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Bronson
2009 92 min United Kingdom, Denmark R 18+
★7.1
Drama, Action, Crime
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Trailers
EN
Teaser
Description
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.
Budget:
$230,000
US Gross:
$104,979
Worldwide:
$2.3M
Starring
Tom Hardy
Actor
Kelly Adams
Actor
Luing Andrews
Actor
Awards
Sundance Film Festival 2009
— Grand Jury Prize – Drama (World Cinema)
Key opinion
Bronson is widely regarded as a tour de force for Tom Hardy, whose physical and theatrical performance anchors the film's unconventional, stylized approach to biography. While some viewers admire Refn’s bold, non-traditional aesthetic and lack of moralization, others find the narrative disjointed, repetitive, and lacking in psychological depth.
| Acting | Tom Hardy delivers an impeccable, physically transformative, and captivating central performance that serves as the film's primary strength. | |
| Direction | Refn’s direction adopts a surreal, theatrical, and flamboyant style that deliberately eschews traditional biographical or genre conventions. | |
| Theme | The film succeeds in depicting the protagonist without moralizing, romanticizing, or demonizing his violent nature. | |
| Screenplay | The narrative is divisive: proponents find the unconventional, vignette-based structure refreshing, while critics argue the lack of a cohesive story makes the film feel aimless and dull. | |
| Pacing | Opinions on the pacing are split: some find the contemplative, stylized tempo immersive, while others find the film repetitive and sleep-inducing. |