Sundance Review: ‘Bronson’

‘Bronson’ is a true story based on the life of an infamous prisoner in the UK nicknamed Charles Bronson, played by magnificent Tom Hardy. Charles Bronson, or before he got his “fighting name” Mickey Peterson, was born to be in prison, its where he feels at home, it is his “hotel room”.

The movie starts off showing Charles growing up, and sculpting what he will eventually become. He likes to fight, and even though he is short, 5’9, he has brute strength and no fear. The first time he goes to prison is after he robs a post office. He is sentenced to 7 years and gets sent away. While in prison he hones his fighting skills by taking on guards, other inmates, and anyone else that comes in his path. Eventually they send him to a mental institution and after costing the UK government several million pounds, they release him back into society.

Nicholas Winding Refn does an amazing job at making you feel the grittiness of living the lifestyle that Charles Bronson experienced. There are many elements that he used that really resonate with ‘A Clockwork Orange’, and other movies from the UK. During the Q&A one person brought up the similarities of the two movies and he agreed that certain elements definitely go hand in hand. He also brought up a good point about when making movies, everyone steals from other movies, and that was one of his main goals in this movie.

The performance Tom Hardy gives as Charles Bronson is absolutely mesmerizing! This guy was absolutely born to portray this role and he gives every bit of himself to it. When you walk out of the theater you should be blown away, because if you aren’t then I am not sure you are a true fan of cinema… this is as good as it gets!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5