Written and Directed by Steven Knight
Starring: Tom Hardy
This is the kind of film that is rarely made: a character study that places one man alone in a car for 85 minutes. It is nighttime and his only companion is the constant stream of phone calls he makes and receives. Each interaction adds to his stress level, and the viewer, of course, anticipates an accident, a chase, something that will put him over the edge.
We learn almost immediately that a woman Ivan Locke has impregnated is in the hospital having his baby. This is where he’s headed, but it’s only one of the events that occur. To tell you much more about the plot would only serve to ruin it for you. What you need to know is that writer-director, Steven Knight and actor Tom Hardy do a brilliant job of bringing this story to life. Hardy has an expressive face and voice that are used well. So too the cinematography which uses the highway, the night, and the lights to heighten the mood—the nighttime almost functioning as another player in the drama. The voices we hear on his mobile are not always crystal clear although they get easier to understand as the story makes itself known.
Highly recommended and Hardy is an early contender for Best Actor this year.
Patti Abbott
