Review of Bronson (2009) by Simon W — 09 Nov 2013

Wow, I heard that this biopic took some liberties, but it doesn't even touch upon Charles Bronson's acting career, and it changes the date on which he was born, turns him into a bare-knuckle boxing prisoner, gives him a handlebar moustache... and turns him into an Englishman named Michael Peterson. ...So yeah, in case you haven't caught on yet, this isn't exactly the Charles Bronson film that we Americans have been waiting for, but don't worry, folks, because Peterson has changed his name again in order to avoid confusion and embrace his new Islam religion, and is now known as Charles... [u]Ali[/b] Ahmed, you know, because a boxer named Ali is bound to avoid confusion. Yes, people, I see the elephant in the room, but in Muhammad Ali's biopic, he was played by Will Smith, so really, just how black could he possibly be? Oh, I don't reckon the English will get all that confused, because you have to remember, my fellow ignorant Americans, that this is a British film, and that this Charles Bronson is a mighty notorious criminal in Britain, as well as Denmark, apparently. That's right, European art snobs, Nicolas Winding Refn has finally returned to English-language cinema for the first time since "Fear X", only this time, the trip isn't wasted on a mediocre film, because with this effort, Refn finally, finally, finally abandons that near-abstract, meditatively experimental storytelling nonsense and get a little more traditionalist. Oh, and just when I was starting to get used to the "Pusher" series, Refn just had to go off and, well, make an actually good crime film, and yet, that's not to say that this film got that much more attention than the usual Nicolas Winding Refn film, as it only grossed about $2.3 million in USD. Granted, the film only cost a downright comical $230,000 in USD, so you only have Tom Hardy to feel sorry for, because, yes, there was a point where he was, in fact, that cheap, which is a shame, because he's always been a fine actor, and he joins Refn in really stepping up some game here, though not exactly to where either Hardy or Refn can make up for some disappointments that extend beyond the film's not actually being about the American Charles Bronson (Oh, how much more interesting would it have been anyways?).

I'm not asking that this film be all that unique, and in plenty of places, this is a pretty refreshing, very stylish biopic, yet in other places, it's still a little too conventional for its own good, being ultimately kind of predictable, which isn't to say that this film's storytelling is problematic strictly because it's conventional. Running a mere 92 minutes, this film is pretty short to be a biopic, so I was fearing some serious underdevelopment, though in the end, I'm happy to report that things are surprisingly pretty well-rounded, and yet, it's hard to not feel as though there's more to be explored, and such a sensation waters down the weight of this subject matter with natural shortcomings that probably shouldn't even be there. The film's story concept is drawn a little thin, and no matter how much Nicolas Winding Refn soaks up the juice of this layered drama, much in the way of kick is sacrificed for a shorter, more straightforward narrative, and it's kind of hard to deny that when the narrative starts to fumble in its dashes through Michael "Charles Bronson" Peterson's life. Looking at the subject matter, rather than the actual plot concept, this film has a lot of material to cover in only 92 minutes, and while it's not as uneven as I was fearing it would be as a summarization of a lifetime, whether it be because of too much hurrying through plenty of material, or whatever, there is some incoherency to this layered and eventful, but still slightly slapdashed drama's focus, that is, when focus is actually there. On top of being structurally uneven, the film suffers from a certain something that was found in all of Refn's previous efforts: pacing unevenness, for although this is not the meditative mess that was Refn's previous, less realized efforts, there are still has some moments in which things get too meditative, quietly drying things up as bland, maybe even unfocused-feeling, at least when backed by draggy plot structuring, because no matter how short this film is, it still offers plenty of repetitious filler and material that lead to aimlessness. Flaws are limited, and some of the flaws that I just mentioned aren't quite as severe as I made them sound, yet there are some key missteps that go a long way in holding the film back, and no matter how far the final product goes on the back of inspiration behind intriguing subject matter, there's too much familiarity, incoherency and aimlessness to this biopic for it to be all that strong. That being said, this film is a whole lot stronger than previous Nicolas Winding Refn films, as well as rewarding by its own right, being flawed and all, but realized enough to compel, and in a stylish manner.

