SoTrumpBelieve Must See Movie...

Steineded How sad is this?

Cooktopi The acting in this movie is really good.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

treykirssin Who is Bronson? Well, to begin with, his real name is Michael Gordon Peterson, Charles Bronson, the persona that would later envelop him, being a stage name he borrowed from the action movie star. But that doesn't even begin to answer the question. In fact, a better question is probably, why? Why is Bronson compelled to act in the violent manner he does (being known as Britain's most notorious prisoner)? What's his reasoning, his motivation, his desire, his endgame? If the filmmakers know, they're not telling. All we can do is sit back and observe his actions, and try to figure them out as best we can. He had a perfectly normal childhood, or at least normal enough to make his adult life puzzling. It doesn't seem like any major wrong has been committed against him, not at first. Yet he's seemingly filled with an untameable rage that can only be satisfied by short, brutal bouts of violence. He seems most at home in the film beating another man bloody and pissing on his body in a boxing match. And when events that could explain some of his rage eventually happen, such as the girl he's courting marrying another man, they seem like mere excuses for him to continue on in the way he always has. The man has spent over three decades in solitary confinement; perhaps the best explanation is that he's scared of what the real world has waiting for him.Tom Hardy is absolutely phenomenal in one of the best performances of the twenty-first century; the fact that he wasn't even nominated for Best Actor is shameful. This is one of those roles where the actor is slamming on the gas pedal for practically the whole movie, and we just have to keep up.

FilmBuff1994 Bronson is a good movie with a reasonably well developed plot and a terrific cast. The highlight of the whole film has to be Tom Hardy, he was really walking on a tightrope with this role, as it all really relies on his performance. Being the only actual character in the whole film, he truly embodies the spirit and soul of Charles Bronson, it is clear he studied the man inside out, gaining a great understanding of how his mind works. I did find it to be far too art-house for my taste, I was hoping for a genuine biography film on Bronson's life, but there is actually very little here about him. People who do not know who this man is will learn nothing from watching this, the whole thing is basically set in his cell as we go inside his mind while he spends the remainder of his years in prison. I was hoping for a movie that would give us a much deeper understanding of Bronson as a man, but it really just messes around for an hour and a half. I was not going in to this expecting to see him dressed as a clown performing a show or rubbing himself in butter. It had a similar tone to A Clockwork Orange, feeling like the director was trying way too hard to be like Stanley Kubrick. A movie that tries a little too hard to be "out there" can be saved by a stellar performance, which we got in Hardy, who makes this watchable. Flawed but entertaining, Bronson is not what I expected, but I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a good crime film, just do not go out of your way to see it. Follows a man in solitary confinement as he copes with isolation. Best Performance: Tom Hardy

Jonathan Roberts A film can be good in spite of a bad performance, but a good performance rarely provides enough compensation in an otherwise weak film. 'Bronson' claims to follow the title character through his years of crime and incarceration in Britain, but it is more accurately described by Roger Ebert: "92 minutes of rage, acted by Tom Hardy." As you may expect from this brief but accurate description, the film features its fair share of fights. Interestingly, these are usually captured in close resemblance to 'A Clockwork Orange'. This may have been intentional, as both films can be interpreted as satires of the justice system, told from the perspective of a particularly troublesome offender. Unfortunately, the similarities end there. Although the protagonist of Nicolas Refn's 'Bronson' is a man both real and living, he is profoundly uninteresting. The novelty of Tom Hardy screaming expletives soon wears off, and there is very little substance lying beneath the character's violent exterior. A higher standard of writing could have made Charles Bronson an interesting subject for a biopic, but the inability of Refn's film to confront the man seriously means that the viewer learns almost nothing about Charles Bronson in watching the film. 'Bronson' could have explored the ethics and psychological impact of solitary confinement, the public fascination with figures like Charles Bronson, and what the aims are (and should be) of long-term imprisonment. It doesn't. I can only recommend this film to die- hard fans of Tom Hardy, although I don't believe that this is (as many believe) his best performance. He's better in 'Locke', I think.

KubrickFan_1 This movie is easily one of the most impressive I have seen in years! Tom Hardy's performance (whom I already knew as an excellent actor) is stellar and so mesmerizing that he would have you believe he is Michael Peterson AKA Charles Bronson.Even knowing Mr. Hardy's versatility, it is still incredible to see how he manages to constantly transform himself to the point of being unrecognizable. The fact that the man he is portraying was himself in awe of the metamorphosis undertaken speaks volumes to his talent and dedication.On a side note, I was just as pleasantly surprised by Nicolas Winding Refn's direction here (alas, perhaps not quite to the same extent), as I had seen his more recent movies (Drive, Only God Forgives) and it feels good to know that he already was a promising talent at this point in time.If you are a fan of the "A Clockwork Orange", I highly recommend this movie, it's the only other film remotely similar in creating a lasting impression on your mind - forever. I have been waiting for something like this for ages, now it's here and boy is it good! The only reason I did not give it more stars is perhaps the lack of a bigger picture here, but that's fine, as the movie is not particularly aiming at forwarding a message here, only to attempt and chronicle the life of Britain's most violent prisoner and it does so perfectly.