What is the plot?

Eddie Barrish wakes before dawn, restless and short of cash, determined to find anything he can pawn or sell to keep a roof over his and his daughter Sarah's head. He moves through a quiet neighborhood hunting for unlocked cars, slipping into vehicles to pluck loose change, charging cords, and other small valuables. On one sweep he notices a Dolus luxury SUV with a door ajar and climbs inside to rifle through the glove compartment. As the door thunks closed behind him, the vehicle latches itself. The tinted windows leave the cabin dim and insulated, and when the center screen lights up an incoming call he initially ignores it. He tugs at the handle and smashes at the window in a rapid panic, slashing his forearm on metal as he frantically tries to force the door. The car will not yield. When he finally accepts the call the man on the display identifies himself as William.

William watches Eddie through interior cameras with a composed, clinical calm. He speaks without hurry and explains that this Dolus is not a typical vehicle; after six previous thefts he paid to have it converted into a coercive device. To demonstrate, William triggers electrodes hidden in the seats and Eddie convulses as the shocks writhe through him. The doctor's voice carries a steady resolve as he describes the system: remote controls, locked doors, and surveillance that render the cabin a sealed cell. Eddie struggles to make sense of the setup while adrenaline and fear alternately surge and drain from him. He pulls his sidearm and fires at the bulletproof windshield, but the shot deflects--a fragment ricochets back and tears into his thigh, blood darkening fabric and leather alike. The soundproofing and heavy tint prevent anyone outside from seeing the violence inside. Alone with the machine's hum and William's dispassionate narration, Eddie passes out from shock and the weight of injury.

When he wakes a few hours later the car's interior bears the traces of medical attention; bandages cover his cuts, and William's voice comes through the speakers explaining what he has done to the wounds. Over the next day the doctor elaborates the personal logic behind his actions. He tells Eddie about his daughter Emma, how she died in the midst of a street robbery, and how that loss pushed him to design his own form of retribution. He subjects Eddie to cycles of torment--sudden jolts of electricity, bursts of freezing air, and a looping yodeling track that William keeps raising and lowering to antagonize him. William insists that he intends to punish only until Eddie proves this is his first offense against the car; if Eddie cannot honestly say this was his maiden theft, the severity of the car's penalties will escalate.

Hunger and thirst sharpen into desperation. William pushes and prods for Eddie's personal details and Eddie, weak and frightened, starts to divulge names and addresses in fits of sobs and contrition. The doctor alternates cruelty with small rewards, turning the Dolus into an interactive tribunal. At one point William directs his captive's attention to a bottle of water and, in a rare, almost theatrically benevolent move, allows Eddie a sip. Eddie scrapes a lotto ticket found in the center stack with trembling fingers and reveals a small fortune scratched free: the kind of money that can buy time and repairs and a new beginning. The news softens him into a sincere apology. In response William offers an odd consolation: he slips a cookie out of the glove compartment and permits Eddie to eat it. Eddie's fingers probe beneath the glove compartment and detect a place where wiring sits just out of camera range; he begins pressing his toes and fingers into seams, testing for loose connections and potential circuits he might disrupt.

As hours blur into days Eddie's condition declines. He becomes delirious; in a grim act of survival he drinks his own urine. At night, believing he has found an escape, Eddie manages to crank the ignition--but William announces he is piloting the SUV remotely. The vehicle lurches into motion under the doctor's control and Eddie experiences the Dolus' full menace when the car becomes a weapon. While William guides the SUV through city streets he ignores Eddie's frantic pleas and maneuvers toward two men accosting a passerby. The SUV's heavy frame crushes the muggers in an instant of cold efficiency, dragging their bodies under and leaving Eddie screaming at the display as the cameras show the carnage. The ride culminates in a violent halt that slams Eddie into the interior and knocks him unconscious.

