Tom Hardy gives his most impressive performance to date (and that's really saying something) in a role many thought should have been Oscar-nominated earlier this year. Hardy plays Ivan Locke, a construction foreman who is forced to drive from Birmingham to London in order to attend to a difficult personal matter on the eve of a crucial concrete pour at his job. The entire film takes place inside Ivan's car as he attempts to keep both his job and family life from crumbling to pieces, a daring gimmick which requires Hardy to be magnetic at all times. The actor duly rises to the challenge, delivering an unforgettable portrayal of a man barely keeping it together and becoming increasingly frazzled by forces far out of his control. The supporting performances (all of which are voice-over roles during phone calls) give Hardy plenty to work with, and though it might not be to more casual tastes, Locke is a fine example of a minimalist experiment near-perfectly executed.