As I said much earlier, with this film, Nicolas Winding Refn settles down on the experimental, meanderingly meditative and all around unfocused storytelling style that has plagued every one of his films up to this point, perhaps to where he all-out abandons it, though that's not at all to say that this is not a super-stylish film, because on the whole, this revelation for Refn's directorial methods is even more stylish than something like "Pusher", or "Bleeder", or "Fear X", and in an immensely more attractive way, playing with flawed, yet entertaining fluff songs and classical masterpieces in the soundtrack as tongue-in-cheek contradictions to the film's harsh subject matter that are genuinely effective in indirectly reinforcing the thriller's tone, and are also generally enjoyable by their own right, while Matthew Newman's snappy editing stays more faithful to the film's feel with stylishly controlled freneticism that perks up. Of course, the strongest form of style in this effort is the visual one, as it's difficult to tell that this film is cheap, due to cinematographer Larry Smith's making sure that Refn's visual style look mighty good with uniquely warm color palette plays that provide dynamic and well-pronounced hues which are both unique and handsome, as well as with excellent framing that gives you a full grip on this film's environment from unique angles. As cheap as this film is, stylistically, it is downright outstanding, even more so than previous Winding Refn films that were a whole lot more style than substance, and if that's not good enough for you, it does, in fact, deliver on the substance that has been sorely lacking in Refn's previous efforts. The bite of intriguing subject matter is watered down by a conventional and brief story concept structuring, as well as by an uneven execution, but by no means is washed away, as the story of Michael "Charles Bronson" Peterson is a layered and colorful one, livened up in this film with some interesting and adequately convincing liberties, as well as brought to life through a script by Refn and Brock Norman Brock that offers sharp dialogue and a strong sense of humor, as well as well-rounded characterization, in spite of a brief runtime. Refn and Brock turn in an inspired script, with Refn being just as inspired on a directorial level, keeping meditativeness less dry than usual by keeping pacing generally brisk enough to place dullness at bay, at least on the whole, so that once material really kicks in, you're drawn in, whether it be on the fluffy humor, or the biting tension, or even compelling drama. Again, this is a pretty layered comedic and dramatic thriller of an extensive character study, sold by the inspired directorial performance by Refn that we, or at least I have been hungry to see for five films, as well as by endearing onscreen performances, the more endearing of which is, of course, by leading man Tom Hardy, who proves to be nothing short of revelatory when he transforms into Michael "Charles Bronson" Peterson with more than just a bald head and a handlebar moustache to obscure that distinct pair of sausage lips (Ladies like them, I reckon, but I prefer them on ladies), nailing both an impeccable East English accent and blazing charisma in order to get you invested in a conceptually questionable protagonist enough to feel sympathy when potent dramatic layers are displayed, securing Peterson/Bronson as a brutal, bright, emotional and all around intriguing criminal and man. Hardy carries this film, and if you see the effort for no other reason, see it to marvel at Hardy's transformativeness, but stay for plenty of other treats, because regardless of the missteps, there is enough inspiration to this somewhat familiar and uneven to compel and reward with entertaining style and compelling meat.

When the sentence is finally fulfilled, you're released from this film possibly shaken by the familiarity, minimalism, unevenness and aimlessness to storytelling that threaten the final product, but hardly enough to prevent sharp style - anchored by a lively soundtrack, snappy editing and excellent cinematography - and compelling substance - brought to life by a clever script, thoughtful direction, and an outstandingly immersive lead performance by Tom Hardy - from making Nicolas Winding Refn's "Bronson" a fairly entertaining, consistently intriguing, often truly compelling and altogether rewarding study on one of Britain's most notorious criminals.

3/5 - Good.