A road movie with a difference from director Steven Knight. It portrays Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) as he leaves work on the eve of an historic concrete pour at a huge construction site. Locke is a successful civil engineer, loving husband and father, but events which unfold during the journey along the M6, will send his whole life off its calm, familiar course. Locke, alone in the SUV with a hands-free mobile phone, is riveting. The lighting and tightness of space raise the dramatic tension, as we overhear the phone conversations between Locke and his wife (Ruth Wilson), his sons, second-in-command Donal (Andrew Scott) and a woman in distress, Bethan (Olivia Colman). “With his career on the line, his wife inconsolable and the impending cement pour on the brink of collapse, Locke embarks on a juggling act of quietly monumental proportions, braveiy attempting to restore solidity to his imploding universe one call at a time.” Daniel Green, CineVue. (Cert 15)
Dir: Steven Knight 85 mins UK 2013
Programme Notes
Locke
UK 2013 85mins Cert 15
On the eve of the biggest construction project of his career, Ivan Locke, a hard working, conscientious, mild-mannered family man, leaves the project site and sets out late at night to visit his wife and family, knowing that this action puts his entire future at risk. His car is equipped with a hands-free ‘phone and by the end of the journey, his whole life has changed. Forced to juggle with calls from his wife, his work colleagues and a mysterious woman with whom he once had a brief affair, he heads for the inevitable consequence of unburdening his conscience as he drives through the night.
Director Steven Knight builds the tension beautifully, aided only by the motorway, the night-time darkness, vehicle headlights and a minimal soundtrack. By the end of the film, some viewers may find Locke to be a work that might have worked better as a radio play, as the visuals are perhaps incidental to the resolution (or not) of Locke’s internal turmoil.
Acknowledgments: Gary Tooze, dvdbeaver.com
“Most dramas are about people forced to make decisions driven by their circumstances but few have the courage to strip away all the bullshit. After 85 minutes of travelling with Locke, you will have witnessed how an apparently normal family man can have his life completely turned upside down while you – and he – are sitting still” Matt Glasby, Total Film
“Locke is a wonderful film. It’s about a night in the life of a man who has made a mistake and is trying to rectify it the best way he knows how. It’s about the drama that can happen in any of the cars and any of the lives as they spill out onto [our concrete] arteries. And it’s about what’s left in the mirror, what’s looking back and waiting” Jordan Richardson, canadiancinephile.com
Ivan Locke – Tom Hardy
Katrina Locke – Ruth Wilson (voice)
Bethan – Olivia Colman (voice)
Donal – Andrew Scott (voice)
Gareth – Ben Daniels (voice)
Eddie – Tom Holland (voice)
Director – Steven Knight
Producer – Guy Heeley et al
Screenplay – Steven Knight
Cinematography – Haris Zambarloukos
Music Producer – Dickon Hinchcliffe
Editing – Justine Wright
To be shown with
FIGURES (Patterns)
A young deaf mute girl becomes obsessed with a strange sound she thinks she hears one day in the park.
Belgium 2013 20mins
Winner 2014 UWE European New Talent Short Film Award
Comments
FIGURES (short)
“Intriguing”
“Very enjoyable – sensitive and moving”
“Well made. That factor of the unknown kept your attention.”
“Very good but would need to watch it again to see all the patterns.”
“Solid premise, well executed with creative sound design.”
“Showed how profound deafness is awful but not much else.”
“Spooky but no [sic]!”
“An interesting idea that could be developed into a feature length film.”
“I thought I understood it until the tree didn’t fall on the pram!”
LOCKE (feature)
“Amazingly gripping for just one character (only his face), a few voices and no scenery to speak of. An excellent and unusual film.”
“Very tense, with incredible performance from Hardy. How Locke remained sane at all was a marvel!”
“Brilliantly managed to keep the tension up throughout.”
“A remarkable film – and what an endurance test! At least the ‘phone calls were hands-free ….”
“Interestingly conceived film”
“Brave format – write your own ending!”
“Technically brilliant but very bad for the blood pressure!”
“Plot may not have sounded great on paper but the film’s execution made it an enthralling experience.”
“Enjoyable and unusual – seemed like a different genre to (most) mainstream films.”
“I was bothered by his accent. It seemed to constantly waver between Welsh and not-Welsh.”
“Boring film. Too slow, with bad sound.”
“Yes it probably would have worked better as a radio play!”
“I’m not sure he was concentrating on the road – and what was in that bottle?”
“No Congestion Charge but quite a ‘phone bill!”