SPOILERS from the very start. In Locke, a man drives from Birmingham to Croydon in his BMW, talking to people on his handsfree set. That's it. Seriously, that's this film is a nutshell Tom Hardy and his bluetooth connection. So why is it so compelling? You might argued the above description is reductionist, that you can boil anything down to a dull description if you try hard enough. After all, Lord Of The Rings is ostensibly about a short guy who wants to melt jewellery in a volcano. But that's the thing even when you put flesh on the bones of Locke's plot, it still seems dull. It's about a construction foreman called away because his mistress is giving birth breaking the news to his family, as well as an underling who's had to take over the concrete pour he's unable to attend. He bickers with his boss a bit and makes harshly-worded points to his deceased father, but it's not exactly plot dynamite. And yet, Locke is an excellent film. It doesn't feature guns, bombs, bullets or femme fatales, but it's bloody riveting nonetheless Hardy is excellent, and what sparse plot we have is smashed out the park for a home run. Sometimes, that's all you need a good actor given something, anything to do, and nothing proves it like this. Again, there's spoilers past this point, so tread lightly.
Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League.
You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.
