Review of Locke (2014) by Alwayswatching — 23 May 2014

Ivan Locke , played by Tom Hardy, drives one night from Birmingham to London. During his trip we hear him making phone calls to his colleagues, family, and his mistress. The story never leaves the car and we see nobody else , which makes the movie dragging every now and then.

The film explores many aspect of modern life, humanity and even up to a certain point, ideas such as free will and fate.

Ivan Locke is a professional civil engineer who is working on a big construction project. He had an affair with a woman in the past who is giving birth to his baby on the night that the story of the movie takes off. Locke is driving to London to be with his mistress and his newborn baby.

Locke's struggle to fix things is a symbolic representation of what we, human beings, struggle with in life: the desire to have control over what happens around us and to us, the desire to fix and compensate for our mistakes in the past, the desire to have a happy family, the anger that we carry with us from our parents because they weren't responsible enough or because they made terrible decisions that immediately and significantly affected us and it seems they do not care.

Locke is talking to his dad—or to his own past—in the rear mirror of his car. He is constantly instructing and lecturing his dad that he will and fix everything. Locke is self driven, firm, and assiduous. Nothing can stop him, neither his boss, nor the long ride, nor the drama of his family. He chooses where to go and how to go and forces everything follow.

Locke's story and his journey in the end, is also the story and journey is the story and journey of his father, and why his father did what he did. The movie leaves you with the this question that “How the Ivan's father was like?” Was the a reckless irresponsible man who didn't care what would happen to his family and kids. Or was he really self driven yet mired in troubles---like Ivan who has to make wrong decisions despite what his will.

Locke's drive and his adventure also raises this question that, as humans, how much should we fight to determine our destiny, or should we let it go, should we just give up and kneel to the merciless forces of destiny and fate, which are not under our control.