When he opens his eyes next, William informs him that he has used the information Eddie gave to locate Eddie's daughter, Sarah. That afternoon Eddie watches in horror from behind the locked glass as the car approaches Sarah as she walks home from school. The Dolus edges closer and William on the screen describes with clinical satisfaction how he could drive into her, how punishment could be extended to the innocent to make a point. Eddie yells and pounds at the windows, then reaches for his gun and aims it out at the city as the vehicle inches forward. He pulls the trigger twice in a hoarsely articulated attempt to end the standoff. Both times nothing happens: the gun is unloaded. Sarah continues on her path unharmed, but the revelation of the empty chamber leaves Eddie with a hollow victory and a deep, raw shame. He returns his attention to the car's cameras and dash, smashing them with a metal tool until the screens flicker and die. Before the damage is complete he records a shaky message to Sarah over the deadened audio--he tells her he loves her and that he will not abandon her. The recording plays back into the world as his possible last words.

William arranges to finish the punishment in person. He arrives at the car in the late afternoon, wearing the casual anonymity of a man used to control. He forces Eddie to snap metal cuffs on his wrists and reloads Eddie's handgun himself, manipulating the weapon to assert dominance. He offers Eddie a final cigarette and then a marijuana joint, a mocking act of tenderness before the end, and tells him they will drive to a remote place where the car can be disposed of. William recounts, more explicitly now, how the death of his daughter Emma during a robbery hardened him and convinced him to take justice into his own hands. He says he has tracked each man who has trespassed against his Dolus; Eddie is only the latest bell to ring in a machine the doctor erected to enforce his moral calculus.

On the road out of the city Eddie continues to probe for a means of escape. In the cramped dark below the glove compartment he feels for wiring again, thinking of the electrical access he discovered earlier. With William's attention occasionally distracted by his own narration over the speakers, Eddie manages to work a connector loose. He uses his foot and a piece of jagged plastic to batter at the exposed wiring and, after several desperate attempts, manages to sever a crucial line. The SUV's internal systems stutter and then dim. The power to the central locking and to aspects of the car's remote control flickers and dies. William curses and slaps the screen, and the vehicle lurches as the autopilot compensates. The two men struggle in the confined space as the Dolus veers toward the shoulder of a highway.

A violent scuffle breaks out between them as the SUV begins to careen. William lunges for control and Eddie fights back, grappling for access to the gun and for the front console controls. In the chaos a firearm discharges. In the immediate confusion a single bullet strikes William; he collapses, clutching his abdomen. The shot is not deliberate in the sense of premeditated murder--it is fired in the tumult of their fight, when the loaded gun William had placed in the car goes off. Blood pools on his shirt and his hands tremble on the steering wheel. The heavy SUV skids, then tumbles over the embankment of the highway. It rolls and slides, metal shrieking, and then the vehicle finally comes to rest upside down in a bed of scorched grass and smoking debris. Flames lick the underside where ruptured fuel lines leak; the cabin fills with heat and the smell of burning upholstery. William dies in the wreck, shot during the struggle; he stops speaking as the car collapses around him.

Eddie, bruised and half-buried in the collapsed interior, fights to free himself. He kicks at the remaining locks, smashes the cracked rear glass with his shoulder, and climbs through the jagged opening into the hot night air. The SUV blazes behind him. He staggers away as the fire eats the vehicle's plastic and leather, and then collapses beside the road, coughing and covered in soot. A passing driver notices the inferno and pulls to the shoulder. She runs to Eddie and drags him from the wreck, hauling him clear as the flames consume the Dolus. Emergency responders arrive minutes later and take over. They find William's body inside the charred cabin; he lies slumped with a gunshot wound to the torso, killed when the firearm discharged during the altercation.

Eddie is treated at the scene for shock and for his wounds; his leg and arm are bandaged and paramedics load him into an ambulance. He gives authorities his statement explaining the sequence of events, from the initial break-in through the days of torment and William's remote driving to the final confrontation. He describes the doctor's explanations about Emma's death and the way the Dolus had been designed to mete out punishment. Investigators catalog the wreckage and recover the remains of the elaborate remote-control systems William used to manipulate the SUV. The two mugging attackers crushed earlier by the SUV are found along the city streets--dead from the vehicle's collision and its heavy weight; the medical examiner lists blunt force trauma and crushing as their cause of death.

