Locke (2014) Movie Review

Tom Hardy in Locke

What happens when one mistake leads to everything you know falling apart? Do you brush it under the rug, deal with it head on, forget about it, or let it catch up to you? That is the dilemma at the center of Locke, a tense character study set entirely in a moving car. A million thoughts swirling around, distracting, engaging and confusing, while we, the audience, make sense of what is happening and begin to weigh how we would handle the situation.

Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) is a simple man. He works for a company that puts down cement, he's the head of his department, and he's damn good at his job. He has a loving family at home, and is considered an all around great guy. Except last year, he had a one night stand with his secretary, leading to her getting pregnant, and him setting out in order to be there for the birth of the child, because he didn't have a father, and Locke will be damned if this kid doesn't have a father either. And so begins one of my favourite movies of 2014 so far, and a truly great character study.

At the center of the film is my man crush, Tom Hardy. An actor normally known for his physicality, Hardy is restrained to the driver seat of his BMW for the entire film. However, the sheer intensity he brings to the way Locke speaks (with a thick Welsh accent), to how he reacts to his ongoing situation, to how he reacts to the traffic around him, Hardy commands the screen at every instance. He is able to express so much simply through the way he moves his eyes, or adjusts how he is sitting, further cementing himself as one of the most talented actors of his generation, and giving a performance that should be a lock (fuck you, I'll use puns) for an Oscar nomination, but will be overlooked.

The supporting cast is all good as well, despite only being heard through the bluetooth in Locke's car. Ruth Wilson is fantastically heartbreaking as Locke's wife, desperately trying to deal with the fact that her husband cheated on her. Olivia Colman is solid as always as Bethan, Locke's former secretary in labour, who is clearly in love him with, despite him blatantly stating he isn't. And Moriarty, err, Andrew Scott is good as Donal, Locke's coworker who is trying to help Locke clean up the mess at work.

The thing that Locke does so well is that it never loses your attention, despite nothing incredibly exciting happening. There are no car crashes, flashbacks or any reason to leave the car. Everything that unfolds simply relies on Locke and his conversations on the phone. Writer and director Steven Knight crafts a beautiful tale of a man at his wits end, desperately clinging to everything that he holds dear and trying not to implode as it all keeps slipping away. He never lets our attention wain as we try to figure out what's going to happen next.

Ultimately, Locke is a great lesson in minimal storytelling. Shot on a short schedule and shoestring budget, it doesn't show, as the level of talent involved shines through. If I had any problem with the movie, it was that there was a character or two that could have been written out, or their dialogue given to another character to deliver. Otherwise, it is a brilliant film with a performance from Tom Hardy that simply proves him as one of the most interesting and talented actors working today.

Grade: A+