Locke (film)

Locke

Film poster

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Steven Knight
Produced by Guy Heeley
Paul Webster
Written by Steven Knight
Starring Tom Hardy
Music by Dickon Hinchliffe
Cinematography Haris Zambarloukos
Edited by Justine Wright
Production
company
Shoebox Films
IM Global
Distributed by A24
Release dates
  • 2 September 2013 (Venice)
  • 18 April 2014 (United Kingdom)
Running time
 84 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Budget Less than $2 million[1]
Box office $5 million[2]

Locke is a 2013 British drama film written and directed by Steven Knight. The film stars Tom Hardy, with Tom Holland, Olivia Colman, Andrew Scott, Ruth Wilson, Ben Daniels, and Alice Lowe providing voices.

The film premiered at the 70th Venice Film Festival on 2 September 2013. The film had a limited release in the United Kingdom beginning on 18 April 2014, and grossed $5 million worldwide. Locke received critical acclaim, particularly for Hardy's performance. Hardy won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor for his performance.

Plot

The day before he must supervise a large concrete pour in Birmingham, construction foreman Ivan Locke learns that Bethan, a colleague with whom he had a one-night stand seven months previously, has gone into premature labour. Despite his job responsibilities and although his wife and sons are eagerly awaiting his arrival home to watch an important football match, Locke decides to drive to London to be with Bethan during childbirth. Locke never forgave his father for abandoning him as a child, and he is determined not to make the same mistake.

Locke has several phone calls with his boss and a colleague, Donal, to ensure the pour is successful, with his wife Katrina to confess his infidelity, his son, and with Bethan to reassure her during her labour. Over the course of the two-hour drive to London, he is fired from his job, kicked out of his house by his wife, and asked by his older son to return home. He coaches his assistant Donal through preparing the pour despite several major setbacks, and has imaginary conversations with his father, whom he envisions as a passenger in the back seat of his car. When he is close to the hospital, Locke learns of the successful birth of his new daughter.

Cast

Production

Almost the entire film takes place within a BMW X5, which was driven down the M6 motorway on a flatbed truck for most of the time. Shooting took place in real time, and the filmmakers only took breaks to change the cameras' memory cards.[3]

Release

Locke was shown out of competition at the 70th Venice International Film Festival[4][5] and premiered in the Spotlight program in the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

It was released on 18 April 2014 in the United Kingdom,[6] where it made $3,264,654.[2] On 25 April 2014 it opened in the United States and made $1,375,769.[2] The film was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on 12 August 2014.[7]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 91% of 191 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 7.7 out of 10. The critical consensus states: "A one-man show set in a single confined location, Locke demands a powerful performance – and gets it from a never-more-compelling Tom Hardy."[8] The film has a score of 81 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 37 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[9]

Olly Richards of Empire awarded the film 4/5 stars and said: "There are films to see on huge screens, but this is one that almost cries out for a small cinema, surrounded by total blackness. It's a daring experiment brilliantly executed, with Tom Hardy giving one of the best performances of his career".[10]

For his performance, Hardy won the Best Actor Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

References

  1. ↑ Setoodeh, Ramin (25 April 2014). "Tom Hardy Talks About His Experimental Indie Movie 'Locke'". Variety. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Locke (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Murphy, Mekado (23 April 2014). "A Road Movie, but With No Rest Stops". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Out of Competition". labiennale. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  5. ↑ "Venice film festival 2013: the full line-up". The Guardian (London). 25 July 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  6. ↑ Glasby, Matt (14 April 2014). "Locke". Total Film. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "DVD Releases". Tribute.ca. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Locke (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "Locke". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  10. ↑ Richards, Olly. "Locke". Empire. Retrieved 26 April 2014.

External links