"Bronson" (2008) Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

“I did come into this world as Michael Peterson but I’ll go out with my fighting name”.Show more

“Charles Bronson” (Tom Hardy) Long before terrorising Gotham City as Batman’s nemesis “Bane” in Christopher Nolan’s epic re-imaging of the caped crusading Batman, a stunning performance in John Hillcoat’s criminally ignored Lawless and teaming up again with Christopher Nolan for the wonderful Inception, Tom Hardy shook the cinema screen with his portrayal of “Britain’s Most Violent Prisoner”, Charles Bronson. Born Michael Peterson, he soon took the moniker of Charles Bronson in prison but has now, as recently as this year (at the time of writing!) changed his name again, in deference to his favourite artist, to Charles Salvador. Hardy was obsessed with the tales and folklore of Charles Bronson growing up and together with two visits to meet the man himself, he was the obvious and only candidate to bring him to life on the big screen. In this often violent and dark twisted tale of his life, Hardy is pitch perfect in his portrayal of Bronson. His gait, walking style and especially the intonations in his fractured speech are sublime character acting of the highest regard, as is the frightening way he switches from his manic smile and laugh to an utterly threatening snarl.

Spending just 69 days in the outside world since his original incarceration it is here that Hardy excels, portraying a slow, socially awkward and on edge character that the world left behind long ago. But naturally the prison scenes dominate, with Hardy constantly bloodied and bruised or stalking his cell like a caged lion in a truly shocking portrayal of a man who always wanted to be famous. Always notorious and forever in the public consciousness, countless books and this film later, Charles Salvador nee Bronson may now have that fame.

The above opening paragraphs are taken from my original spoiler free review of "Bronson" penned and published nearly a decade ago, transferred to my Medium blog site on 28th January 2023 and which can also be read in full and for free via my Substack blog site and the link immediately below:

https://ramblingmusings666.substack.com/p/bronson-2008-b9b2ed79a985

This spoiler free review is also integral to volume 1 of my 7 volumes of "essential film reviews collection". Only available currently in e-book form, each exhaustive volume of spoiler free film reviews is £4.99 however, should you have an Amazon Kindle "Unlimited" package, you can read each and every volume for free:

Volume 1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C4HHDL56

7 Volume Collection

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C4HZSTTH?binding=kindle_edition&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tukn

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