'Locke' (15)

**

Leaving work one evening, Locke goes on a long drive to London. On the way, his life crumbles about him as he makes a series of telephone calls.

I should perhaps make it clear from the outset that one of the stars I have given this film is down to pure creativity – I have never before seen a film such as this, wherein one character spends the duration sitting in a car making phone calls to various acquaintances. We only see Locke (Tom Hardy) outside of the car at the beginning of the film – for the rest he is behind the wheel of his car, speaking into his phone as he drives along various motorways. Even though I don’t think the film ‘works’, I think it is an interesting idea and could have potentially worked if there had been any kind of human interaction, perhaps through flashbacks. As it is, all we have are the various voices that come across the loudspeaker, and this is quite alienating – Tom Hardy is the only face we see.

So, seeing as this is technically only a one-star film in my eyes, what is wrong with it? Well, I was just bored by it. I didn’t care for Locke, nor any of the people he spoke to. I thought the images of lights passing on the motorway was quite effective, but that is not enough to sustain a narrative. Also, I came to be incredibly annoyed by the phone incessantly ringing – every time that awful ring tone (it was actually a rather innocuous sound, really) sounded, I found myself getting more and more annoyed. I found the majority of the people he spoke to irritating as well: why was Donal so useless - Hadn’t he been trained how to do his job?; and why was Bethan so drippy? JUST GET UP AND SHUT THE WINDOW! Similarly, you are simply hit over the head with the BMW product placement in the opening scene – we get chose ups of the emblem multiple times, and at points the film seems to be just one long advertisement for the Bluetooth capabilities the car has to offer.

I really, really wanted to like this film – I had heard and read so many rave reviews, but it was so disappointing. Hardy pulls off the one-man show very well and he is certainly an engaging screen presence, even if his accent is a little dubious. It just didn’t work for me, which is a shame because the idea is so original.