Michael Peterson, later known as Charles Bronson, was Britain's most violent prisoner. The 2008 film Bronson isn't a typical biopic. It's not, as one might expect from the poster, a fighting movie full of machismo. On the contrary, it's an unexpectedly heightened and surreal take that blends reality with humor. Tom Hardy delivers an amazing performance, of course, and Nicolas Winding Refn's directorial style brings the brutal reality to the point of stylized absurdity with visuals that are stark and bright, almost Wes-Anderson-like in their personality and quirkiness. The result is an anti-biopic that blends reality with myth and legend.
The film begins with Bronson on a stage performing the story of his life as a one-man show. This device lets the viewer into the mindset of the main character: he doesn't just view himself as a mere violent criminal, but as an entertainer. The exaggeration and surreal style of it all blur the lines between reality and Bronson's feverish self perception. This guy loves to fight, and he seems to view his violence as more of a public service than a public nuisance.
Refn's use of bold colors, stylized violence, and ironic music choices create a dreamlike tone that juxtaposes violence with exaggerated absurdity. This mixture calls to mind A Clockwork Orange. The violence, therefor, is intended to be more symbolic than literal. The focus is on the mind of the man committing these acts rather than on the brutality itself.
Tom Hardy, who played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), plays the part intensely, yet remains strangely comedic in context. The menacing and unpredictable Bronson is simultaneously likeable and amusing. Hardy's performance fits the light tone of the movie, even amidst its darker themes.
Bronson's pointless extremity, the intensity with which he treats others as annoyances to him even as they do what he says, leads to more than a few laughs. We find ourselves laughing at how absurd this person was, and how equally absurd this portrayal of him is. The humor is disarming, and it makes the character more complex. In this way, the film critiques society's fascination with fame and notoriety by portraying its title character as both absurd and captivating.
It almost seems as if Bronson sees himself as a performance artist for the very fact that he is so absurd and extreme. The idea of violence as performance art acts as Bronson's own attempt to grow beyond his reputation as a mere man of violence, but it also highlights society's glamorizing of people like Bronson. The character is both a product of his environment and a direct reaction to it.
The decision to portray the character in a surreal way is a clever method to get closer to his essence rather than simply the literal events of his life. In this way, Bronson escapes becoming just another prison fight movie and becomes an anti-biopic.
Bronson blends heightened, surreal elements with dark themes, brutal violence, and unexpected humor. The unique self-awareness results in a blend of discomfort, intrigue, and unexpected amusement. Hardy's performance, and Refn's writing and directing, leave you saying of the character, "Man, that guy was crazy."
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