MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (5/16/14): LOCKE
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Tom Hardy ... And the voices of several other actors you wouldn't know even if I told you their names (Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Ben Daniels, Tom Holland & Bill Milner)
WRITER(S): Steven Knight
DIRECTOR(S): Steven Knight
WEB SITE: http://locke-movie.com/
60 SECOND PLOT SYNOPSIS (OR AS CLOSE TO IT AS ONE CAN TRY TO MAKE): Locke stars Tom Hardy as titular character Ivan Locke, a concrete manager who is getting ready to make an evening drive to London. That wouldn't be such a big deal save for the fact that the next morning, his company is supposed to execute the biggest concrete pour in the history of the UK ... And he's supposed to be on site to help his right hand man Donal (the voice of Andrew Scott) making sure it goes off without a hitch.
The fact he won't be there, however, is not only stressing out Donal, but also Gareth (Ben Daniels), their boss – who Locke ever so nicely has saved as "Bastard" in his BMW's address book – and go between for the company's UK and Chicago office. Also surprised Locke won't be coming home that night is his wife Katrina (Ruth Wilson) as well as his sons Sean (Bill Milner) and Eddie (Tom Holland), especially since they are expecting him to be home to watch the big soccer match. Desperate to see Locke, however, is Bethan (voiced by Olivia Colman). Despite what seems to be a very fragile connection, he is racing as fast he can to get to her ... But why?
The next 90 minutes he spends on the road will answer that question and change the lives of everyone he talks to on the phone tonight.
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST?: Tom Hardy fans, one-act play fans, those enjoy a "man trying to make something right after doing something very wrong" cinema enthusiasts
WHO WON'T – OR SHOULDN'T – LIKE THIS FILM?: Those with short attention spans, those with motion sickness, anyone who doesn't care about hearing concrete and construction discussed at length, people who find long car trips (virtual or otherwise) a bit tedious/boring
BOTTOM LINE – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? Hardy is very good, but the film as a whole lacks a re-watchability factor that at times makes the entire experience feel a bit mired in traffic that make it tough to find an audience
WHAT'S GOOD (OR BAD) ABOUT IT? Tom Hardy does a very solid job considering Locke is just him ... In a car ... Talking to voices (some real, one imagined) to keep your attention as he draws you into the life of a man fighting to keep his very world form unraveling. You get a full sense of the duality of the man that is his character: On one hand, we see a man who is very principled, very much the master of his domain and in control ... And on the other we see an individual struggling mightily to conquer past demons that have led him to this point in his life, tearing at the very fabric of all that he believes himself to be.
There is not one moment where Locke's current mindset, the force(s) behind it and his future actions are not being conveyed with all of Hardy's energy and passion. His off-screen co-stars do a phenomenal job, too, of giving Hardy's character the fodder he needs to propel his journey (and your ride along with it) to its apex), none coming off as non-essential to the story and unique in their effects on the main character.
That being said, Locke is also a challenging film in that despite all these qualities, its 90-minute soliloquy-in-a-car-vibe is very hard to shake. The last time America was willing to watch a man's life unravel in a car, he had a Heisman Trophy, several Hertz commercials and a recurring role in a comedy movie series under his belt. (OLD JOKE ALERT!) Therefore, if you get bored on car trips, following along when there is (for all intents and purposes) just one person talking and/or don't enjoy plays – which is essentially what the film feels like set along a dark, UK highway – you may enjoy Hardy yet have a hard time staying fully engaged. This in turn hurts the film's replay value, save for an aspiring film student interested in seeing how you manipulate natural light at night and/or actor studying how to take over a screen as best one can in a role that demands you do so.
Thus, while you may not need to speed out to see Locke, Hardy's performance makes it a worthwhile visit if just for even one visit.
WHO WON'T – OR SHOULDN'T – LIKE THIS FILM?: Those with short attention spans, those with motion sickness, anyone who doesn't care about hearing concrete and construction discussed at length, people who find long car trips (virtual or otherwise) a bit tedious/boring
BOTTOM LINE – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? Hardy is very good, but the film as a whole lacks a re-watchability factor that at times makes the entire experience feel a bit mired in traffic that make it tough to find an audience
WHAT'S GOOD (OR BAD) ABOUT IT? Tom Hardy does a very solid job considering Locke is just him ... In a car ... Talking to voices (some real, one imagined) to keep your attention as he draws you into the life of a man fighting to keep his very world form unraveling. You get a full sense of the duality of the man that is his character: On one hand, we see a man who is very principled, very much the master of his domain and in control ... And on the other we see an individual struggling mightily to conquer past demons that have led him to this point in his life, tearing at the very fabric of all that he believes himself to be.
There is not one moment where Locke's current mindset, the force(s) behind it and his future actions are not being conveyed with all of Hardy's energy and passion. His off-screen co-stars do a phenomenal job, too, of giving Hardy's character the fodder he needs to propel his journey (and your ride along with it) to its apex), none coming off as non-essential to the story and unique in their effects on the main character.
That being said, Locke is also a challenging film in that despite all these qualities, its 90-minute soliloquy-in-a-car-vibe is very hard to shake. The last time America was willing to watch a man's life unravel in a car, he had a Heisman Trophy, several Hertz commercials and a recurring role in a comedy movie series under his belt. (OLD JOKE ALERT!) Therefore, if you get bored on car trips, following along when there is (for all intents and purposes) just one person talking and/or don't enjoy plays – which is essentially what the film feels like set along a dark, UK highway – you may enjoy Hardy yet have a hard time staying fully engaged. This in turn hurts the film's replay value, save for an aspiring film student interested in seeing how you manipulate natural light at night and/or actor studying how to take over a screen as best one can in a role that demands you do so.
Thus, while you may not need to speed out to see Locke, Hardy's performance makes it a worthwhile visit if just for even one visit.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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