Locke

All it takes is to put Tom Hardy in a car with a solid script, and he'll deliver a minimalist acting masterpiece that slowly wraps you around its finger through a series of phone calls. During a single drive — less than two hours long — Ivan Locke loses everything he's built up until that point (quite literally). I enjoyed slowly uncovering the kind of person Ivan really is. While I found him somewhat relatable — especially during his calls about the massive concrete-pouring project — I mostly felt for the people closest to him (his wife, kids, and "mistress"). He manipulates them without fully realizing how much he's messing up, convincing himself that he only made one mistake, and for noble reasons at that. But life isn't black and white, and Ivan is too complex to easily label as good or bad. That's what makes Locke feel so real and compelling. (18/06/2018)

On a minimum of space, there are quite a lot of emotions, for which, rather than the clumsy script (hysterics on the phone, talking to oneself in the rearview mirror?), the great Tom Hardy is responsible. Then there is also the best advertisement for the BMW multimedia interface in recent years and a few neon lights taken digitally to give it atmosphere. But there is no reason to dwell on it too much. It lacks "substance" and it’s far from solid. (28/06/2015)

A fairly strong drama in which Tom Hardy excels as the only actor and proves once again that he is capable of playing anything. The film itself doesn't offer much and it's a very real day in the life of a jerk in which the main character's life gets fucked up in almost every aspect within an hour, but luckily the director has a clear vision of how to present the film and Hardy is a great actor, because his one man show was excellent and his calm voice will be in my head for a long time to come. On the other hand, the film doesn't give much to the viewer, so I have a bit of an empty feeling after watching it... (26/09/2022)

A road movie with a depressing aftertaste. Hardy and his BMW never leave the screen and just watching the suffering in the face of the former is worth it. A self-confident person slips slowly into being a mental wreck, but you don’t find out if he goes over the edge until the end. One mistake, one road, one bad day. Donald, don’t trust God when it comes to concrete! (04/08/2014)

Unexpectedly, in the end, a very enjoyable one-man show, where Tom Hardy gives a very admirable performance and even this is not much of a thriller to speak of, his pleasant voice makes the film beautiful to watch and listen to. Compared to Robert Redford's All Is Lost, it is twice the experience. 75% (08/08/2014)