Review of Locke (2014) by Thomas D — 28 Sep 2014

Tom Hardy is one of the few actors that I will see anything he is in. He is among the best actors working today and his performance as Ivan Locke is absolutely mesmerizing. It's only an 80 minute film, and it's only Hardy driving a car the whole time, but yet it's one of the most gripping movies I have seen this year. Locke does what all movies set out to do. It captures your attention from beginning to end in a unique and memorable way. Hardy gives what is likely his best performance of his career.

It tells the story of a well accomplished businessman man who has everything. A great job, good friends, a loving family, but slowly his perfect life trickles away in one long car ride filled with life changing phone calls. Hardy is calm and chilling for the first 30 minutes or so but just as the phone calls become more alarming, he loses his demeanor.

This film isn't a thriller. It wont shock you in any form, but it is eye opening. Ivan Locke is a concrete pourer and cares a bit too much about his job. This film shows that just as one mistake in concrete pouring can destroy an entire job, a personal decision Locke made may destroy his entire life as he knows it. The most fascinating part about this film is that Hardy isn't given a lot of room to work as an actor. He is in the car for the entire film, but his ability to show many different emotions, and give the audience the true sense of despair is unparalleled. It's films like this that give us glimpses of how great a film can be when it's simple and doesn't try to do too much. This isn't my favorite film of the year but there really isn't anything wrong with it. It reassures us of Hardy's acting chops (if you needed reassurance) and gives us an example of what director Steven Knight can do.

+Hardy's demeanor.

+Simple but yet so intriguing.

+Short but thought provoking.

+Gutsy.

8.8/10.