The movie is based on a real life person, no not Charles Bronson, but one who thought of himself as Charles Bronson. Don't look for storytelling greatness or original idea in a usual sense, but rather look at this project as a unique display of style. It's all about caricaturing an exceptional individual, the infamous Michael Peterson; he was the most notorious prisoner Britain has ever known. I watched this movie, not quite believing what I was seeing and wondering how weirder it could get. I did not know what to make of it, yet I could not turn it off. I understood early on that this was the life story of an incredible criminal, but incredible not in a flattering way.
The director found an approach that could stand out, really stand out, and also found in Tom Hardy the best actor to play this part. I did not recognize Hardy until I looked up the credits. It's the same Tom Hardy that I raved about in a review of the movie 'Warrior' and who I liked in 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy', 'Inception', 'RocknRolla', 'Sucker Punch' (not the 2011 one, the 2008), and 'Layer Cake'. The movie will not likely appeal to you if you're not open to 'artsy' movie making, but if you want to see a great performance by Hardy, you can't go wrong. You'll never see a tough-guy character like this; he's the 'baddest s.o.b.' I've ever seen. It was an experience.
The director found an approach that could stand out, really stand out, and also found in Tom Hardy the best actor to play this part. I did not recognize Hardy until I looked up the credits. It's the same Tom Hardy that I raved about in a review of the movie 'Warrior' and who I liked in 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy', 'Inception', 'RocknRolla', 'Sucker Punch' (not the 2011 one, the 2008), and 'Layer Cake'. The movie will not likely appeal to you if you're not open to 'artsy' movie making, but if you want to see a great performance by Hardy, you can't go wrong. You'll never see a tough-guy character like this; he's the 'baddest s.o.b.' I've ever seen. It was an experience.