Nicholas Winding Refn should be a household name by now solely because of the Pusher trilogy, but he’s not. Perhaps Bronson can help turn people on to the director’s mastery of cinematic violence.
The film is about a real life individual named Michael Gordon Peterson, better known as Charles Bronson because of how much he loved to fight. The guy spent most of his life in prison in solitary confinement, mostly to keep the guards and other inmates safe. The man was just built for violence. The film takes on his story from a first-person perspective, sharing a little light on what makes him tick… and constantly beat people with no qualms.
Devin really dug the film when he saw it back at Sundance, and rightfully so. Tom Hardy (perhaps best known among movie geeks as the pipsqueak clone of Picard in Star Trek Nemesis) is a monster here, an absolutely terrifying and fascinating villain of a lead character. Watching his insanity is only made worse when you realize that it’s closely based on a real individual.
The U.S. trailer for Bronson has just hit Hulu in preparation of the film’s October theatrical release. Check it out- it’s a little too hip for what the movie really is, what with its guitar riffs and fancy credits, but anything that attracts people’s interest to this great movie is worth it.