Bullet Points: Lock & Key

There are certain things that while have a certain functionality on their own usually work better as a pair. Peanut butter is tasty but when you add jelly it is twice as nice. Rocks can be fun but if you add a little roll then we have a party. A lock does a great job keeping something shut but with a key you are in business. I think that was part of the thinking behind the pairing in the 2019 movie Lock & Key. In this case, Lock and Key happen to be undercover in the high stakes world of illegal drugs. Luckily for you I happen to have some Bullet Points for an unheralded action movie, Lock & Key. Oh, yeah, one more thing another pairing that goes well together is action movies and endings, but we will get to that at the… ending.

• Open the Door – Lock & Key throws you right into the action with a flashback of Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI for those in the know) agent Axel “Axe” Lock (Lem Collins) in some serious pain on the side of the road. Lock is undercover in a drug gang and it is not an easy time. We then see Lucas “Luke” Key (Tavares M. Wilson) in a drug deal that goes sideways. We learn that Key is an undercover police officer who is on the trail of the God’s Eye, a popular new drug from Saul Nadir aka Son of God. Key gets put on a special FBI task force to take down Nadir as an undercover agent in Nadir’s gang. We now have Lock and Key both undercover for different agencies in the same gang without knowing it.

• Get on the Floor – Nadir’s right hand man is King Kwan, played by the imposing Alphonso A’Qen-Aten Jackson, and he has Lock take Key under his wings as Key is supposed to be the new player in town. Lock and Key start to bound, with a entertaining gun range montage highlighting their connection, but neither is aware of each other’s true purpose. The subterfuge really takes a toll on Lock as he takes to drinking and carrying on a relationship with Nadir’s girl Tatiana even though both are detrimental to his well being. Speaking of people having a hard time with the drug game, the audience is introduced to several other parties that are upset with Nadir. There is Key’s cop partner Zeke… who also happens to be the brother of Samantha… who happens to be Key’s fiance… who happens to work for the district attorney investigating Nadir. It may sound convoluted, but there is some quality story happening in Lock & Key.

• Everybody Walk the Dinosaur – The two leads struggle with getting close to Nadir while maintaining their moral center. When Sweet, another drug dealer, wants to ignore God’s Eye and stick to his usual product there is going to be some repercussions. There are no repercussions for the audience, unless you find watching some tense scenes. And if by now you are dying to find out what happens to Lock and Key in Lock & Key that you are just like me. And just like me you don’t get an answer. Lock & Key ends with a ‘to be continued’. After over 90 mins the movie ended without an ending and I have no clue if there is a sequel coming or not. If you know, please let me know because there are some compelling characters in Lock & Key and I need a resolution.

Lock & Key is a well made action drama with many actors that I was unfamiliar with (and considering many have not been in anything else or only a few things it is not surprising). Lock & Key will not blow you away as a high budget extravaganza, but will reel you in with a grittier realistic take. The action is not wall to wall, but when it comes it is convincing and the in between scenes give the story a chance to shine, but it doesn’t give you a chance to breathe because it is tense throughout. I don’t know if there will be an ending for Lock and Key, but if there is I will be watching. I do know that there is an ending to the Lock & Key Bullet Points and it is in the form of the Lock & Key Bonus Bullet Points.

• Double Duty – Star Tavares M. Wilson not only shines as one of the leads but is also the writer for Lock & Key.
• Name Game – While I have referred to them as Lock and Key because those are their names and, you know the name of the movie, Lock and Key are usually referred to as Axe and Luke in Lock & Key.
• Forget the Worm Quote – “They say the early eagle gets the snake.”
• Missed Opportunity – Was anyone else hoping that the full standing popcorn maker so predominantly displayed in Key’s apartment would play an important role? Or at least be used?
• Don’t Be Confused By – If you see an E at the end of Lock you have gone too far, like in the Netflix series Locke & Key.
• Time to Go Quote – “You can go home before I put my foot up your ass.”