Saturday, October 15, 2011

Bronson (2008)

Bronson (2008)
Bronson (2008)


Genre: Biography, Drama
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Tom Hardy
Language: English
Duration: 92 min.
Rating: 8.1  

Summary:
In 1974, a hot-headed 19 year old named Michael Peterson decided he wanted to make a name for himself and so, with a homemade sawn-off shotgun and a head full of dreams he attempted to rob a post office.  Swiftly apprehended and originally sentenced to 7 years in jail, Peterson has subsequently been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement.



October's LAMB Movie of the Month is Bronson, a film by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, loosely based on the life of notorious UK prisoner known as Charles Bronson.  It premiered at the 2008 BFI London Film Festival.

The followup to Refn's gritty and stylish Pusher trilogy, Bronson is a product of the Kubrickian school of virtuoso violence.  It's carried by an astonishing performance from Tom Hardy, who magnificently transforms into the charismatic, strutting beast, and loose cannon that is Bronson.  A man you get the sense was perhaps born in the wrong era.  30 years earlier and he would have likely been a decorated war hero, 30 years later and he might have been current UFC champion.  But instead he was destined to be a thug with delusions of grandeur.

Bronson (2008)

It's an unconventional biopic, presented in a hyper realistic fashion.  The cinematography is made to look gritty, but the story is pure comic book style extravagance.  Film Bronson is a larger than life character who looks a bit like Bald Bull come to life.  A misguided super anti-hero who appears to enjoy taking a beating even more than he likes dishing one out, as he repeatedly charges with fists swinging into one outnumbered fight after another.  He takes hostages but is clueless when asked for his demands, the only thing he relishes are the inevitable bruised ribs and bloody knuckles when the guards finally come storming in.

Despite the amount of violence on display, the images are never truly gruesome or disturbing except for maybe the very last scene.  In fact a lot of the action comes across as humorous and even silly, especially one bare knuckle fight set to a techno soundtrack with every strike accompanied by arcade sound effects.  It's not an entirely depressing prison film either, Bronson seems to genuinely revel in his celebrity status behind bars, and there are plenty of laughs to be had as he narrates his life story, performing an imaginary one man vaudeville show inside his head.  In these scenes is where Tom Hardy shines the most, displaying a psychotic yet oddly captivating personality who really knows how to put on a show.

Bronson (2008)

However, Refn doesn't completely hit the mark here, the screenplay is practically devoid of any development, even though we get to see glimpses of his early life and some interesting side characters, none of these threads are explored enough to give a well rounded picture.  Also the sisyphean nature of Bronson's actions gets almost tiresome, how many times do we have to see him starting a fight in futile, followed by a half dozen guards brutally subduing him.

Still, Bronson is the work of a very talented director.  Just like his latest film Drive, this one is overtly and unashamedly influenced by previous masterpieces, yet doesn't come across like a knockoff, but rather like a highly entertaining bastard cousin.  All topped off with a legendary chameleon acting performance from Tom Hardy, words don't do it justice, it really has to be seen.

Bonjour Tristesse

Bronson (2008)

Bronson (2008)

Bronson (2008)

Bronson (2008)

Bronson (2008)

Bronson (2008)

Bronson (2008)

Bronson (2008)

More reviews from fellow LAMBS:

16 comments:

d_4 said...

Actually, so far they haven't. You've explained the pros and cons to the few I've gotten around to watching to the point where I won't be let down and will enjoy what I wanted to watch it for. Thanks for your blog, it's helped turn otherwise boring nights into entertaining ones.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

That's just the impression I got, a bit crazy and dangerous sure, but mostly a guy born in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I agree, this is only similar to Kubrick in the style the violence is presented, and a few clear homage sequences.  Not in the message or overall impact.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah that whole scene was hilarious.  He doesn't want to hurt the hostage, nor does he want any demands from the warden.  He's just bored and wants to fight some guards.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks for reading Dan. 

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Wow, well I hope my recommendations don't let you down.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I understand, thanks for reading anyways.

Dirtywithclass said...

I would not call this one Kubrickian at all. While Kubrick did have some stylized violence in A Clockwork orange, it still had impact unlike here where it didn't feel impactful at all. Overall i was disappointed in this one. it felt too stylized for me, and the character of Bronsons didn't feel interesting enough to sustain my interest.

Dan O'Neill said...

I didn’t really like this one as much as many others did either. I liked the style and Hardy’s kick-ass performance, but nothing else really happened here that kept me interested. Nice review. 

Hoi-Ming Ng said...

You may be interested to know, this is the first film you've reviewed that I've already seen! I loved it. The lack of development didn't bother me in the slightest. His penchant for suddenly breaking into wide smiles during his talking head interviews was fascinating. I'd say the most memorable scene for me was one of the "humorous and even silly" ones. The one where he had the prison guard grease him up before the rest came storming in.

"Quicker, quicker, QUICKER, QUICKER!!"

d_4 said...

This is one of the few I've been meaning to watch that you HAVEN'T posted about. It no longer is, and I think it was the last one. My list of movies is pretty much entirely yours now.


Oh, and thanks for the cons. I would've gone into it thinking it was a bit better than what I'm expecting it to be now. Friends kinda over glorified it, I think.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah I highly recommend it.  It's not a masterpiece but it is entertaining and has an amazing performance

Shutter Bug said...

this is not something i would want to watch. 

Lesya said...

I read a couple of other reviews, and after this one, my excuses about why I haven't seen Bronson yet will not be valid.

TimBowen said...

I've seen this one too. Not the best, but it's fun.

NeverTooEarlyMP said...

Great review. I doubt I'll get around to this in time for MOTM, but I am looking forward to it. I was particularly interested in the line where you said "30 years earlier and he would have likely been a decorated war hero, 30 years later and he might have been current UFC champion. But instead he was destined to be a thug with delusions of grandeur." When I watch it, I'll definitely be thinking about changing gender roles over time!

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