After release from the hospital Eddie goes to the auto shop where he had been promising to fix vans and to stitch together a future for him and Sarah. He uses the lottery money he scratched free while locked in the car and hands it to the mechanic, but learns the shop cannot complete the repairs to the van in time to take Sarah to school. Eddie surveys his options and chooses a practical solution: he buys a bicycle with a child seat and some tools, then secures the lottery winnings in cash and locks them away. He mounts the bike and pedals the streets toward the school while a spring chill threads the air.

On the sidewalk outside Sarah's school he spots her waiting, bundled against the wind. He rides up and stops a few yards away, dismounts, and calls her name. She looks up, recognition and relief dawning across her face. Eddie walks to her, embraces her with rough, honest movement, and holds her close. The pair head home together on the bicycle--Sarah perched safely behind him as he pedals away from the spot that marked the edge of the night's violence. The burned-out shell of the Dolus is impounded and photographed; William's motives and methods are cataloged by detectives; the bodies of the two muggers are processed by homicide investigators. Eddie walks back into his life carrying both the physical scars and the fragile promise of repair. He keeps the lottery ticket winnings, buys essentials, and with the bicycle's slow, steady motion he begins to close the distance between himself and his daughter. The final image is of Eddie riding toward the school's gate with Sarah on the back, moving forward from the aftermath of the locked car and the fatal confrontation that freed him.

What is the ending?

At the end of Locked (2025), Eddie, the desperate thief trapped inside the high-tech SUV, manages to turn the tables on William, the car's owner and tormentor. After enduring William's brutal psychological and physical torture, Eddie exploits a brief opportunity to escape the car's control, confronts William, and ultimately survives, leaving William's vigilante justice thwarted.


The ending unfolds in a tense, scene-by-scene progression:

  1. Final Confrontation Setup: After days of being trapped, shocked, frozen, and overheated inside the Dolus SUV, Eddie is physically and mentally exhausted. William, a wealthy doctor with terminal cancer, has been remotely controlling the car's security features to punish Eddie for breaking in, believing he is delivering his own form of justice for crimes committed against his family.

  2. William's Plan to Dispose of Eddie: William decides to take Eddie out of the city to the woods, intending to kill him and dispose of the body, as he no longer sees any value in prolonging the torment. He remotely drives the SUV with Eddie inside, preparing for the final act of his vigilante mission.

  3. Eddie's Moment of Opportunity: Inside the car, Eddie discovers a weakness in the vehicle's power system. Using this, he manages to override some controls, gaining limited influence over the car's functions. This small window allows him to act decisively.

  4. Escape and Reversal: Eddie uses the car's power to stop the vehicle and surprise William. He physically confronts William, who is nearby, breaking free from the trap that had held him captive for so long.

  5. William's Fate: William, despite his initial dominance and control, is left defeated by Eddie's escape. The film implies that William's vigilante crusade ends with his loss of control and failure to exact his brutal form of justice.

  6. Eddie's Fate: Eddie survives the ordeal, battered and bloodied but alive. His escape marks a turning point, suggesting a chance for redemption or at least survival beyond the harrowing experience.

Throughout these final scenes, the film emphasizes the brutal cat-and-mouse dynamic between Eddie and William, highlighting the extremes of vigilante justice and the desperation of a man pushed to the edge. The ending leaves Eddie physically free but emotionally scarred, while William's death or defeat symbolizes the collapse of his twisted moral crusade.

Is there a post-credit scene?

There is conflicting information regarding a post-credit scene in the 2025 movie "Locked." Some sources suggest there is a post-credit scene, while others explicitly state there is none.

