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

Nicolas Winding Refn was not allowed to meet Charles Bronson in person since he is not from Britain, but was allowed to have two phone calls with him. Tom Hardy met with Bronson several times and the two became good friends. Bronson was impressed with how Hardy managed to get just as muscular as he was and how well he could mimic his own personality and voice. Bronson has stated he believes Hardy was the only person who could play him.

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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: [Real Life Charles Bronson Quote] How would you feel, waking up in the morning without a window? My window is a steel grid, I 'ave to put my lips against that steel grid and suck in air, that's my morning... 'cause I got no air in my cell. I have to eat, sleep and crap in that room twenty-three hours of a twenty-four hour day. You tell me, what human being deserves that? Apart from the stinking paedophile or a child killer. I don't deserve that, I done nothing on this planet to deserve that. My ...

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Rotten Tomatoes Show Year Endies (2009)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Doesn't glorify violence.

Saw this last night, very impressed with the the performances and the structure of the film. Many comments say this glorifies violence whereas it does the opposite, I was left thinking what a waste of a life, if you want to spend the majority of your days sitting alone in a pigpen or drugged up in an asylum then this will inspire you as the means to get there. The audience I saw it with consisted mainly of males in their early 20s, I think they were disappointed because they had gone expecting a knockabout tongue in cheek film about one man's misguided fight against authority and they got a very dark film about the consequences of violence. Bronson didn't come out of this a hero at all.

Throughout the film the audience was silent,the only time there was a reaction was a scene at the beginning of the asylum sequence involving a act by a patient which seemed to provoke an embarrassed titter from some people because they didn't know how else to react. Neither was this film homophobic, I'm gay, I thought Bronson came across as tolerant of "alternative " lifestyles, the fight promoter,the art teacher and his uncle who seemed to live with a bunch of trannies were all accepted by him.He did call the guard he took hostage a "homo" but that was to intimidate him. Tom Hardy's performance was fantastic,vulnerable(seeing his mum out of prison),tough,confused(the reaction to the gay prisoner who fancies him), he was a character out of his time line, an eccentric that can't cope with normal society's rules.

Oh and I have no complaints about the size of his willy, what would your's do surrounded by a film crew?