“Bronson”
Reviewed 14 September 2009 by Ted Faraone
Two stars out of Five; $4 ticket on a scale of $0 to $12.
A MISGUIDED EPIC
There is a scene in “Bronson,” the latest feature from Danish helmer Nicolas Winding Refn, in which an inmate in an insane asylum defecates on his hand and then smears the result on his face. The scene more or less sums up the film.
“Bronson” is only 92 minutes long, so the torture level is at least tolerable. Tom Hardy in the title role as British convict Michael Peterson, a.k.a. Charlie Bronson, delivers a powerful performance based on a true story. It’s the material that kills pic. Helmer Refn clearly thinks that the lifer should be released. The British Government disagree.
Despite Hardy’s tour de force it is difficult to develop empathy for a sociopath who starts beating people up and stealing as a kid and continues to do so well into middle age, with no compelling backstory, such as an abusive childhood, to give context to the bad acts. As Refn’s and Brock Norman Brock’s screenplay unfolds, Peterson/Bronson is no more than a guy with a violent streak who spent most of his adult life in prison, much of it in solitary confinement, largely because of his enjoyment in taking hostages and beating up the screws. And let’s not forget the seminal post office robbery with the aid of a sawed-off shotgun – or the infamous Broadmoor riots which did tens of millions of Pounds Sterling in damage to the facility. The guy blows his best shot at staying free when he is told by the object of his affections that she is to marry another guy. His reaction is to rob a jewelry store in order to give her an expensive ring. It is futile as well as stupid. But that’s the guy’s M.O. He does whatever he can to trip himself up as soon as things begin to go well for him – which they do until the jewelry store robbery. Peterson, during one of his stints on the outside, hooks up with a flamboyantly gay former inmate (Matt King) who sets him up in the underground fight world, selecting “Charles Bronson” as his nom de guerre. Peterson makes a bit of a name for himself as a brawler whose opponents include fighting dogs as well as other human brawlers.
Refn’s direction, Hardy’s stylized performance, and pic’s straightforward chronology, are juxtaposed with a musical score heavy on well known operatic themes. The intent is to make Peterson/Bronson heroic. The effect is to create accidental comedy which undermines the intent. The lead is more self-centered buffoon than hero.
Violence abounds. Hardy spends a good part of pic naked. In supers pic points out that Peterson/Bronson is
To pic’s detriment, much of its point is made in the press notes, not on the screen. It is in the press notes that one learns that Peterson published a fitness book, won 11 Koestler awards for poetry, and has worked as an artist for the past decade. Refn could have made an argument -- albeit a reach -- for redemption with a closing sequence to that effect. Instead, pic ends with Peterson back in solitary confinement in a straightjacket after holding his prison art teacher hostage for 44 hours and beating up the screws once more. Based on what’s on screen, most auds will likely agree with British Government that Peterson is where he belongs and will wish that they had chosen a different movie to see. Peterson just does not deserve an hour-and-a-half of anyone’s time let alone a feature film about his life.
“Bronson” carries an “R” rating due to violence, nudity, and language. Editing by Matthew Newman is notably economical. Tech credits are largely adequate except for sound recording. Not all of Hardy’s lines are intelligible. Subtitles would have helped.
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