Thursday, March 25, 2010

BRONSON

IMDB Plot Summary: In 1974, a hot-headed 19 year old named Michael Peterson decided he wanted to make a name for himself and so, with a homemade sawn-off shotgun and a head full of dreams he attempted to rob a post office. Swiftly apprehended and originally sentenced to 7 years in jail, Peterson has subsequently been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement. During that time, Michael Petersen, the boy, faded away and 'Charles Bronson,' his superstar alter ego, took center stage. Inside the mind of Bronson - a scathing indictment of celebrity culture

3 comments:

  1. "Bronson" is based on a real man... the "most violent prisoner in England" That said, this dude is NUTS! The movie is a stylistic and artistic profile of a bald british naked guy with a really cool mustache. A man who's "ultra-violent" tendencies keep him in prison, so he decides to make a career out of it and become the most famous prisoner ever. And boy does he make an impression.

    The reason that I enjoyed "Bronson" so much, believe it or not, wasn't because of all of the slippery naked man fights, but because of Tom Hardy's performance of the title character. Like I said before, this dude is nuts... and Hardy is as convincing as they come.In fact, Hardy's performance is so strong that is distracts from most of the film's flaws as we are immersed into the mind of the artist that is Charles Bronson. The majority of the biopic follow Bronson through his 34 year career, chronicling the fits of violence that merited his long stay. Bronson's character is also augmented by a "theatre in my head" element that attempts to connect the viewer with Bronson. The sardonic violence and epic characterization were enough to win me over. What did/will you think?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Holy shit! Tim you rule! Thank you for posting a topic!

    dude, I saw Bronson at NOLAFF and loved it!

    It does have a... "loose" narrative structure... and the character doesn't have much of an "arc" but goddamn is it not fun to watch Tom Hardy have a field day with this character.

    The film is driven solely by his performance and he dominates every frame. He's at his best when he's dangerous and unpredictable... which is a good chunk of the movie. There are a few slower parts, (primarily when Bronson is not in jail or sedated) but those usually have a payoff worth waiting for...

    The film is simply an exercise in cinema placing you in the mind of the madman. If you're ready... it's a helluva ride.

    You'd recognize Hardy (if he was recognizable in this role... hes quite the chameleon) from Layer Cake, Rocknrolla and Star Trek: Nemesis. He's also the new Mad Max... and I think this role had a hand in tipping the scales for him.

    I thought the "one-man-show/theater-in-his mind" was some of the best stuff in the film...

    I know Tim has an affinity for "Clockwork Orange" as do I, and i think he'll agree that there is a heavy dose of Kubrickian Influence on this film, from the production design, to the framing and subject matter. If you like (or appreciate) Clockwork, then you'll probably love Bronson.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I watched this at a Full Sail in Flight Movies before I left. I wasn't as taken aback by the film but I did think it was well put together. It did bother me coming home and researching online and finding out the discrepancies between the film and his real life. I know films tend to change small things to help the story flow better and whatnot but if I remember correctly there's a whole chunk where he's released from jail that never actually happened. I know films don't tell the truth but now they are seriously changing character development and painting a different picture of the man than the one he painted for himself.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.