While festivals are usually the place where esteemed pictures tend to peacock, they also provide an avenue for edgier, more experimental ventures to get their footing, and Venice will have one we’re definitely curious about. And it’s not just because of the talent involved, which includes stars Tom Hardy and Ruth Wilson (“Luther,” “The Lone Ranger“), screenwriter and director Steven Knight (“Eastern Promises,” “Redemption“) and executive producer Joe Wright (“Atonement,” “Anna Karenina“).
We’re intrigued because of the format, which early announcements indicated would be some kind of “real-time” shot thriller, with Hardy in every frame of the flick that “never blinks,” playing a man whose life begins to unravel after receiving a phone call. And in this clip, we see a little bit of how this will work. Here’s Knight’s director’s statement about the movie:
It was a joy and challenge to make Locke in an entirely different way. Shot in real time, Locke breaks new ground in movie making with Hardy holding the screen alone while the camera never blinks. The night time highway is part back drop, part art installation, as a stellar cast play the people Ivan loves and hates and who witness his extraordinary journey to despair and ultimately to redemption. A man’s life transformed in a half a tank of gas. I believe the journey of Ivan Locke is deeply moving and utterly compulsive.
We’re intrigued to see how it turns out. “Locke” hits Venice this week with no stateside release details just yet. After the clip below, there’s a bonus video: Hardy driving some more in a recent spot for Audi (via Auto Evolution).