Locked is primarily set inside a luxury car, a Dolus SUV, and it's based on a real-life car. The psychological thriller follows the story of Eddie Barrish, a petty thief who unexpectedly becomes trapped inside a modified luxury car after trying to steal it. It turns out that the mysterious owner, William, has a deep desire to teach him the consequences of his chosen lifestyle.
The high-stakes, claustrophobic journey in Locked takes place inside the modern SUV, with it serving as the main setting of the clash between Eddie and William. The custom-built SUV became the literal driving force of the movie's plot, leaving many fans intrigued about the car's inspiration and the secrets that come along with it.
Directed by David Yarovesky, Locked is a remake of the 2019 Argentinian movie 4x4, and it stars Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins. The movie premiered in theaters on March 21, 2025.
Is Dolus a Real Car? Land Rover Influence Explained
While Locked's modified Dolus SUV is a unique car on its own, it is based on the real-life Land Rover Defender. According to a report from Volo Cars, the Dolus was designed and built for the movie at a whopping cost of $1.3 million. Only two units of the Dolus were made for the movie (one for the interior and hero shots, and another for the exterior and stunt driving sequences).
The Dolus is derived from the Latin word meaning "deception" or "deceit," and it closely resembles how the car fits in the overall narrative of Locked. The Land Rover Defender is known for its durability and off-road capabilities, and these features, combined with the advanced modifications made by its owner, carried over to Locked's Dolus SUV, explaining why it became hard for Eddie (played by Bill Skarsgård who was praised by Locked director David Yaroversky for his performance) to get out of the vehicle in the first place.
Unlike the Land Rover Defender, a car known for its rugged design and everyday drive capabilities, its main difference from the Dolus SUV is the fact that the vehicle in the movie is purely designed to become a high-tech trap. The Dolus had bulletproof windows, reinforced steel panels, a signal jammer, and even a six-point camera surveillance system.
Another significant difference is the fact that the Dolus SUV is an electric car while the Land Rover Defender runs on diesel (and the real-life version has no electric model).
Dolus Car Price Estimations
Although Locked didn't explicitly reveal the price of the Dolus SUV, it's safe to assume that it costs a fortune to own one. Given that it is purely modified, it's also possible that William is the sole owner of the Dolus SUV in the movie's universe.
It was previously confirmed that the Dolus SUV for Locked costs $1.3 million to make, and this meant that it is far more expensive than the highest variant of the real-life Land Rover Defender.
For context, the pricing of the 2025 Land Rover Defender varies between different body styles. The base model (Defender 90) has the most affordable price at $56,000. Meanwhile, the most expensive among all the variants is the Defender Octa Edition One at $167,800.
Using the most expensive variant as a basis, the features of the Octa Edition One include Twin Turbo V8 + 48V mild hybrid system, 20-inch forged wheels, fiber detailing, wade sensing, and a driver condition monitor.
These high-end features are only a fraction of the cost of the movie's Dolus SUV because Locked's version has some noteworthy upgrades.
These high-end features include bulletproof windows, a fully electric powertrain (which includes a high-capacity battery), surveillance cameras, access to a remote control, built-in tasers, its luxurious interior, custom lighting, and soundproofing. This is on top of the added costs of customization, labor, and the required anonymity due to its high-profile nature.
Here is a breakdown of a rough estimate of the cost of the upgrades and the overall pricing of the Dolus SUV (considering the most expensive pricing)
- Land Rover Defender V8 (as base and not the hybrid variant) - $118,900
- Bulletproofing - $100,000 (via ArmorMax)
- Electric conversion - Between $50,000 - 91,000 (via Fuel2Electric)
- Surveillance Cameras - $20,000 - $70,000 (a rough estimate)
- Built-in tasers & signal jammers - $30,000 (a rough estimate)
- Customizations (interior & exterior) - $100,000 (based on analysis from these prices at Edmunds)
- Engineering & Labor - $150,000 (a rough estimate)
A would-be pricing of a Dolus SUV (if the highest prices are added altogether) could end up being $659,900, closely aligning with the $650,000 rough estimate pricing of each vehicle used for Locked's production.
