By Kate ‘One Take Kate’ Taylor. |
| Image via: Mr Leon Taylor |
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me; that I’m an active and very vocal supporter of Tom Hardy’s errrr work. No seriously, he’s an amazing actor especially if you’ve had the pleasure of seeing him tear faces off in Bronson or the incredible wounded and wounding loner Tommy he created, in Warrior. So it’s definitely satisfying when you get to see an actor that you really rate stepping out into a role that’s encapsulated within an interesting idea and taut style of film making. ‘Our Tom’ plays good guy, hard-worker and loving Dad/Husband combo, Ivan who is on the drive home after a day at work; before the biggest construction project of his career set to roll the next morning. But Ivan’s got a secret…and you’re a helpless passenger on his frenzied drive against time to repair the broken pieces of his actions if possible, or suffer the consequences.
Two of my favourite cinematic challenges are the ‘one-room’ narrative and also the ‘real-time’ narrative as they are both so hard to pull off convincingly and still give you ample time to develop a feeling for the characters you’re being encountered with. Locke handles both of these aspects with great panache and better yet, I think will push other film makers to look into these styles of narratives as being viable options for them; and why not, it’s an economical way of story-telling, with the ability to overlay some current societal issues into the mix. A recent success with this style of narrative; the dual ‘real-time’ and ‘one-room’ narrative was in Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds – but of course originally pioneered, like most things…by Alfred Hitchcock with Rope.
In Locke, the Academy Award nominated writer of tense thrillers; Eastern Promises and Dirty Pretty Things – Steven Knight, also takes the helm of direction in this gut-wrenching thriller set entirely within Ivan’s speeding car. As Ivan’s life starts to unravel, Tom has us completely glued to the screen, screaming at it and clutching our thighs in uncomfortable anticipation, waiting for the bomb to drop. All this tension is beautifully juxtaposed by the gorgeous cinematography of the twinkling nightscape passing quickly by Ivan’s window, as he uses his hands-free to try and fix his situation. Asides to the stunning full length feature of Tom’s riveting performance, there’s also some sweet special features on offer too, such as; an audio commentary with writer/director Steven Knight, plus featurettes: Hamlet on the Highway, The Making of Locke and Behind the Scenes, all of which are well worth your time checking out too. A fantastic thriller that is a wonderful addition to Hardy’s already impressive acting career; plus a gem of indie film making to inspire…See it!
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| Even Tom has trouble staying focussed on driving when he catches a glimpse of himself in the wing mirror. Image via |
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Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.