Ivan Locke is a loving and devoted husband and father as well as a successful construction manager. After receiving a phone call just as the most important job of his career is nearing completion, he finds himself traveling to an unknown destination. As the night unfolds he finds his life and career being likely changed forever, and not for the better.
A vehicle and the pun is very much intended for the incredibly versatile, charismatic, and mesmerising Tom Hardy. Locke, the brainchild of writer and director Steve Knight was a movie that upon its release received some criticism as just being Tom Hardy stuck behind the wheel of a car for an hour and a half. Those who leveled said criticism can't have been paying any attention, for the movie is a sublime piece of minimalistic cinema thanks in no short part to Knight's superbly written screenplay and Hardy's beautifully nuanced and subtle performance as the titular Ivan Locke.
Essentially Knight has us going into the movie blind, not knowing anything about the man and why as the movie opens we see him embarking on his journey. It's only as he proceeds on his trip through speakerphone calls with his boss Gareth; his junior Donal; Katrina, his wife of 15 years, and his two sons Eddie and Sean, that the story begins to unfold and his reason for making the hour and half journey from Birmingham to London becomes apparent. For the entirety of the movie, Hardy is the only person that we ever see on screen, with the other actors' voices only ever being heard off-screen. Needless to say, the shooting schedule for the movie was somewhat unorthodox, with Hardy having filmed his part in 6 days. His scenes were shot twice per night as they were done in a single take. The other actors were at the time in a hotel room, speaking on the phone with Hardy, who was on location. This however did not do anything to affect the quality of the performances, and not least the movie start is positively magnetic, so much to the point that he holds your attention for Locke's complete runtime.
It would be very easy for the movie's plot to swiftly run out of steam, but Knight miraculously manages to keep the story rolling along, piling on one dramatic obstacle after another. The pressure swiftly begins to mount, and as Locke manages to just hold things together the stress becomes ingrained ever so lightly in his countenance. In the hands of a less accomplished and gifted actor or writer, it could descend into melodrama and histrionics, but it's so tightly written and Hardy so nuanced that it couldn't feel any more real. More shrewd is Hardy's artistic decision to play Locke as Welsh, with a silky crisp twang that complements the protagonist's calm, relaxed nature. His voice is so imperturbable that it is almost hypnotizing, making it practically impossible for your attention to waiver for a second.
Some may find the movie's open ending with Locke's ultimate fate being left up in the air frustrating, although I find it more rewarding as it makes you empathize more with him, as you figuratively are put in his position of not knowing what the future may bring for him. While I fail to see how in any other way Knight could have brought the movie to a close. Locke is a masterclass in how an actor can carry a movie on his shoulders, although Hardy is supported by a plethora of superb vocal performances from a range of talented thesps. Like Buried it proves what can be achieved with a minimalist concept, and a very low budget, although in this case even more inspired and amazing results. Locke is a must-watch, although unlike some movies due to the nature of its plot it loses something on repeat viewings. Making it a one-time-only deal. Locke is nevertheless a superb piece of unconventional film-making.
A vehicle and the pun is very much intended for the incredibly versatile, charismatic, and mesmerising Tom Hardy. Locke, the brainchild of writer and director Steve Knight was a movie that upon its release received some criticism as just being Tom Hardy stuck behind the wheel of a car for an hour and a half. Those who leveled said criticism can't have been paying any attention, for the movie is a sublime piece of minimalistic cinema thanks in no short part to Knight's superbly written screenplay and Hardy's beautifully nuanced and subtle performance as the titular Ivan Locke.
Essentially Knight has us going into the movie blind, not knowing anything about the man and why as the movie opens we see him embarking on his journey. It's only as he proceeds on his trip through speakerphone calls with his boss Gareth; his junior Donal; Katrina, his wife of 15 years, and his two sons Eddie and Sean, that the story begins to unfold and his reason for making the hour and half journey from Birmingham to London becomes apparent. For the entirety of the movie, Hardy is the only person that we ever see on screen, with the other actors' voices only ever being heard off-screen. Needless to say, the shooting schedule for the movie was somewhat unorthodox, with Hardy having filmed his part in 6 days. His scenes were shot twice per night as they were done in a single take. The other actors were at the time in a hotel room, speaking on the phone with Hardy, who was on location. This however did not do anything to affect the quality of the performances, and not least the movie start is positively magnetic, so much to the point that he holds your attention for Locke's complete runtime.
It would be very easy for the movie's plot to swiftly run out of steam, but Knight miraculously manages to keep the story rolling along, piling on one dramatic obstacle after another. The pressure swiftly begins to mount, and as Locke manages to just hold things together the stress becomes ingrained ever so lightly in his countenance. In the hands of a less accomplished and gifted actor or writer, it could descend into melodrama and histrionics, but it's so tightly written and Hardy so nuanced that it couldn't feel any more real. More shrewd is Hardy's artistic decision to play Locke as Welsh, with a silky crisp twang that complements the protagonist's calm, relaxed nature. His voice is so imperturbable that it is almost hypnotizing, making it practically impossible for your attention to waiver for a second.
Some may find the movie's open ending with Locke's ultimate fate being left up in the air frustrating, although I find it more rewarding as it makes you empathize more with him, as you figuratively are put in his position of not knowing what the future may bring for him. While I fail to see how in any other way Knight could have brought the movie to a close. Locke is a masterclass in how an actor can carry a movie on his shoulders, although Hardy is supported by a plethora of superb vocal performances from a range of talented thesps. Like Buried it proves what can be achieved with a minimalist concept, and a very low budget, although in this case even more inspired and amazing results. Locke is a must-watch, although unlike some movies due to the nature of its plot it loses something on repeat viewings. Making it a one-time-only deal. Locke is nevertheless a superb piece of unconventional film-making.