Bronson (2008)

A young man who was sentenced to 7 years in prison for robbing a post office ends up spending 30 years in solitary confinement. During this time, his own personality is supplanted by his alter ego, Charles Bronson.

Director:

Nicolas Winding Refn

Writers:

Brock Norman Brock (screenplay), Nicolas Winding Refn (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Hardy, Kelly Adams, Luing Andrews

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hardy	...	Charles Bronson / Michael Peterson
Kelly Adams	...	Irene
Luing Andrews	...	Hysterical Screw
Katy Barker	...	Julie
Gordon Brown	...	Screw
Amanda Burton	...	Charlie's Mum
Mark Devenport	...	Nurse 1 (as Mark Davenport)
Paul Donnelly	...	Screw
Andrew Forbes	...	Charlie's Dad
Jon House	...	Webber
Matt King	...	Paul Daniels
James Lance	...	Phil
Holly Lucas	...	Young Man
Juliet Oldfield	...	Alison
Jonny Phillips	...	Prison Governor

Storyline

In 1974, a hot-headed 19 year old named Michael Peterson decided he wanted to make a name for himself and so, with a homemade sawn-off shotgun and a head full of dreams he attempted to rob a post office. Swiftly apprehended and originally sentenced to 7 years in jail, Peterson has subsequently been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement. During that time, Michael Petersen, the boy, faded away and 'Charles Bronson,' his superstar alter ego, took center stage. Inside the mind of Bronson - a scathing indictment of celebrity culture.

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Plot Keywords:

post office | solitary confinement | alter ego | prison | jail | 

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Taglines:

The Man. The Myth. The Celebrity.

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent and disturbing content, graphic nudity, sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 2009 (UK)

Also Known As:

Бронсон

Filming Locations:

Great Central Railway, Leicestershire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$10,940 (USA) (9 October 2009)

Gross:

$104,792 (USA) (25 December 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vertigo Films, Aramid Entertainment Fund, Str8jacket Creations

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charles Bronson was not allowed to see the film, but said that if his mother liked it, that would be enough for him. According to Refn, his mother loved it. In 2011 Bronson was finally allowed to see the film and called it "theatrical, creative and brilliant".

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Goofs

(at around 15 mins) While sitting on the stairs immediately before his last incident (after saying "what you know about what I fucking want"), there is a large piece of hair/lint caught in the camera's gate, on the bottom right of the screen. These are removed digitally in post production when they happen, but was not removed in this case.

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Quotes

Charles Bronson: [to the prison officer he's ordering to rub vaseline on his naked body] On my arse.
[officer starts rubbing it on]
Charles Bronson: Not in my arse, you fuckin' homo!

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Episode #8.37 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Crisp & Fry"
(uncredited)
Written by Eva Abraham/Andy Waterworth
Performed by The Nat Franklin Trio

User Reviews

Director and Leading Man combine in an excellent expression of style.

Tom Hardy and Nicholas Winding Refn are the stars of the show here, taking the story of 'Britain's most violent prisoner' and twisting it into an explosion of style.

Tom Hardy plays Michael Peterson who was initially incarcerated for 7 years after robbing a Post Office but this sentence turned into a 34 year stretch after numerous cases of violence in prison. Of these 34 years 30 were spent in solitary confinement. In his short period outside he assumed the fighting name of Charles Bronson after the Death Wish star. It is his alter ego which dominates the film.

Hardy is magnificent, prowling around people almost growling, a hulking, brooding, unpredictable beast who almost doesn't care what happens to him, preferring gaol where his is someone to the outside where he is no-one.

Many reviewers have been troubled by the lack of insight into the character of Bronson, however this is unsurprising as the story itself is narrated by Bronson himself, cutting back to a fantasy audience where he parades in varying levels of makeup, the star of his own show.

Refn handles this material with aplomb, filling it with tracks and pans, the occasional slice of slow motion, an interesting and varied colour palate and impeccable taste in music. Kubrick and A Clockwork Orange have been mentioned in almost every review, but there are clear influences of Bertolucci, perhaps mostly The Conformist in its detached style and use of colour.

By the time the film ends we are unsure who to feel sorry for, lost in a world of hard lines and constant violence. A very interesting film that marks out Hardy and Refn as exciting talents in modern cinema.