Monday 5 January 2015

Locke 2013

The night before foreman Ivan Locke is meant to supervise the largest concrete pour in Europe, he gets a piece of news that can wreck his home and alter his entire life. The film takes place entirely inside the car, as Locke drives from Birmingham to London to take responsibility for his mistakes, while potentially ending his career and his marriage. The entire story unfolds as he speaks to his boss and colleagues, his wife, his sons, and other characters on a series of phone calls. Through these conversations, we learn practically everything we need to know about Locke, his life, his personality, his demons and his desires.

Though we hear the highly emotive voices of Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott and various others on these phone calls, it is Tom Hardy, as the sole actor on camera, who blows your mind. Sporting a beard and a soft Welsh accent, Hardy acts entirely through his face and his voice, with not much room for body movement as he sits behind the wheel for 85 minutes. His performance is flawless, absolutely perfect and he wins his audience from the very first phone conversation. 

The film is written and directed by Steven Knight, and in my opinion, this may be his best work so far. It's difficult to say if this is Tom Hardy's best performance because most of his performances have been exceptional so far!

This film is worth watching for its unique storytelling technique, for its performances and for the punch it packs with brevity.