Bronson is loosely based on the life of Michael Peterson who later took the name of Death Wish star Charles Bronson. The two men do have one thing in common: they both kicked some ass. Peterson was only supposed to be in prison for seven years, but ended up being in prison for over 34 years and spent 30 of them in solitary confinement.
Peterson, who I will call Bronson from now on, had a homemade sawed off shotgun and decided to rob a local post office when he was just 19 years old. This would begin his seven years that turned in to 34 years in prison and in a mental institution. Bronson wanted to make a name for himself and he did just that. He is referred to as “Britain’s most dangerous prisoner” and that is just not a catchy tagline.
Bronson would pull several hostage takeovers, and be ready to fight the guards who would come to the rescue. He would rub a black substance all over his body, and you knew he was ready for a war. He fought and killed, and it would be for no reason. Well, the one person he strangled was for a reason and that guy kind of deserved it. But for the most part, fighting was fun for Bronson.
The same guy that would curse out the officers and try and punch them out would be the same guy who would offer officers tea on another day. However, when Bronson gets angry, he gets out of control. And before you know it, he has taken someone hostage and is causing an uproar once again. What is so impressive about this man is that he really does not care what happens. He could have been out of prison in less than seven years, but kept getting in to more and more trouble. Bronson felt at home in prison and he was having fun in there. He was a somebody in prison.
This film has a stylish way of presenting the life of Bronson. It is a very unique way of making a biopic. There are scenes when Bronson is acting out on stage or talking straight to the audience. In a lot of ways, this film is like a play. And it was an interesting way to capture his life on-screen, but Bronson is an interesting man himself. So I guess it does make a little bit of sense.
This film is violent and intense. But the problem with this film is there is fighting and more fighting, but the style and the creativity does not make up for loss of substance in the story. A man who loves to fight. That’s it. It is tough to watch Bronson and really be surprised about anything he does. You know he is going to snap and he is going to battle. The interest was gone from this film after 30-45 minutes or so.
This film was not impressive, but the performance from Tom Hardy as Bronson is. He is an unknown in the United States, but that will change because he has signed to take on the role of Max in the upcoming Mad Max film. Hardy transforms into this man of madness and he is fearless. He definitely commits himself to the character and holds nothing back.
The hype about Bronson is a little too much. There is not much to this story even if its done in a slick and stylish fashion by the director, Nicholas Winding Refn. However, the hype about Hardy is very deserving. His transformation and performance will capture your attention more than the film itself.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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