Locke

We've all seen films in which many actors are playing roles where they and others are in extreme peril, but there aren't many movies whereas the peril is centered on one character in which the premise centers around. We've seen films like "Phone Booth" '02 with Colin Farrell, last year's "Getaway" with Ethan Hawke and also last year's "All is Lost" with Robert Redford. I'm sure there are a few others, but with "Locke", we can now add to that list.

Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) has worked diligently to craft the life he has envisioned, dedicating himself to the job as a construction manager which he loves, and to the family he adores. On the eve of the biggest challenge of his career, Ivan receives a phone call that sets in motion a series of events that will unravel his family, job, and soul. All taking place over the course of one riveting car ride, "Locke" is an exploration of how one very wrong decision can lead to the collapse of a life. The more Ivan attempts to correct one bad situation, it only opens up Pandora's box to another bad situation and then the 'dominos' just keep falling.

The others in the cast are actually voices as he speaks with them on a hands free phone. These are Olivia Colman as Bethan, Ruth Wilson as Katrina, Ivan's wife, Andrew Scott as Donal, Ivan's contractor, Ben Daniels as Gareth, Ivan's boss, Tom Holland as Eddie, Ivan's son, Bill Milner as Sean, Ivan's other son, Danny Webb as Cassidy, Alice Lowe as Sister Margaret, Silas Carson as Dr. Gullu, Lee Ross as PC Davids, and Kirsty Dillon as Gareth's wife.

This was tightly and grittily directed by Steve Wright ("Redemption" '13) plus TV. He's more of a writer, but with the limited experience in the director's chair, this guy is a natural. He will shine even more with future projects. It was also written by Wright ("Carrott U Like" (TV movie) '94, "Gypsy Woman" '01, "Dirty Pretty Things" '02, "Amazing Grace" '06, "Eastern Promises" '07, "Redemption" '13, "Closed Circuit" '13) + TV. This guy seemingly writes cutting edge scripts before his particular style becomes chic, which I have great admiration for. This is a biz that is so fearful of breaking the mold, for fear of flopping and going into oblivion, that the chutzpah this guy displays certainly deserves praise even if one isn't into the subject matter. So much went on in this that it seemed longer than its 85 minute running time, but this is complimentary, because most screenplays would have needed a couple of hours to make sense of this plot. This guy was able pull it off in only 85 minutes. Of course, when you have someone like Hardy in the title role, this is just frosting on the cake. This has got to been one of Hardy's better efforts, and he's a fine actor.

If you can wrap your head around the claustrophobia of this premise--remember, it's all shot in the confines of a car, then I really believe you'll be pulled into this guy's life being turned totally upside down.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                            Rated: R                           85mins.