Bronson

As a portrait of a vicious, irredeemably violent man, Bronson is singularly captivating. Based on the true story of Britain’s most notorious inmate, one Michael Peterson---his alter ego’s handle Charley Bronson borrowed from the American tough-guy actor---the movie elevates assault to a kind of performance art. It’s said he’s spent the majority of his life in solitary confinement. But the film, lashed with a symphonic score and splashes of red, shows he’s had plenty of opportunity to secure fame in the time he’s been with others by brutalizing them. Surely we are to take from this some insight into our own violent natures and need for attention, but one can’t help but be surprised someone hasn’t bashed the fucker’s brains in already.