Review: Locke

A film that involves virtually one set and one actor can be quite risky.
But when it is done right, it can be one of the films of the year.

Great examples are Phone Booth, a Joel Schumacher film that not only I like, I love every time I see it. Another one is Buried, where we see a different side the acting of Ryan Reynolds.

With Locke, you instantly get immersed in such a cinematic experience that gives you such a satisfying time at the cinema.
When we get to know our character, we begin to understand his unfortunate situation. The longer this journey is, the tenser it gets, and the odd amount of comedy comes as a nice surprise. Phone Booth had a sniper to keep the tension going, Buried had the coffin, Locke has a car.

For the performance of Tom Hardy, it is engaging from the moment he comes on screen. We get a man who is about to embark on a life-changing experience that he did not want. The decisions he makes and the steps he takes to fix his situation makes you care for him, engage with him and you can relate to.
Another performance to look out for is the always brilliant Olivia Colman. She is becoming a British treasure that we should celebrate in the highest way. Colman may not be on screen, but what she does is just a huge pour of emotion. Other honorable performances that had enough time to shine were Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott and Ben Daniels.

As for the rest of the positives. The soundtrack is quietly powerful and never distracts you from the film itself. The cinematography is just simply breath-taking. Never has a car drive at night ever looked so beautiful. So hats off to Haris Zambarloukos for the amazing presentation of a film that will probably gather a small following, but not enough to make it self known in the box office charts.

Only two negatives that are worth mentioning. The accent Tom Hardy has been given with is a little unnerving at first, but I think he holds it together just about. But at times, it almost sounds like he comes from somewhere further East, rather than Wales.
Another bad point was the ending. It felt a bit too abrupt to me and I think the final scene I have thought of would make more sense. But due to the build-up being just exhilarating, I will let off director and writer Steven Knight and his crew.

I think Knight has created a terrific British thriller that could be one of the best finds of 2014. Hardy's performance is award-winning. All the other contributions give this film such an atmosphere that is quite chilling and a joy for the eyes. I can see this doing better in DVD sales, but for now lets try and get this doing well on the big screen.

Rating: 8/10