Saturday, July 5, 2014

Locke Review

   A few months ago a friend of mine got to a special screening of a type of experimental film called "Locke." He said it was like nothing he'd ever seen, the entire 85 minute run time is just a single actor sitting in a car talking. At first it didn't sound very interesting, but he vouched for it and the reviews for the movie had been great. So I decided to give it a try, unfortunately I couldn't find it anywhere. It had been released in the UK, but only a limited release in the States. I looked everywhere but it didn't seem that it would be coming to a theater near me anytime soon. Well after months of waiting I finally got to watch it; and it's safe to say that "Locke" is truly a tour de force. 
     The story revolves around Ivan Locke, a construction manager, during an hour and a half car drive. The following day, Ivan is supposed to over see the largest concrete pour in Europe for a new skyscraper, unfortunately he is being plagued with family problems. A while back during a night of heavy drinking, he cheated on his wife; and later found out that the woman has decided to keep the baby. On this particular night, she has gone into premature labor. Ivan could very easily walk away from this situation, but stemming from problems with his own father he decides to be there for the mother and his baby. Originally, he was supposed to travel back home and watch a big soccer match with his family, who he ends up telling about the woman. And on top of all that, there are a series of problems involving the construction tomorrow that threaten to ruin everything. So he has to deal with his family falling apart, the baby that is about to come into this world through adultery, and work problems that threaten months of work all from the confines of his BMW. So it's pretty safe to assume this will be the single longest car ride of his life.
     "Locke" isn't really like any movie I have really ever seen; literally, the entire film involves one actor talking on the phone in his car for the entire run time. The closest comparison I can think of would be "12 Angry Men," but that had a dozen actors carrying the movie. In "Locke" the entire film rests on the shoulders of one actor. This movie could have been an absolute failure, a boring, uninteresting film that could put you to sleep. But to my surprise, it turned out to be one of the most compelling movies of the year. "Locke" is a one man show; Tom Hardy is the only person you see the entire movie, and he is incredible. He manages to show such range and emotion, and keeps you interested the entire time. It is the best performance of his career, one of the best performances of the year, and I really hope he gets nominated for an Oscar for this movie. In a film like this, where the driving force is the writing, dialog is the key. "Locke" is filled with great writing and smart dialog that keeps you interested for the entire film. One of the most striking aspects of the movie would be the cinematography; since the entire movie takes place in the car, I wasn't sure we would see much variety. But the cinematographer does a great job with a series of angles from inside the car as well as shots from the passing cityscapes. They really managed to turn this into a beautiful and expertly shot film. "Locke" manages to do just about everything right, but it does suffer from a single flaw; the movie lacks action. You’re always interested in the film, but watching it you really hope something dynamic would happen. While I was captivated the whole time, I imagine there are a lot of people who would find this movie plain boring; if so, that's their lost. "Locke" is a one of a kind movie; it's a unique experiment that's expertly executed. You can find "Locke" online, and if you have any interest watching it I would highly recommend it. It's one of the best and most interesting movies you'll see in 2014. 

Pros: Oscar worthy performance from Tom Hardy, surprisingly compelling, great writing with smart dialog, meticulous and well done cinematography, a unique experiment that's expertly executed.
Cons: Locks action and may bore some.

4/5 Stars

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