The Writer's Life 11/8 - Lock

I did not recognize the name Tom Hardy, actor, although he is in the midst of a distinguished career. He is the sole character to appear on screen, driving to London, in Locke (2013), which I viewed last night courtesy of Netflix. It is the story of a straight-laced man determined to rectify a rare mistake. During the trip, he is constantly on the phone, trying to coach his underling through a massive construction project,  communicating honestly with his wife and sons, calming a near hysterical woman with whom he shared a one-night-stand, and speaking to his dead father. The danger with such a narrow narrative is tediousness. This is avoided by keeping the film brief, a mere 85 minutes. Despite its intelligence, such fare has limited appeal and is suited only for the most patient viewers. Steven Knight wrote and directed it, his third time at the helm. He has 24 credits as a writer, among them the screenplays for the outstanding Dirty Pretty Things (2002) and the chilling Eastern Promises (2007). However, he is best known as the creator of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? But Locke belongs to the gifted Hardy, whose credits are impressive. His first was Band of Brothers (2001), his next the same year, Black Hawk Down. He has played Bill Sykes in a BBC production of Oliver Twist (2007) and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (2009). He had a major role in Inception (2010). He played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Kudos. More than 37,000 users at IMDb have rated Locke, forging to a consensus of 7.1 of ten. As usual, the contributors in the commentary section were largely negative. Some people would rather bash than simply state: “It’s not my type of movie.” On a scale of five, I rate it 3.25.

I heard the dreaded term Polar Vortex twice today. Will winter arrive even sooner than it did last year, and last as long? Not according to the five-day forecast I just searched, which lifted my spirits considerably.

My thanks to Jack of Chase and Ralph, who bought books today on Bay Parkway.

Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/rP7o9

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/