Bronson

It is quite difficult to review Bronson, for a number of reasons. The first reason is that it is a very weird film. It’s very ‘artsy’ and suffers in many people’s eyes as a result of this. The second reason that it is quite difficult to review is because it is hard to not draw strong comparisons with ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and view it in the light of that.

The film tells the story of Charles Bronson, Britain’s most violent criminal, and stars Tom Hardy as the lead character. The film is basically set with Bronson telling his story to a room full of people, in a series of scenes which are vividly parallel to A Clockwork Orange. It tells how Bronson came to become imprisoned for seven years, and how he has not left prison in the thirty-odd years to follow. It’s an interesting film, but it’s not really the informative piece I was expecting.

Tom Hardy is absolutely fantastic as Charles Bronson though, and conveys every aspect of his personality expertly. Not knowing that much about Charles Bronson to begin with, I think it would be unfair of me to cast aspersions on his character (he is in prison for repeated violence etc so I think the damage as already been done). However, Tom Hardy is slightly terrifying when he changes mood so rapidly. For example, in one scene he goes from the sinister inmate who is threatening an officer to the man having an awkward chat, and then flips out when the officer sits in the wrong place. He is marvellously talented when it comes to playing the sinister characters in cinema (Bane is just one example), and his performance in Bronson should have earned him more critics than it did.

Hardy’s performance is let down slightly by the fact that the film is definitely not for everyone. I decided to watch it because it looked like a gripping film about a violent prisoner, and I thought it would tell me more about Bronson. While it did tell me a little bit about his history, Wikipedia told me much more. The film seems to focus much more on the ‘alternative’ and arty aspects of cinematography. There is no denying that this is impressive, and the scenes in which Hardy is talking directly to the ‘theatre’ are quite strange. The audience gets the feeling that Bronson is talking almost directly to them, rather than speaking to a crowd, and this is quite intimidating. I particularly like the scene where Bronson is explaining his parole hearing. His swapping between the two characters he is re-telling is both brilliant and reflective of the insanity of the character at hand.

Nicholas Winding Refn does a great job of directing Bronson. It is definitely one of the more ‘arty’ films that I have seen, and the focus on Bronson’s artwork towards the end of the film is very thought provoking. He strips naked, ties his instructor up and paints on him, saying that he reflects himself in what he has done. This is followed by a large scale fight with the prison officers. This is a continuous theme of the movie, and Bronson is often seen to be fighting with the authorities. These scenes are wonderfully directed, and Tom Hardy really throws himself into these fights. If nothing else, his facial expressions reflect the disdain and hatred that Bronson has for the authorities.

I thought it would be difficult to write about Bronson before I started, and I’m finding it increasingly difficult now. The problem I have with it though is that I just don’t get a lot of it. It’s a good film, yes, but a lot of the art direction is very subjective, and in my opinion it spoils what could be a magnificent film. This is the main problem that Bronson will face as a movie I think. Maybe it would be a very popular film if it focused on Bronson’s life more, but I think the art nature will not appeal to many. At times it comes across as very pretentious, and while this may reflect something or other, this isn't very apparent to the audience. When I watch a film, I don’t want to finish watching it and need to have an in-depth think about what this aspect meant. Bronson made me do this, and this sort of spoiled the impact the film had on me.

Bronson is definitely not one for everyone. It will not really appeal to those who don’t know who Charles Bronson is, and might not appeal to those who are ‘just curious’. If you are reading this and wondering whether you might like to watch it, I would suggest you give it a go, but be warned because it is quite strange.