Locke

A surprise at the 57th London Film Festival. A film where the whole story takes places inside the confines of a car, and with Tom Hardy as the one-man star. But just how well does it work?

Tom Hardy, known best for majors roles in The Dark Knight Rises and Inception drops the theatricality and larger than life appearances and takes on the role of average man Ivan Locke, a building site manager, who over the past nine years has made his life as solid as the concrete he is in charge of pouring. Concrete is his religion. On the eve of the biggest job yet, also Europe's largest ever - we follow his car journey from Brighton to Croydon as the world around him slowly crumbles and he loses it all.

British Screenwriter and Director Steven Knight, brings us yet another gripping British drama, after previously making Hummingbird starring Jason Statham earlier this year. Clocking in at just under 90 minutes, Locke is refreshingly short and never over stays its welcome. The narrative is actually so constant that even when Hardy is not in hands- free phone switchboard mode, we capture another underlying story. Locke provides just as much a character journey as it does a car journey.

During the recent UK Premiere, producer Paul Webster recalls his initial talks with Steven Knight, in which he said; 'I want to do something quite different, in a confined space, about a guy whose life changes during the course of one car journey. And we never leave the car.' And that is literally what happens. Bringing an ideal mix of humour and emotion to the project, Hardy's taunt performance is mesmerizing. The put-on Welsh accent is pretty decent also. Filmed in just eight nights and with very low budget, the film is literally a lesson of how unique and quite fantastic minimalist cinema can be.

I can only say we have to appreciate such work of arts since in the modern era of over-exploitation money took over all the popularity of the cinema. It is very obvious that the movie depends on a very limited budget, which I like the most when it comes to cinema, because it is not just for entertainment, or it is not all about marketing and sales. Apart from the story, the movie conveys a message that stimulating people's minds and imaginations does not necessarily require cutting- edge visual effects or a science-fiction rooted story. There are many ways to do that, and when you see the movie I assure you you will ask yourself "How on earth did they manage to craft such an extraordinary movie with such a straightforward story?".This movie has a pure and creative story flow which keeps you follow with all the focus. It makes you imagine, stimulates your curiosity and plays with your nerves. Better watch it yourself!

I went to see the movie because the review of the movie said that it would change what you thought about film making. This would be true if you've never seen a movie before, but that is not the case.

Not to say that the movie is not good. It acts as a sort of one man play starring Tom Hardy as Ivan Locke, a man who made a mistake in his past that threatens to unwrap his perfect life when he tries to do the right thing. The movie totally relies on the actor playing the role and Tom steps up to the challenge nicely.

But I've seen this kind of one man play with Buried starring Ryan Reynolds and Brake starring Stephen Dorff. I can even mention other movies like 127hours or Phone booth that have a similar concept.

What makes Locke different is that the pressure of life and death is not there. In those movies the leading (and only) men were threaten with the proposal of death, While in this movie, Ivan Locke's way of Life is threaten with change, and it's this change in the concept that made the movie Quiet and low key, but the filmmakers were still able to make if fast pasted and kinetic (having it take place in a Car going down the highway helps).

The movie had the same pressure of a ticking clock about to explode and the lead character attempting to talk himself out of the situation, but the filmmaker does not force the tension or thrills on you. Ivan Locke's situation is very down to earth and every day to day. Watching him attempt to deal with this situation could have come off boring after a half hour if not for Tom Hardy showing his mental acting chops (versus how physically intimidating he seemed as Bane in Dark Knight Rises, he's a small man in real life).

Though the movie was good to watch I could have gotten the same effect streaming it at home on Netflix. Recommend you do the same.

...Locke provides irrefutable proof that he is. Tom Hardy is absolutely captivating in this role, and he has to be. It's all about his character Ivan Locke driving in a car. That's the setting. All forms of dialogue are from Locke and from calls he gets ingoing and outgoing through the car. The weird thing is, you don't even notice it after a while. Everything flows so smoothly and Tom Hardy's performance completely captures everything you'd expect from this character as he's experiencing these dilemmas - you believe every word out of his mouth and every subtle nuance in his expressions. Tom Hardy owns this movie and Locke really is the perfect vehicle (literally) for showing off his barebones acting chops.

The story itself is that Ivan Locke is a construction worker who just got off his shift and is now driving back, but then gets some calls that give us insight into what he has going on in his personal life and his work life and how Locke responds to this information as it gets progressively more stressful. It's incredible that a movie at only 82 minutes can go through such a roller-coaster of emotions, and as short as it is the movie still flies by because you're so drawn to the character. One of the voices is Locke's coworker voiced by Andrew Scott (Moriarty from Sherlock) and even as a voice-over his performance is totally convincing and his back-and-forth with Hardy is electric and at times humorous. His wife and other parties bring drama into the equation and as things start falling apart for Locke it dips into psychological thriller territory.

Steven Knight deserves much credit as well for having written and directed the film. It's so smooth and sleek, from the highway shots to the few overhead shots of the city at night. It's beautiful and adds the ideal atmosphere for this one-man show to maneuver in. It's a wonderfully written movie, wonderfully directed, perfectly acted (seriously, this is the performance of Hardy's career), with a spot- on supporting cast of voices. Locke is a mesmerizing movie from beginning to end. If you're a Tom Hardy fan or a fan of good cinema in general, you're doing yourself a disservice by not watching Locke.

For Locke's true power as a film to sink in you will need a few days to sit and ponder upon its small yet intricate construction, for in a film that is set almost entirely within the confines of one man's car, Locke deals with many an issue and does so by uncorking a powerhouse Tom Hardy performance and a downright believable script by Brit Steven Knight who here makes up for his dreary directing debut Hummingbird.

There will be many out there that have no time for Locke due to its setup and in a way this is not an unjust decision by them for Locke requires much of you as a viewer and does not look to find a way around this. Not perhaps since Ryan Reynolds found himself in a tight situation in Rodrigo Cortes 2010 film Buried has a film relied so heavily on the audience to bear with it and a performer to hold our attention with nothing more than a phone (or Bluetooth) to act alongside with. Locke's tightly focused pacing and realistic scripting are both hugely successful but it is in the performance of Hardy that the film finds its true power and ability to stick with you days after release.

Oft cast as the hulking or manic presence within a film as seen in any of Warrior, The Dark Knight Rises or Bronson, Hardy hear is a steely at times inwardly reserved Ivan Locke, a man whose world is crumbling around him despite being sheltered by his luxury ride. Playing Locke with a welsh accent and with a vulnerability within both his eye, Hardy showcases a rarely displayed side to his acting talents that Knight uncovers to great effect. Whether Locke is demanding or pleading, Hardy is in control even though his character is slowly but surely crumbling from within. It's one of the year's best acting turns, unflashy yet utterly commanding, Hardy achieves more with a singly look than some actors do within an entire role. It's worth also mentioning the voice work (the only other people you will hear during the entire movie, no one else is ever seen) of the cast here in Locke, from Olivia Colman through to The Impossible's Tom Holland as Locke's son Eddie, all voice performers give soul to the voices we hear on the phone.

A movie to be watched in the tightest surrounds available to you, Locke isn't an easy watch due to its setting and not a movie made for overall public consumption. Locke is however an incredibly smart and well-constructed film that is the perfect showcase for the increasing acting prowess of Tom Hardy, an actor that continues to stake a claim as one of if not the most interesting and diverse performers in the business today.

4 Bluetooth calls out of 5