I’m sure a lot of you recall the recent Titan disaster, where a submersible imploded on its way down to see the Titanic, killing its owner/operator and four others who paid a few hundred-grand for the privilege of being turned into salt water puree.
Not to make light of the tragedy, but as subsequent news revealed, there were already safety concerns about the sub’s construction, which were largely ignored by the owner. Later, I watched a Netflix documentary that painted this man as a villain…arrogant, overconfident and reckless, which is far more characterization than Locker offers.
Inspired by the incident, this is a fictionalized telling of the same story. Four guys, including the pilot/owner Marcus Graves (Vincent Donato) and his terrified son, David (Matt Visciglio), head down to Titanic and end up stuck on the ocean floor. Taking place entirely inside the submersible, they are forced to deal with depleting oxygen, carbon monoxide poisoning and the dwindling hope of rescue…with a little death and insanity along the way. Speculatively and structurally, Locker is like a low budget variation of The Perfect Storm.
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| "On the bright side, fellas, we still have HBO." |
Considering the already limited cinematic possibilities of its claustrophobic setting, one would think writer/director Peter Ninos might have put a little more effort into creating engaging characters, whether the audience likes them or not. But the closest he comes is throwing in a smug YouTuber whose reaction to every life-threatening crisis is dripping with sarcasm. In fact, the only character who plausibly faces the reality of impending death is David. Even Marcus is mostly just a talking head providing exposition, and the narrative barely suggests he might be responsible for their predicament.
99 minutes is a long time to spend in a dark, tight space with dull characters whose ultimate fate is a foregone conclusion. Like The Perfect Storm, the film speculates what it must have been like for the ill-fated people involved in a real life tragedy. But unfortunately, Ninos fails to make us care what happens to them. There are documentaries about the same incident that are far more compelling.
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