Bronson

3.5/5

I had seen the trailer to this and I was blown away (check it out below), I thought it looked pretty awesome and it stars Tom Hardy (Star Trek: Nemesis).

It is about a real man named Michael Peterson aka Bronson, who is Britians most notorious prisoner. I knew pretty much nothing about the man, and after the film he still seems like a mystery. The film starts off with Bronson narrating to an audience, both with humour and horror. We then see his life un fold and it goes back and forth between the narration to the audience. I quite liked how they did this, it made for a more interesting film actually. It follows Bronson through his time in prison, getting moved to a mental institution, going free and then spending over 25 years in solitary.

This really is a one man show and worth seeing for Tom Hardys amazing performance. If you ever doubted this man as an actor, this will set you straight. He brings everything to this role, he looks the part (just look up the real Bronson) and he loses himself in the role. It takes a brave person to tackle a role like this and a strong one to pull it off. Tom does this all, and then some. I believe he did meet the real Bronson which probably helped him with his portrayal. I hope to see more from Hardy, what a fantastic actor.

The visuals in this film were nicely done, it had such a raw feel to it. It worked, and for each scene specific colours were used and highlighted, very much appreciated here. The direction by Nicolas Winding Refn was very solid, he got top performances. I think what brings this film down is there is a bit too much style and not enough substance. It is a unique film, I haven't seen anything like it. If you want an idea of what to expect, I might say it is a cross between A Clockwork Orange and Chopper. I think I wanted a bit more from the film, more of a point. But overal I enjoyed the film, and I was blown away with Tom Hardy.

Trailer