© Cathy Conavy
The Locker has the right ingredients for a crime thriller; a revenge-seeking ex is pursued by vigilante cops as he tries to protect his family. Ryan Phillippe plays the main character, Miller, who is caught in a robbery. Things go wrong and his team is destroyed. Fast forward 10 years and he's out of prison. In the present, he is reunited with his daughter (Madeleine Guilbot), who is in the care of her police mother (Kate Bosworth). Of course, you will be reminded of the last job where everything went wrong.
Nicholas Harvard's directorial debut is an eye-opening crime thriller that takes every twist a mile. In the live-action "The Lock," Miller meets a dirty cop (Jeffrey Nordling) who tries to help his murdered ex-sister (Gabrielle Quezada). Ving Rhames is another friend, a kind and supportive fan who offers a job. All these characters are involved in the criminal network of a sad programmer (Charlie Webber) who runs an illegal gaming business and exploits sex workers. The police took over the investigation and turned the case over to Miller's ex-wife. While the screenplay is credited to John Glosser, Joe Russo, Ben Kabyalis and Chris Lamont with a story by Blair Kroeber, not all of these writers can fix the generic characters and lazy scripts.
Harvard features several heists and shootouts to add to the excitement of this thriller. All unexpectedly choreographed and executed as intended. Of course, someone close to the hero must die, and such a choice is not surprising. Prices cannot be lower. The cast is split in two when faced with these obscure characters and familiar situations. Their lines are delivered without guilt, and they follow the action sequences the writers have laid out in the story;
Philip seems to be the leading man, but he doesn't give the character any complexity or pathos. He just delivers his lines insensitively and continues. Ramsey tries to give weight to the characters, but it doesn't work. Her bedroom is too small to impress. Nordling, who successfully played a similarly goofy character on HBO's Big Little Lies, is unfathomable for not showing how much this cop undeniably respects his subordinates.
Most important here is Miller's ex-wife, Beth. He is played by Bosworth as a police officer who investigates the case. She's not just a wife or girlfriend, she's an active participant in the film's main plot, not a stereotypical damsel in distress who stands to worry about the main male character. Unfortunately, this plot isn't very interesting and Beth gets the same superficial details and dialogue as the other characters.
The Castle is a movie that works well at home. He is eligible for release. It does not require special attention. Customers can focus half their attention on it, and every few minutes a loud bang, gunshot, or shout from an actor will attract attention. The plot is very simple and reminds you of thousands of other crime movies, so you won't miss anything. Unfortunately, there's nothing to be gained from it, and the entertainment value is below average at best.
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