Locke (Steven Knight, 2013)
Imdb
Date Watched: 02/08/16
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: Tom Hardy
Rewatch: No
I'm kind of at a loss for what to say about this one. Character studies are not my usual fare and that little voice in my head that tells me what to write was all but silent for this film. Here goes nothing.
Plot and story for this movie are virtually non-existent. The premise is this: On the eve of the biggest event of his career, Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) receives a phone call that will turn his life upside down. Bound by a sense of honor and responsibility, Locke takes an unplanned drive and risks everything he holds dear.
The entire film takes place inside Locke's car. We see the face of no one else, we only hear their voices as Locke receives phone call after phone call - from family, from colleagues, and from a hospital - as he is forced to juggle several personal and professional crises.
Tom Hardy does well to carry what might otherwise be a bore of a film. We watch him run the gamut of emotions - anger, frustration, guilt, defeat, desperation, and maybe even a little joy. Through each conversation, we get to know a different part of Locke. We meet Locke, the man dedicated to his job even when it's taken from him. We meet Locke, the caring husband who seriously ****ed up and is trying to come clean and atone for what he did. We meet Locke, the loving father of two boys who adore him. And we meet Locke, the man who was born a bastard with no father to raise him determined not to let that happen to his own offspring. It's a riveting performance and one that reaffirms my admiration for Hardy the actor, though I have doubts as to whether this is something I'll ever have any desire to revisit.
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