Locked down has an amazing cast as well as an interesting plot but the romantic comedy is underwhelming. Directed by Doug Liman, the feature film starring Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor was created by HBO Max and released as an HBO Max Original on January 14, 2021.

The movie which was originally titled Lockdown, was filmed in London during the city’s shutdowns due to the pandemic. The struggles were fitting considering it focuses on a heist that takes place in a world where heavily-populated areas were forced to quarantine.

The movie has many lows and some highs as it gets better halfway through. Linda and Paxton each receive a work assignment to retrieve a 3 million pound diamond from Harrods for a wealthy client. The ordinary pair find themselves at a crossroads. Its pandemic jokes were not original, toilet paper hoarders, Zoom freezes all got old last year .

Locked down has too much rom-com and not enough heist. The crime part of Locked Down feels underwritten, almost like it was rushed to be finished. A good heist movie pikes in the audience’s knowledge of the plan. This movie becomes annoying and repetitive after awhile.

The deadly disease that has killed almost two million people worldwide is kind of an afterthought in Locked Down. The way this movie was written feels like they feel quarantine is some sort of threat instead of a deadly illness. There are parts towards the National Health Service and the importance of wearing masks, but between its relationship drama and heist. It’s hard for Locked Down to acknowledge the cost of this disease. Locked Down is about a long to return to stability after a low point.

I wouldn’t recommend this movie if you don’t want to hear the unoriginal quarantine jokes and you’re looking for a heist movie. The majority of the movie is just getting to know the characters instead of how they will pull off this heist in the middle of a pandemic.