If we consider the possibility of a post-credit scene based on some descriptions, it might involve William Anthony Hopkins, the character played by Anthony Hopkins, in a dimly lit garage. He is surrounded by old security monitors showing grainy footage of vehicles. William is meticulously studying these screens at a cluttered desk. He flips through a leather-bound journal filled with notes, photos, and names, all of which are crossed out except for one. The camera zooms in on a picture of Sarah Ashley Cartwright, the woman who unknowingly called the authorities on William. William closes the book, exhales deeply, and murmurs to himself about people interfering. The scene then shifts to Sarah walking alone through an empty parking lot at night. She unlocks her car, gets in, and starts the engine, only to find the doors locking around her, similar to how Eddie was trapped earlier. Panic sets in as she tries to open the door, her breath fogging up the windshield.

However, multiple reliable sources, including IMDb and aftercredits.com, confirm that there is no post-credit scene in the movie "Locked" produced in 2025. Therefore, the description of a post-credit scene should be treated with skepticism unless further verified by official sources.

What specific methods does William use to control and torture Eddie inside the car?

William controls the car remotely and uses built-in tasers in the seats to shock Eddie whenever he talks back or swears. He also manipulates the car's temperature, alternating between freezing and overheating Eddie. The car is soundproof and heavily modified to prevent escape, including bulletproof glass and remote locking mechanisms. Eddie is subjected to physical violence from the car's movements and environmental torture such as lack of food and water, pushing him to desperation like considering drinking his own urine.

How does Eddie injure himself while trying to escape the locked car?

Eddie injures himself multiple times: he cuts his forearm by striking the car's interior in panic, and when he shoots at the bulletproof glass, the bullet ricochets and hits his leg, causing a severe bleeding wound. These injuries contribute to his physical deterioration while trapped inside the car.

What is the relationship between Eddie and his daughter Sarah, and how does it affect the story?

Eddie is a desperate father who cannot afford to repair his van and struggles to pick up his daughter Sarah from school. His motivation for stealing the car is partly driven by his desire to provide for Sarah. Throughout the ordeal, Eddie apologizes to Sarah over the phone, showing his concern and regret. After the climax, Eddie reconciles with Sarah and buys her a bicycle as a replacement for his broken van, indicating a renewed commitment to their relationship.

What is William's background and motivation for trapping Eddie in the car?

William is a wealthy doctor in the late stages of cancer who has lost his daughter to street criminals. Motivated by grief and a desire for vigilante justice, he has modified the Dolus SUV as an elaborate trap to punish thieves like Eddie. William's actions are driven by trauma and a need for closure, though he is portrayed as lacking empathy and more of a vindictive figure than a sympathetic one.

How does the confrontation between Eddie and William conclude?

Towards the end, William and Eddie come face to face. William coerces Eddie into a dangerous drive during which they argue and taunt each other. Eddie finds the car's power-off button, and when he meddles with it, the car moves forward and falls off a cliff. Eddie manages to escape the crash, but William dies in the accident. This confrontation leads to Eddie's survival and eventual reconciliation with his daughter.

Is this family friendly?

The movie Locked (2025) is not family friendly and is rated R due to strong violent content, bloody images, pervasive strong language, and brief drug use.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting aspects for children or sensitive viewers include:

  • Intense and brutal violence, including graphic injuries such as people being crushed and fingernails torn off, as well as scenes of torture and self-harm attempts.
  • Strong, frequent profanity throughout the film, including explicit language and harsh insults.
  • Brief depictions of drug use, though not a central theme.
  • Psychological tension and claustrophobic, high-stakes survival situations that create a disturbing and intense atmosphere.
  • A very intense sequence involving a young girl nearly being run over, which may be distressing.

There is no nudity or sexual content reported in the film.

Overall, the film's violent and intense nature, combined with harsh language and disturbing scenes, makes it unsuitable for children and potentially upsetting for sensitive viewers.

Does the dog die?

In the 2025 movie Locked, the dog does not die. A dog is shown briefly left in a hot car with the window down, and a character gives it water, implying the dog is safe. There is no indication or scene depicting the death of a dog in the film or its plot summaries.

The story focuses primarily on Eddie, a thief trapped inside a high-tech luxury SUV rigged as a trap by William, the car's owner. The narrative centers on Eddie's physical and psychological torment inside the vehicle, with no significant subplot involving a dog's death.