NO CARPOOL LANE FOR YOU
Movie Review – “Locke”
***1/2
Review by Justin T. Bowler
Spoiler alert… The review contains spoilers… Spoilers… Spoilers!!! SPOILERS!!
Very few one-man movies are shot. Even less make it to mainstream wide release. Most recently, we had seen a partial attempt with “127 Hours” (although that had flashbacks scenes with other actors on screen besides James Franco). The same year, there was a further attempt in “Buried” starring Ryan Reynolds (in his best role to date, in my opinion). Then, of course, there have been well-known historic attempts. Andy Warhol’s “Sleep” in 1963 is incredibly artistic, esoteric, and expressionistic. Most movie buffs would be hard-pressed to tell you that they have seen it, so perhaps it’s notoriety is based solely upon the name of Andy Warhol.
I think the most famous example of very few actors in one location, on film, forming a complete movie, is “My Dinner With Andre”, starring Wallace Shawn and André Gregory. Set entirely at a dinner table, the characters proceed to tell stories to each other that are so vivid that when remembering the film after viewing it, you can see visually in your mind all of the things that they talked about, as if the movie in your mind was put on screen to begin with. But, now we have a new champion and it’s “Locke” by Oscar-nominated writer/director Steven knight.
As the opening night film of the Phoenix film Festival (dir. Steven Knight in attendance), “Locke” stars Tom Hardy. IMDb lists the synopsis as “A successful construction manager’s life is drastically changed by a series of phone calls while he drives.” (And here’s where the Spoiler Alert begins. As I stated earlier… The review contains spoilers… Lots of Spoilers… Beware of Spoilers!!! SPOILERS!!) (If you don’t get it by now, you have worse problems than plot spoilers)
The entire movie takes place in the car of the main character. While limited to several shots of the car interior and exterior shots of the car driving down the freeway, director Steven night and star Tom Hardy tell a very gripping dramatic story. There are several other characters in the film that are only heard via the phone system in the car; however, they are so well cast and performed that by the end of the film, one could literally draw pictures of the environment and looks of all the supporting characters. While one might find it daunting to watch a film that takes place entirely inside of automobile, after twenty minutes into the film you forget that it has only one set. Right off the bat, the stakes are high and dramatic.
It is not easy to stick to one set. Directors must consider many things. How do you keep the viewing audience visually stimulated? Is the main actor interesting enough and compelling enough to keep the viewer interested in his inner turmoil? Can the stakes of the main character be raised high enough that audiences will remain interested? Can characters only heard over a phone be three-dimensional enough that the audience will care for them and empathize with them? It is absolutely amazing how Knight and Hardy pull this off. Through drunken moments of triumph and touching moments of sadness, the off-screen characters fully live and invite us into their worlds. Not only do we feel for our main character, but we also hope for, weep for, and adore deeply the people on the other end of the telephone line.
Knight has created a masterfully written story, and masterfully directed and shot a wonderful “experimental” film. Hardy is absolutely outstanding as the working class hero who is merely trying to do what he feels is right, no matter how hard this pursuance may be, or no matter how much it may hurt those around him. Cinephiles, as well as theatergoers, owe it to themselves to seek out this film and digest it.
3.5 out of 4 for Cinephiles!
3.5 out of 4 for indie film fans!
3.5 out of 4 for theater goers!
Your indie film reviewer,
Justin Bowler
@JustinTBowler
Directed by: Steven Knight
Release Date: April 25, 2014
Run Time: 85 Minutes
Country: USA
Rated: R
Distributor: IM Global
