bar at the bottom of his seat. William comes inside and drives the car to an unknown location, letting Eddie know that he is about to die soon. This means they are in the endgame now, and Eddie’s death is the only result. But Eddie frustrates him by talking about his daughter and what happened with her.

William keeps teasing him about being street-smart and not finding a way to get out of the situation. But Eddie is unfazed by that and manages to break the car’s safety box with his feet. The car stops and tumbles down the road before falling into a ditch. Even though the car is on fire, Eddie uses the tools from William’s bag and breaks out of the car in time. But that’s not the only thing to remember about his escape. Before the chaos, Eddie had sent her daughter a message about how much he loves her, and when the message finally gets sent, Sarah calls and asks her father if he is okay and will pick her up from school. In the end, he escapes and meets her daughter. Meanwhile, William dies before he can try to come outside. Hearing Sarah’s voice makes Eddie believe that he has something to live for. Consequently, he learns that Sarah is the most important person in his life and needs to take responsibility for his actions because it directly affects her. For Eddie, it’s not just a call; it feels like an anchor, pulling him back to the only thing that matters the most. Maybe it is the first time in a long while that Eddie feels like he has to become a better person, not for himself, but for her.

Does William Kill Sarah?

When William decides to take his twisted game to the next level, he takes control of the car and takes Eddie swiftly through the city before stopping at the top of a parking building. The following day, Eddie finds himself in a moving car, and William is on the car’s speakers. The doctor tells Eddie that he went to the apartment and met his family, including his daughter. He posed as a worker from a non-profit organization established to help single mothers in collecting money from fathers like him. While Eddie doesn’t believe him, the car stops in front of Sarah’s school. The girl can be seen coming out of the school and going home on her scooter, when the car starts following her. In the meantime, Eddie takes out his gun and points it at his head, letting William know that he is ready to die for his daughter.

Eddie tries to stop William, but when he doesn’t, he pulls the trigger and finds out there are no bullets in it. He recklessly follows Sarah, making her fall from the scooter and almost killing him. He only stops because Eddie pulled the trigger. That’s when William lets him know that he is a pathetic father because he owes two years of child support. He used his credentials to learn more about Eddie. The victim’s act of desperation is the only thing that stops William from his relentless pursuit. Sarah is safe, but barely, and the entire scene has shaken Eddie to the core. Moreover, this act makes it clear that William has lost his sense of morality and is not seeking justice; he is lost in his madness. He didn’t think twice before putting the life of an innocent child on the line. While trying to teach someone a lesson, he has become a monster himself, which probably doesn’t make him a good person.

Who Else Does William Kill?

Even though Eddie manages to get out of the car, there are a couple of people who lose their lives because William pursues justice. The killing of these two unnamed guys shows how much resentment William has against the criminals. When he remotely takes control of the car and moves through the city, William tells Eddie the difference between the good and the bad. First, he shows him the homeless people who are the reason for everything that’s worst about the world today. Then, he takes him to a good neighborhood, telling him these people need these steel or iron gates on their front door because they are scared. William ramps up the speed of the car and stops in front of an alley where two people are beating up a person. He believes these people don’t fear repercussions, so he takes matters into his own hands.

William rams the car into one of the persons, killing him instantly. On the other hand, the car follows the other person and doesn’t let him escape. He thrusts the car into him in a way that he doesn’t die and tells Eddie that he can leave the car if this mugger can stand on his feet. As the criminal is about to stand up, William crushes him to death, ending all of Eddie’s hopes. By murdering those two muggers, William has made it clear that his cruelty knows no bounds, and he has turned killing into a game. He doesn’t even flinch before taking this man’s life and crushing him without any hesitation. He might call it justice, but it proves that he wants dominance over people who commit crimes. It’s up to him who dies and lives, and Eddie realizes that he is dealing with someone far beyond reason.