Bronson (2008)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Nicolas Winding Refn

Writers:

Brock Norman Brock (screenplay) and
Nicolas Winding Refn (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 March 2009 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Biography | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The Man. The Myth. The Celebrity.

Plot:

A young man who was sentenced to 7 years on prison for robbing a post office ends up spending 30 years in solitary confinement. During this time, his own personality is supplanted by his alter ego, Charles Bronson.

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Prison | Cell Mate | Drawing | Theater

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Tom Hardy	...	Charles Bronson
Matt King	...	Paul
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kelly Adams	...	Irene
Katy Barker	...	Julie
Edward Bennett-Coles	...	Brian
June Bladon	...	Party guest
Amanda Burton	...	Mum
William Darke	...	Charles Bronson - Age 13
Andrew Forbes	...	Joe Peterson
Helen Grayson	...	Uncle Jack's Party Guest (as China-Black)
Anna Griffin	...	Train Girl
Kate Hesketh	...	Uncle Jack's Party Guest
Leah Hinton-Fishlock	...	Uncle Jack's Party Guest
Mandy Kay	...	Boxing Crowd Member
James Lance	...	Phil
Matt Legg	...	Prisoner
Brendan McCoy	...	Prisoner
Jane McLennan	...	Uncle Jack's Party Guest
Juliet Oldfield	...	Alison
Jonathan Phillips
Hugh Ross	...	Uncle Jack
Dean Spicksley	...	Prisoner
Mark Stocks	...	Gangster
Joe Tucker	...	John White

MPAA:

Rated R for violent and disturbing content, graphic nudity, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:18 | Ireland:18 | France:-16 | Australia:MA | USA:R (certificate #45505) | Germany:18 | Finland:K-15 | Norway:15 | Canada:14A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Great Central Railway, Leicestershire, England, UK

Company:

Vertigo Films

Trivia:

Bronson was born under the name of Michael Gordon Peterson on the 6th December, 1952, in Luton, England.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At (11:00) The tutor asks Charles "What's the matter, Charlie?" But in this stage of the story Charles Bronson still had his original name Michael Peterson. He had not yet changed his name to Charles Bronson.

Movie Connections:

References Death Wish (1974)

Soundtrack:

Viens, Malika

Doesn't glorify violence.

Saw this last night, very impressed with the the performances and the structure of the film. Many comments say this glorifies violence whereas it does the opposite, I was left thinking what a waste of a life, if you want to spend the majority of your days sitting alone in a pigpen or drugged up in an asylum then this will inspire you as the means to get there. The audience I saw it with consisted mainly of males in their early 20s, I think they were disappointed because they had gone expecting a knockabout tongue in cheek film about one man's misguided fight against authority and they got a very dark film about the consequences of violence. Bronson didn't come out of this a hero at all.

Throughout the film the audience was silent,the only time there was a reaction was a scene at the beginning of the asylum sequence involving a act by a patient which seemed to provoke an embarrassed titter from some people because they didn't know how else to react. Neither was this film homophobic, I'm gay, I thought Bronson came across as tolerant of "alternative " lifestyles, the fight promoter,the art teacher and his uncle who seemed to live with a bunch of trannies were all accepted by him.He did call the guard he took hostage a "homo" but that was to intimidate him. Tom Hardy's performance was fantastic,vulnerable(seeing his mum out of prison),tough,confused(the reaction to the gay prisoner who fancies him), he was a character out of his time line, an eccentric that can't cope with normal society's rules.

Oh and I have no complaints about the size of his willy, what would your's do surrounded by a film crew?