Bronson

(Refn, 2009)

Prior to making this film, Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn had written and directed a number of modest thrillers, including the well-received Danish language Pusher trilogy. With Bronson, Refn has taken on the story of one of the most notorious criminals alive today.

Born Michael Gordon Peterson, the man now better known as Charlie Bronson was jailed for seven years at the age of 22, and due to his actions since then has spent the past 34 years behind bars. Seemingly a born scrapper, Bronson was in trouble with the authorities from a young age and would turn to brawling in the face of any perceived authority figure.

Bronson stars Tom Hardy, who has previously put in strong, if minor showings in a number of British and American action films. He’s played everything from Star Trek baddies to homosexual gangsters, but his centre stage performance here showcases the actor’s unmistakable leading man credentials, and plenty more besides.

The film is based on the real Bronson’s life, but obviously contains some creative embellishments. To read tale of the man himself, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a work of fiction. As with Mark ‘Chopper’ Read and the film of his life, you’d be hard put to find anyone – even the films’ subjects – who could tell you exactly where the line between fact and fantasy had been drawn.

After a brief segment dealing with Bronson/Peterson’s childhood, the film arrives at his conviction and imprisonment for armed robbery in short order. It is at this point where we begin to get an idea of the dynamic between the ‘real’ Bronson and the decidedly unhinged, violence-loving alter-ego who allegedly directs his actions. Hardy, as Bronson, relates to an imaginary audience how he always wanted to be famous for something and, lacking the ability to sing or to act, figured prison life would give him the perfect alternative.

Bronson is soon trading blows with prison guards at the drop of a hat, seemingly unfazed by the superior numbers, weaponry and protective clothing of his opponents. Nobody can figure him out, much less control him, but they’re certainly determined to try and before long, Bronson has seen the inside of all of Britain’s toughest prisons and institutions.

Bronson is a highly stylized biopic seasoned with equal doses of comedy and horror. While certain scenes are obviously played up for the sake of entertainment, Bronson is presented in neither a sympathetic nor a disparaging light. We’re merely shown highlights from the life of a person who has never actually killed anyone, but is still considered far too dangerous to be let free.

Hardy put on at least 15 pounds of muscle for this role, and spent time with the film’s subject in order to borrow his mannerisms. His performance is intense, at times comical and others fiercely intimidating. The music is subtle but very effective in setting the mood, and the fight scenes are brutal, often with a completely nude Hardy swinging in more ways than one.

While it’s a great character study, beyond the (numerous) fight scenes and occasional snippet of personal development there really isn’t much of a story to speak of. All the same, it’s worth seeing both for Hardy’s incredible acting and to get a fleeting glimpse at the life of a truly unique and remarkable – if terrifying – human being.

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tl;dr: Tom Hardy gives a blistering performance, and the film as a whole is an unrelenting and stylish affair. Not a thorough or entirely faithful story of the life of Britain’s most expensive prisoner, but eminently watchable all the same.

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A Single Man

(Ford, 2009)

Adapted from the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood, A Single Man is the tale of George Falconer (Colin Firth), an English college lecturer working in Los Angeles. He lives alone, consumed by grief and struggling to find a purpose following the death of Jim (Matthew Goode), his partner of 16 years. Set in the sixties during the Cuban missile crisis, the film mostly focuses on one day in George’s life, some eight months following the car accident that killed Jim.

During the events of the film George spends time getting his affairs in order, with the apparent intention of committing suicide that evening. He presents himself immaculately, going about his normal activities while reliving his most dear and most heartbreaking memories. He seems to gain new appreciation of the world and the people around him, hinting that he slowly making peace with it all.

It’s all terribly sombre, occasionally melodramatic stuff, but it’s hauntingly beautiful all the same. First-time director Tom Ford – a fashion designer by trade – laces the film with great style and grace, manipulating the colour saturation in line with George’s fleeting uplifts in mood. Ford was forced to finance his debut entirely by himself, and the passion he put into directing it is clear to see.

Firth puts in a career-defining performance here, at once sorrowful, intellectual, free-spirited and decidedly understated. His supporting cast includes Julianne Moore as his long-term friend and one-time, now unrequited lover; and a terrific performance by Nicholas Hoult, who has come a long, long way from About A Boy.

It’s a commendable first film from Ford, gorgeously rendered and superbly performed. The score, too, wonderfully both textures the aching sadness and accentuates the brief moments of joy and wonder. The pervading national fear is a fitting backdrop to the film, and one of my favourite quotes comes when George is discussing the etiquette of sharing bomb shelters with your neighbour:

Grant: “There will be no time for sentiment when the Russians fire a missile at us.”

George: “If it’s going to be a world with no time for sentiment, Grant, it’s not a world that I want to live in.”

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tl;dr: For me, A Single Man is Colin Firth’s finest moment. While it starts off slowly, the film builds into a thing of resonating beauty, showing the actions and inner thoughts of an intensely private man as he seeks to put his grief and loss behind him.

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