The following is a review of the new film Locke, and may contain spoilers in regards to the film. If you have not seen Locke, and are planning to (which I really, really, really recommend), then I suggest that you close this browser and move along. If, you have no intention of seeing it (what is wrong with you?), or don't mind if a movie is spoiled for you, then by all means, carry on... but you have been warned!
**********SPOILER ALERT!!!!!**********
This past weekend, my original plan was to see the new releases, Maleficent and A Million Ways To Die In The West. Thanks to the guys over at Schmoes Know, I avoided that catastrophe and instead chose to see a couple of indie flicks that sounded interesting to me. The first was The Grand Seduction (you can find my review of the Canadian charmer below this one) and the second was the new Tom Hardy flick, Locke.
First off, let's start this by saying that Tom Hardy is a beast. He has such a commanding screen presence that you just can't look away, and don't ever want to. I remember reading a review for the movie Lawless, that starred Hardy and Shia LeBeouf, in Entertainment Weekly, I think, and it always stuck with me in regards to Tom Hardy. In the review the author said, that while LeBeouf was trying very hard to be that tough, commanding presence, Hardy just showed us and was. He just was... and I couldn't agree more.
Locke tells the story of Ivan Locke, a construction foreman who's life is irrevocably changed in the hour and a half or so hours it takes him to drive in to London. Turns out, that, earlier in the year, he had an affair with a woman, a one night stand, and she's about to give birth to their child. He cancels the plans that he had with his family and leaves the most important job of his career, in order to be there for the birth of his child. As someone who was abandoned by his father at a young age, he refuses to not be there for this new child, even though it was conceived through a mistake of epic proportions. The film consists entirely of Tom Hardy in a car, driving towards London, as he manages phone call after phone call, in an attempt to keep everything in his life on track and prevent everything from crumbling around him. In the course of an hour and a half, he loses his job, keeps the concrete pour planned for the morning on track, admits his infidelity, talks to his dead father, calms down the hysterical mother of his unborn child, probably, irreparably damages his relationship with his wife, discusses a soccer match with and tries to reassure his sons, cries and hears his new baby cry for the first time. It's a roller coaster ride that keeps you enthralled through it's entirety.
Did I mention that Tom Hardy is a beast? Because he is. He's absolutely mesmerizing in the role, and he has to be, as he's the only one on screen for the entirety of the film. Ivan Locke is a very even, collected person, especially in his business dealings, and Hardy is great at being calm, but assertive, brooking no argument, with nothing more than the tone of his voice. There are an couple of instances in the film where his emotions threaten to over take him and his eyes well with tears, but you watch in awe as he pulls it back, once again stoic in the face of adversity. When he finally does let the tears fall, as he's talking to his wife and son, it's all the more poignant, because it shows just how deeply emotional he is about what he has done and the path that it's led him on. It's an incredible performance, and while I'm afraid that it's been released too early and too under the radar, it definitely deserves consideration come awards season. (but, like the tour-de-force performance of Ryan Reynolds in Buried, I'm sure that it will be overlooked).
Tom Hardy is quickly becoming one of my favourite performers. He has been choosing interesting, diverse projects, and has been knocking it out of the park with every one that's released. His range and ability to become the character that he is playing is unbelievable, and I look forward to seeing what he has in store for us in the future. But in the meantime, definitely check out Locke.
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