A poster quote proclaims "A Clockwork Orange for the 21st Century"; a big call. I totally understand where they are coming from, right from the get go it has a feel to it that is reminiscent, but it lacks the wider social commentary.

Tom Hardy is Michael Gordon Peterson, the most notorious and violent prisoner in England. The film follows his calculated rise to infamy, along the way taking the moniker “Charles Bronson”. For as long as he could remember he wanted to be famous; he couldn’t sing, couldn’t act, but he sure could fight. At 19 he was sentenced to 7 years for robbing a post office, but his actions inside led to him being confined in a succession of prisons and institutions for 34 years, 30 in solitary. He saw prison as his hotel and he flourished.

Hardy is remarkable, bringing gravity to both the role of Bronson the prisoner and the Bronson the narrator. As the narrator he stands on a stage before a black tie audience. I found this aspect fascinating, with insight to his mental state. He is theatrical and funny, but unhinged and can turn in a heartbeat.

The sense of A Clockwork Orange sits firmly with Director of Photography Larry Smith who cut his teeth working on Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut (too often overlooked). It is a dark film, but skilfully Smith never lets anything get lost into the murk; he frames shots with deep black, particularly the narration, which draw you close and puts you in the room with the increasingly unstable Bronson.

Remarkable.

Totally Convicted!