Spoilers think a great story requires great storytelling skills.

I will have a seat reserved for chamber pieces, the movies that take place in one room. When you bring down the production elements to one location and challenge it even further by casting primarily one actor, you’re taking a risk. That risk can pay off with the right talent, and boy does it hit the motherload here. Find this film and watch it before reading. I’ve literally already told you too much. But if you’re not convinced yet, I will give you the lowdown.

(Credit: IM Global)

Locke (2013) is written and directed by Steven Knight. Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) is finishing work as a construction manager and he’s ready to head home to his wife and kids. He gets in his car and starts driving, while making a few calls on his car phone. We will slowly discover that Locke is actually headed in a different direction, and about to make a decision that will affect his work, his family and changing his life forever.

Yes, it does work. The entire premise and its development is centered on Locke himself, driving along as he gets and makes calls to other people we only hear by voice. The entire weight of the film is carried by Tom Hardy’s performance that is both heavily dramatic and yet so incredibly realistic. The atmosphere is one of a charged electricity as each call slowly gets our protagonist closer to his destiny but further away from what he once knew. The ending, rather than spectacle, is one of resolve. You gotta live with the consequences of what you’ve done and what you’ve decided to do.

Extremely recommended without reservations. This film is probably a very understated high point in Tom Hardy’s acting career. Although it’s very much hailed as a drama, I also believe it can count as somewhat of a thriller, albeit in a very minimalistic form. Very much worth watching.

That will do for now.