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. (06/18/2018)

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)

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! (08/04/2014)

The thriller label that Filmbooster and IMBD gave to Locke generates the wrong expectations. I waited pretty long for those family and work phone calls to be interrupted by some extortionist or psychopath who would terrorise the protagonist over the phone. Yet, to my surprise, nobody like that called and the entire film stayed with the work and family calls. But it wasn’t boring even for a second, which must be credited to all interested parties. (08/02/2014)

Imagine a movie that takes place in a car and it has a single character whom you watch for the entire hour and a half. I can’t help but be happy with the result, because Tom Hardy delivered a great performance. Steven Knight, in turn, did a great job directing this movie so I was on tenterhooks the entire time, bating my breath and wondering how easy it is to mess up your entire life. (12/19/2014)