Locke

I wrote down the name of this little film a few months ago having read a review somewhere which obviously intrigued me. Then I forgot all about it until I saw the DVD for sale. I commend this particular practice for this particular film. It would be good to watch this film without knowing how it is going to work. It is better if it dawns on you after a while.

It has a very unusual premise. About ten minutes in I remembered what it was. Trust me when I say that this film is worth watching. It is a suspense film. It is a thriller. And in case anyone has ever said to you that something is about as exciting as watching concrete dry then they are wrong. This is about laying concrete and it is exciting.

We meet Project Manager Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy in a brilliant performance) as he drives away from a deserted site. We learn very early on that he is going to be missing on the most important day of his working life (tomorrow) because something more important, personally, has come up.

Can he talk other people calmly through the necessary complexities of a massive concrete-pour whilst battling the inner voice of a father who deserted him and explaining the circumstances of his absence to his family?

The answer takes eighty-two minutes. Locke is in every scene. Gripping. And breaks a lot of the rules of movies to be so.