Review of Bronson (2009) by Darren M — 23 Aug 2013

"Bronson" is a fascinating true life story about an individual whose only claim to fame was creating chaos. It's not the type of person who would normally get a film made about him, but this is a captivating characters study with a magnetic lead performance holding it all together.

If this had been more widely seen, it would be the movie getting all the credit for making Tom Hardy a star because of his scary, physically dominating performance. It's a mystery to the viewers how Hardy's Charles Bronson became the single-minded brute that he is, what with a seemingly normal upbringing, but Hardy makes him a three dimensional person, an electrifying and larger than life persona who overpowers the entire film.

I was more intrigued by the scenes of Bronson outside of prison simply because it's fascinating to watch the rage-filled individual trying to function in a normal world. The style of the film is unique as well, with Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn making a name for himself a few years before his breakthrough picture "Drive". It features the same synthesizer heavy score that I loved in his other film, and the scenes of Bronson entertaining an imaginary crowd with his tales is fresh and visually impressive. It sounds like that would not fit in within the context of the film but Refn makes it work.

I only wish more insight had been given into why this man was such a mountain of rage, but "Bronson" remains a compelling piece of work. It's not a story that needed to be told, but it is a fascinating one with a peculiar structure courtesy of a promising new filmmaker.