Bronson DVD

When you mention the name Charles Bronson to most people around the world usually, the first person that will come to their minds is the actor of the movie Deathwish. To most British people, the name is synonymous with the most violent person held within Her Majesty's Prison system. Most movies like this, I will turn away from in an instant as when it comes to biopics and books alike, I generally like them to be about people of importance who have achieved something of worth. Bronson is a fascinating character to me as, although he obtained his country wide recognition through his violence actions, he has proven himself to be an articulate and artistic human being with his books and poetry. However, it's hard to ignore his violent past and that's certainly the primary focus of this movie. I was hoping for a bit more focus in the progression of his artistic side, but we were given merely a glimpse.

The story of the film gives a very brief look at Bronson's youth before prison, pointing out that even as a youngster he had a violent side. Fast forward a couple of years and he holds up a post office for mere change and lands himself a prison sentence of 7 years, for which he would have probably just served 4. Unfortunately, Bronson took to prison and found it an exciting surrounding and saw his fists as a way of gaining recognition, which he surely did. We then are given a brief look at his time in a mental health institute and also an even briefer glimpse at the Broadmoor protest. The film also shows a number of other events of Bronson's life, including his short release from prison and the hostage takings.

I'm really on both sides of the scale when it comes to my perception of this movie. On the one side, the artistic vision of director, Nicolas Winding Refn makes this film beautiful and fascinating to watch and the stunning performance by Thomas Hardy makes it even more so. On the other side, the film was quite shallow and seemed to focus too much on his violent exploits and painted the picture of him being this eccentric weirdo with an extremely short fuse. The majority of the film takes on a monologue style of story telling in which Bronson is on a stage, telling or performing his life story to an audience but will cut to the scenes being told to the audience and go from there. It's certainly not something you see everyday and certainly made the film enjoyable in its own right.

The acting of Tom Hardy in this as Bronson was truly superb throughout. He seemed to become entirely engrossed in the bizarre personality of Bronson that, insane eccentricities aside was an extremely realistic character. Some of the mannerisms displayed by the character are quite comical but also frightening. I can honestly say this isn't one of the best films in the world, but it's certainly worth the watch, even if you're not a fan of biopics in general. I would recommend it to almost anyone just looking to kill an hour and a half or, of course, those who hold an interest in Bronson the man.

Firstly I would like to say WOW! Regardless of the content of this film, the quality in acting is superb. The physical transformation of Tom Hardy from an atheletic lean guy to the triangular muscle form which Charles Bronson had is amazing to see. Also I think he has truely captured the mannerism of Bronson.

I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this film, the style of it is very different to other films, and its more about Charles Bronson, and his involvement with the British legal system that his crimes or violent behaviour. I think its a must-see purely for the quality in acting.

I found this film whilst channel hopping and just couldn't tear myself away from it. Tom Hardy is truly menacing as Michael Peterson, jailed for 7 years for a minor post office robbery but, owing to his penchant for violence and in particular, some shocking confrontations with prison authorities, he ends up spending over 30 years in jail in solitary confinement and indeed remains incarcerated today.

The film is narrated by Hardy as Bronson himself and somehow manages to add a light hearted note to an altogether far more sinister subject. In order for this to remain true to the facts and accurately portray the sinister, brutal and horrific lifestyle that Bronson has chosen for himself, this film is necessarily littered with some unbelievable violence, sufficient profanity to render it completely unsuitable for anyone who is sensitive to such things and yet, amid all this, Hardy is at his most menacing in the quiet moments. The deep staring looks, the groans and vocal creaks that he emits in moments of stress, the hunched seated stance with upper body muscles pumped to tension, the incredible flips from humour to complete horror and the silent tension that you sense is the precursor to almost nuclear explosions of violence against anyone within arms length. And yet amid all this it becomes apparent that he chooses this lifestyle, he revels in the confrontation and notoriety - he has found a place where he functions at his best. I would struggle to think of anyone who could out-perform Hardy in this role and there should also be a notable mention for Matt King (The Peep Show) who gives a great performance as Paul Daniels, a fellow inmate who gives Peterson a break during a brief period of release from prison and who comes up with the name of Charlie Bronson for him to assume as a bare-knuckle fighter.

The story of Michael Peterson (aka Charlie Bronson) is eye-opening, quite shocking but ultimately very sad. For me the worst scene comes at the end where , inside a solitary confinement cell, the manacled, naked Peterson is contained inside a locked cage so small he can only stand. Seeing him soaked in his own blood from his latest confrontation with prison officers made me feel quite upset for his parents, who must be in complete turmoil knowing that this is what has become of their only child.

It says a lot that in a modern society, there is little we can do to manage a complete loose cannon like Peterson without having to resort to his own violent methods. Its up to you ...either watch it because you like a bit of blood and swearing and a good ruck .... or see through the shocking elements and think about some of the hidden issues that our public institutions have to deal with on our behalf. Love it or loathe it - this film should at least make you think about some of the enormous issues our prison authorities are being asked to manage.