Aayush Sharma
‘Locked’ is a psychological thriller that follows the story of a thief named Eddie (Bill Skarsgård) trying to make some quick money so that he can get his van back from the mechanic. He uses the van to pick up his daughter, Sarah, from school. But when he finds out he doesn’t have the required money to get the car back, he spirals into desperation and turns back to what he knows: stealing. While trying to figure out what to do, he comes across a luxurious SUV, Dolus, in a parking lot and gets inside it. When he finds nothing beneficial, he thinks of leaving the vehicle. However, he soon realizes that he has been trapped inside the car and his owner, William (Anthony Hopkins), is behind all of this. Although the movie takes crucial elements from the Argentine thriller ‘4X4,’ the film takes creative liberties to create a story that has the essence of the source material, but still manages to offer something new.
As the story progresses, Eddie finds himself in a terrifying situation and doesn’t know how to get out of the vehicle. Meanwhile, William is having fun seeing the car thief horrified, and makes things worse by torturing him throughout the narrative. Initially, their conversations seem normal, but it doesn’t take much time for things to escalate and reveal William’s real motives. For him, Eddie is not just a car thief; he represents everything that’s wrong with society. But there’s a deeper meaning behind William’s actions, and it all traces to the day when two robbers killed his daughter. Now, he believes that people like Eddie don’t deserve to live and built his car as a trap for petty criminals. Eddie’s struggle to get out of the vehicle marks the majority of the narrative, with the car and the city portrayed as central characters. As a result, the film relies heavily on its settings and uses the city’s dark landscapes to intensify the thriller element.
Locked Filming Locations
Even though the story is set in the US, ‘Locked’ was shot extensively in British Columbia, especially in Vancouver. The principal photography for the film began in the second week of November 2023 and went on for almost one month before wrapping up in the first week of December of the same year. Also dubbed the Hollywood of the North, Vancouver has been one of the top destinations in the entertainment industry, and a lot of movies and TV shows are filmed there. Therefore, it makes sense why the production team chose the port city as a shooting spot.
Vancouver, British Columbia
‘Locked’ was largely filmed in Vancouver, the westernmost province of British Columbia. Being a psychological thriller and a car being one of the most important aspects of the filming, viewers might not be able to see some of the beautiful places that are situated in that region. However, if someone is familiar with that area, he or she will be able to find certain spots that might look familiar. Although the crew made a soundstage for the SUV, the scene where Eddie finds the car standing in a parking lot is shot in Gastown, which is a neighborhood in Vancouver. It is considered to be a national historic site and has several beautiful Victorian-style buildings.
Consequently, it seems a lot of sequences were filmed in and around Gastown because of the many popular stores that can be seen in the background. One of the scenes at the beginning of the film takes place at Carrall Street in Gastown and features one of the popular pubs, Smith’s Irish Pub. Situated on the 208 & 212 Carrall Street, Smith’s Irish Pub is known for its elegant lounge and hidden cocktail bar. Meanwhile, one place that is often seen during the movie is the store of Nesters Market, which is located at 333 Abbott Street.
Another prominent location used in filming is Hastings Street. Apart from these places, a big W seems to stand out in a few shots; it’s the logo of the iconic Woodward’s Building, which is located at 128 West Cordova Street. The Woodward’s Building is one of the most iconic buildings that was built in 1903 and was once considered to be a premier shopping spot in the region. The inclusion of these places subtly anchors the story in a real location while adding a touch of gritty urban character to the backdrop. On the other hand, the film shot an important sequence in Downtown Vancouver, which is known for its buzzing nightlife and lively clubs. During that particular scene, one of the city’s most distinguishable landmarks, the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel, appears in the background.
Situated at 1038 Canada Place in Vancouver, the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel is a luxurious hotel that is known for its great dining. Showing these real-life places in the background grounds the story in a tangible world, which makes all the intense moments inside the car feel all the more real. Speaking in an interview with Screenrant about why he decided to shoot ‘Locked’ in Gastown, filmmaker David Yarovesky noted that Gastown is one of the places that has “a lot of pain” and compared it to Skid Row in Los Angeles. On the other hand, he didn’t shy away from saying that he particularly had a lot of interest in shooting on Hastings Street.
He said, “(It’s) a place where there’s a lot of pain. It’s almost like Skid Row in Los Angeles. It’s gnarly, and I don’t think I’ve ever really seen anything quite like it before. The apartments and condos there are really expensive.” However, he quickly realized that there are two different worlds out there, one that is enjoying itself in fancy restaurants, and one for the poor who barely have anything. Yarovesky added, “And then you walk inside, and it’s this nice, fancy restaurant, and people are having a great time. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is literally the moral conversation in the movie.'”
Aside from shooting at the places, all the interior scenes were filmed at Winston Studios, which is situated at 7588 Winston Street. To make the scenes inside the car more authentic, the crew shot an SUV on a soundstage with removable pieces, allowing the camera to shoot in and out for long takes. Renowned VFX company PFX formulated almost 750 VFX shots to seamlessly blend the confined interior shots with the dynamic cityscape outside.
While talking about how they shot inside the vehicle, the director stated that the production designer Grant Armstrong, who has worked on films such as ‘Gravity’ and ‘The Batman,’ started working on an interior set that would allow them to shoot freely. Yarovesky told Variety, “In order to do that (on ‘Gravity’), they built it on a platform and in pieces on rails, so it was very easy — with one arm, you could just slide a quarter of the set away and slide it right back. And so we started talking about doing that with the interior set so that we could do anything, go anywhere; we could be completely free.” Surprisingly, the car they made for the movie, Dolus, was sold during post-production because the filmmaker and his team needed more money.
Vancouver has always been a popular destination among several US-based production houses. From charming landscapes and experienced crew to tax incentives and distinct seasons, the city offers films and TV studios to do the work without burning their pockets. Apart from ‘Locked,’ several thriller projects such as ‘Untamed,’ ‘Criminal Minds,’ ‘Prison Break,’ ‘Longlegs,’ ‘Under the Bridge,’ ‘The X-Files,’ ‘The Recruit,’ and ‘Lou’ have also been shot in the Hollywood of the North.
Read More: Locked Ending Explained: Why Does William Want to Kill Eddie?
