Quick Links
Forget aboutTom Hardy’s roles as the investigative journalist who unwillingly bonds with an alien symbiote, the old-school leader of the Vandals motorcycle club, or a post-apocalyptic road warrior. In the filmLocke, you can go ahead and reimagine him as construction foreman Ivan Locke, a simple individual with a clear mission in mind. More importantly, this intimate role from nine years ago shows that Hardy — even when it’s in avery tight and enclosed space— can brilliantly hold an audience’s attention.
For 85 minutes, writer and director Steven Knight (an Academy Award nominee) weaves a thrilling and unique tale about a man who ends up losing everything (his family and his job) while he’s on the way to meet the woman he had a one-night stand with seven months ago, who’s currently in the hospital about to give birth with his baby.Not only does this entire movie take place within a BMW, but strangely enough, it also stars the actor everybody wants Hardy to be in a film with these days,Tom Holland.
Tom Hardy Is the Central Star of Locke
Even though Tom Hardy is the only one we see in this minimalist, surreal drama from 2015, awell-rounded supporting castturns this one-actor, one-car movie into something of a cinematic spell for movie enthusiasts.The catch is we only hear these other players through the speakerphone of the car in dramatic, short-burst phone calls that never seem to stop. Olivia Colman voices Bethan Maguire, the distressed woman that Locke is rushing to. Ruth Wilson brings Locke’s wife to life, who deals with the startling news about her husband while simultaneously at home with her two sons.
Having to drunkenly spring into action, Donal (the work trainee under Locke) is played by Andrew Scott. Locke also has to contend with his stern boss, Gareth, council head Cassidy, and local police officer Davids about the historic concrete pour that is supposed to happen the following morning (these three characters are played by Ben Daniels, Danny Webb, and Lee Ross). In saying all of that,you wouldn’t believe who Tom Holland plays.
Ivan Locke Tries to Be a Better Man
The personalities these men and women play andthe emotions they so easily conveyover a car speaker fit into this movie like puzzle pieces. Admittedly, the plot can sound crude, butthere is also a reason why the film is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and indicated as being “universally acclaimed” on Metacritic.
When Olly Richards of Empire Magazine reviewedLocke, a journalist with over 20 years of experience, they noted that the film should be seen in a small venue and in total darkness. There is truly a poetic message there as Hardy brings forth a man who, even though he is constantly and confidentlyconversing with different peopleduring this tumultuous time, is struggling to keep his cool in those few moments he is alone. Even when all of his different circles tend to be spinning around him, he is still alone with his choices.
Guy Ritchie Gangster Series Taps Tom Hardy, an Oscar Winner & a Former James Bond
The series was initially planned as a Ray Donovan spin-off.
Riding along for this secret-filled night, the audience discovers that Locke is not as poised as he seems. Every so often, he talks to the invisible imprint of his deceased, troublesome father in the back seat. Even with different threats to his livelihood piling up with every call, he keeps reiterating that what he’s choosing to do shows that he is a better man than the one who raised him. Hardy’s thrilling and steadfast performance inthis experimental filmearned himthe Best Performer award in 2014 by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. For a moment, let’s frameLockein a more modern perspective, though — one of the more interesting aspects has to come from Tom Hardy and Tom Holland’s dynamic.
Tom Hardy and Tom Holland — Father and Son?
WhileSpider-Man and Venom’s connectionis yet to be explored in live-action, the two corresponding actors had quite a familial relationship inLocke. Holland played Eddie Locke, Ivan’s younger son. While Sean (the older sibling, played by Bill Milner) seemed to understand what was taking place between his parents, Eddie had a hard time facing reality.
This 2008 Tom Hardy Movie Is Still His Forgotten Masterpiece
Whether he knew it or not, Bronson was the film that laid the groundwork for Tom Hardy’s career. So why has it been forgotten?
Even though he was in the same house as his mother and saw something very troublesome was brewing,Holland (believed to only be 16 years old at the time) brilliantly conveyed a broken boy, subtly pleading with his father that everything would be alright. Ivan’s wife, on the other hand, firmly told him not to come home sometime before this, so the scene between Ivan and Eddie is even more hurtful to those with a compassionate heart.
Even if it seems like everything is wrong in the end,Tom Hardy, Tom Holland, and the rest of the cast members make this on-the-road drama film a mesmerizing midnight ride. While people seem to love Hardy in the more fantastical Venom role, this movie proves he can pull offmuch more demanding rolesif he chooses. If you want to see this award-winning performance,Lockeis available to rent onPrime Video,YouTube, andGoogle Play.
