7. Bronson
Genre: Biopic There are some criminals who really should spend their lives locked up behind bars - wielding such a destructive influence on the rest of society, maximum security prison is the only place left for them. One such man is Michael Gordon Peterson aka Charles Bronson, notoriously known as "the most violent prisoner in Britain" and vividly portrayed on screen by Tom Hardy in Nicolas Winding Refn's biopic, Bronson. Refn is the perfect choice of director for a film like Bronson - his oeuvre is the definition of exploring unchecked masculinity; from Pusher through to Drive, criminality and violence are the recurring, dominant themes he delves into. Bronson is no exception, but at the same time what makes it stand apart from the others is a feel for the comically absurd, interjecting Bronson's frequent violent outbursts with scenes which point to his near-theatrical grandiosity. Hardy's performance - in a sense prefiguring his turn as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises - is truly fantastic, and stands as one of the great actor physical transformations in recent history (indeed, the first time I watched Bronson I didn't twig that it was him until near the end of the film). The real life Bronson himself thoroughly approved, too, and was was so impressed by Hardy's physique that he even shaved off his trademark moustache so that Hardy could wear it for the role.
See also: Chopper