Locke

Director: Steven Knight
Stars: Tom Hardy with Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott (Voices)
Released in UK: 18th April - Still showing

Heading in to watch Steven Knight’s latest directorial venture (his previous feature including the disappointing Hummingbird) which follows 84 minutes of Tom Hardy in a car, you might not know what to expect. Even the subtle poster gives nothing away.

What delivers is actually an engrossing, unexpectedly witty and beautifully constructed film with a master-class in acting from Mr Hardy.

Shining here and once again proving just how versatile an actor he is, Hardy excels in this small solo project as Welshman construction worker Ivan Locke, who on the eve of the biggest job of his career (overseeing the concrete of a massive skyscraper), instead hops into his car and drives across country changing the course of his entire life in the process as he unburdens his mistakes and conscious to those on the other end of a phone.

Hardy is an unusual choice for this role. The actor has won acclaimed reviews for his big meaty performances as Bane in the Dark Knight Rises and as Bronson, but he’s perfect here, quietly and subtlety drawing you in without having to raise his voice at all. Though his character is certainly not without fault He has made a big mistake, but now furthers to destroy any happy outcome by ruining everything he already has. He is his own anti-hero, self-inflicting pain with a determined moral conscious.

This is a minimalist piece at its best. Much like 2010’s thriller Buried, there are no set changes, little props and the other actor’s appear as voices on the end of a phone. There are no chase scenes, no discernable action. It’s all about Locke. How he acts, how he thinks and how he is in control of everything that happens to him throughout the journey. Unlike other dramas, Locke isn’t acting on circumstances against him as much as he is controlling what happens, and the ultimate unhappiness that is waiting for him round the corner. Unhappiness of his own doing.

There are some delightful voice performances from the characters in and around Locke’s life. The distinctive voice of Olivia Colman as Bethan (the woman Locke is driving to see) is a warm and welcome addition, while Andrew Scott (most recently in BBC’s Sherlock) as Locke’s colleague Donal ranges from comically angry to hysterical to drunk all throughout the course of the Locke’s drive.

There is a strange subplot of Locke talking to his dead father, imagined in the back of the car, which doesn’t work. Is Locke going mad? It doesn’t matter, and adds very little to an otherwise near perfect piece. This is definitely a clear mistake on Knight’s writing part, filling some empty script space with useless dialogue in an attempt for Locke to justify his actions based on his history with his deceased father. Luckily Hardy handles the dialogue well. 

Unfortunately, Locke will probably not make very much money. It’s a very hard sell, and seeing as not much action goes on, this will put some people off. However, those interested and respectful of smaller features that rely on solid acting rather than guns, sex and explosions will be rewarded for their efforts.

VERDICT: * * * *

An intelligent and thought provoking yet quiet minimalist drama, with an impressive solo performance from Tom Hardy.  A cinematic character study and acting masterclass at it’s best.

Locke is still showing in Cinemas nationwide.