Much-buzzed-about new drama Locke is essentially a two-hander: Tom Hardy and his shiny BMW in communion. The two spend 90-odd minutes together as Hardy's Ivan Locke drives from Birmingham to London. An incessant chirrup of phonecalls via Bluetooth leaves Locke to fight rising panic as his life threatens to unravel in a blur of cat's eyes and motorway signs.
It's much closer to the true tone of the film than the thriller-ish first trailer. Without giving too much away, writer/director Steven Knight's main interests are not gimicky plot contrivances but good old-fashioned character development and human drama. It's been compared to a radio play, but we'd throw in Buried as another obvious touchstone.
His Knight of the road, Hardy, always a mesmerising screen presence, is one of the few actors with the chops to carry the conceit. The promo shows off Locke's increasingly clammy charisma and an accent with a touch of the Richard Burtons about it. Also appearing - vocally, at least - are Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Tom Holland and Bill Milner. Locke slams into UK cinemas on April 18.