Rapid Review: Locke (2013)

Posted on by Zoë

locke poster

“I’ll explain when I’m not driving and when I’m with you and Eddie together, you know? I, uh, I’ve only just explained it to myself.”
– Ivan Locke

SYNOPSIS: Ivan Locke, a dedicated family man and successful construction manager, receives a phone call on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career that sets in motion a series of events that threaten his careful cultivated existence. – via IMDB

tom hardy locke

GRADE 6.5I read so many good things about this movie, and I really, really like Tom Hardy, so I was really excited to finally get to see this. With my last few free  hours, my other half and I decided to watch something. He was insistent that he wanted to see something we hadn’t seen before, and it had to have an internet rating of at least 8, and recommended by people I trust. It was easy for me to pick Locke, then, seeing as I had heard so many great things. To start, Chop, this is so never, ever going to be your cup of tea, skip it. I wasn’t even bugged by the fact that the entire film takes place in the car, and Hardy is the only person you see. It speaks volumes about his talent as an actor that he can keep you there and keep you happy, you aren’t too bothered. He portrayed his character very well, I just didn’t particularly like Ivan. I understood his plight and all that, though it was trouble of his own making, and I respected what he was trying to do and all that, but this was another one of those cases where the movie just ends. Yes, granted, they sort of wrapped some things up before it (how he felt about his work/Chicago), but then there was a whole other section that was just… left. Like his wife, his sons, his living situation, the other woman, the whole shebang. I won’t lie, I read as little as possible about the movie before I watched it, you all know how I love to go into something with as fresh a perspective as I can wrangle, but I must be honest, this was nothing like what I thought it would be (my own preconceived notions), and it wasn’t exactly terrible, it just felt a little hollow by the end of it all. There are so  many moments where the films feels like it is on the precipice of something, and instead of giving us what we want, it just goes another way, leaving you with a really dissatisfied feeling. Well, for me, at any rate. I know a lot of other people thoroughly enjoyed it. I was just not one of them who loved it. I liked how he was still trying to pull his end of the contracting bargain together, no matter what happened, and Donal gave me a few smiles, but at the end of everything I was just underwhelmed.

26 thoughts on “Rapid Review: Locke (2013)”

  1. I was also disappointed with this one, though Hardy is great and I like the idea. Unfortunately no one is likable. Ivan is not very nice but all those people he talks with are just annoying as hell…

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  4. I liked it more than you. I enjoyed the way the confined setting concentrated the drama. I also thought the performance from Hardy was excellent. The way the structure demanded him to change gears of emotions from one extreme to the other demonstrated what a fine actor he is. Your reviews are always interesting though, and it’s good to read another opinion.

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    1. Hi Zoe! I agree w/ Mark, I’m a big fan of this one as well, it made my top 20 of the year for me. I was actually surprised how emotionally-involving it was and that it kept me engaged despite not much is going on. Ivan is not the most likable guy but he made us care about his plight. Hardy is superb and he’s charismatic enough to do this kind of one-man show.

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      1. We’re on the same page here Ruth. I couldn’t agree more with what you’ve just said. It was actually in my Top Ten until very recently. If I was to do a top 20 it would definitely make it.

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      2. Hehehe, I knew I would be in the minority with this. Hardy really was fantastic, Locke was just a really hollow experience for me, unfortunately.

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  9. Bummer! I’d read a lot of good things about this one, too. I still might try to check it out, but it’s good to know it might not be the best thing ever. Good review, Zoe! Sorry this was a letdown! Maybe if Tom Hardy were shirtless this would’ve been better…? 😉

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    1. MJK,

      Who knows, you might love the hell out of it 😉 I am one of the few that thought it was not interesting and amazing and compelling. But I would not be rushing to see it again.

      Returned Bkushi

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