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Bronson

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 22 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 6 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Action | Drama | Suspense/Thriller
Written by: Brock Norman Brock
Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Release Date:
Theatrical: October 9, 2009
DVD: February 9, 2010
Running Time: 92 minutes, Color
Origin: UK
Summary
RATING: R for violent and disturbing content, graphic nudity, sexuality and language
Starring Tom Hardy
In 1974, a misguided 19 year old named Michael Peterson decided he wanted to make a name for himself and so, with a homemade sawn-off shotgun and a head full of dreams he attempted to rob a post office. Swiftly apprehended and originally sentenced to 7 years in jail, Peterson has subsequently been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement. With an intelligent, provocative and stylized approach, BRONSON (based on a true story) follows the metamorphosis of Mickey Peterson into Britain's most dangerous prisoner, Charles Bronson. (Magnet Releasing)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
Bronson owes a little or a lot to Kubrick's "Clockwork Orange," but if that's a crime I wish more people would commit it.
Read Full Review >The New York Times A.O. Scott
Bronson invites you to admire its protagonist as a pure, muscular embodiment of anarchy. And perhaps you will, but you may also be glad that he’s still behind bars.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Gary Goldstein
Whether it's Peterson/Bronson's more theatrical bits or his untamable character's many blood-spitting, knuckle-beating, explosions, Hardy chomps down on his once-in-a-career role with stunning ferocity and never lets go. He's extraordinary.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray
There are two Bronsons on display here: the impossible thug that we don’t dare release into polite society, and the guy we enjoy watching do his terrible thing. The man and the movie are both living, punching contradictions.
Read Full Review >NPR Scott Tobias
He's neither victim nor hero, but a man who, in every conceivable sense, belongs behind bars.
Read Full Review >Time Out New York Joshua Rothkopf
Refn has somehow found his way to an authentic English hard-man drama, anchored in a dynamite performance, even as it celebrates thug life.
Read Full Review >Arizona Republic Bill Goodykoontz
This is unhinged genius, an amazing piece of acting. Brutal, yes, but magnetic all the same.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones
Refn’s artful and energetic film never goes further than face value.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
Bronson isn’t a story in the traditional sense at all. It’s a meditation on the art of rage - an action painting passing itself off as an action movie.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
It's played with real zest and energy, and if you can stand the heat it gives off it may charm you despite yourself.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
Hardy is remarkable, however. This is an actor with a memorably expressive rasp of a voice, both blunt and musical.
Read Full Review >New York Post V.A. Musetto
Tom Hardy gives an amazing performance as Peterson, who took on the nickname Charlie Bronson, after the "Death Wish" actor.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
This movie and Hardy's electrifying performance will knock you for a loop.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer David Hiltbrand
The tone is surreal, at once visceral and clinical, making Bronson an unsettling experience: savage, disturbing, and yet somehow fascinating.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Staff (Not credited)
With an intelligent, provocative and stylized approach, Bronson (based on a true story) follows the metamorphosis of Mickey Peterson into Britain's most dangerous prisoner, Charles Bronson.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
It's lively and vivid but ends up leaving the viewer indifferent to the central character, his life, and his dubious place in British pop culture.
Read Full Review >Variety John Anderson
Too smart/arty for the slasher set, and too violent for high-brows, Bronson may have a tough time finding its niche, although it has "cult hit" written all over it.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
Bronson is one of those “based on a true story” dramatizations where the theatrically staged drama only gets in the way of the more interesting truth.
Read Full Review >Village Voice J. Hoberman
Bronson is essentially a faux-operatic, music hall turn--a larky, lumpen version of "Lola Montès."
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Stephen Farber
Despite the artistic flourishes, this is still an utterly repellent look at a psychopath who does not deserve the attention of the filmmakers or the audience.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Walter Addiego
It's an assaultive work about an assaultive fellow.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Martin B gave it a9:
Anyone who doesn't like this movie simply just doesn't get it. Maybe it's a British thing (I'm Irish but have grown up on British TV) or maybe it's particularly enjoyed by those who like Theatre of the Absurd (Beckett etc), but this is without doubt one of the best movies of the last ten years.
Capo R gave it a6:
Nicely portrayed but it lacks the elements to make it a very good movie.
Orwell B. gave it an8:
Bronson is more than entertainment. It is art with Tom Hardy at the centre. You have to see Tom Hardy’s performance to believe it. Simply fantastic!
