Hundreds are expected to descend on Broad Street in Birmingham for the premiere of Tom Hardy's new movie Locke tonight (April 16, 2014). The one-man movie has received critical acclaim ahead of its release in the UK this weekend and it won best screenplay at the British Independent Film Awards, with Hardy receiving a nomination for best actor.

Locke Tom Hardy

Set entirely inside a car, the movie follows Ivan Locke - a man with a seemingly perfect life whose murky past comes back to haunt him.

Locke is forced to leave an important job in construction to drive to London and settle a personal matter that has been hanging over him for years. The 90-minute journey that feels much longer after he attempts to resolve a variety of issues that have arisen at work and home. 

The movie is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Steven Knight - the main behind Peaky Blinders, Eastern Promises and Dirty Pretty Things

"There are films to see on huge screens, but this is one that almost cries out for a small cinema, surrounded by total blackness. It's a daring experiment brilliantly executed, with Tom Hardy giving one of the performances of his career," wrote Olly Richards of Empire magazine.

"This is a masterclass in how the most local, most hemmed-in stories can reverberate with the power of big, universal themes," said David Calhoun of Time Out.

"An exceptional one-man show for Tom Hardy, this ingeniously executed study in cinematic minimalism has depth, beauty and poise," said Lesie Felperin of Variety.

"A virtuoso narrative and technical experiment that doesn't stint on dramatic complexity or heart," wrote David Rooney for the Hollywood Reporter.

"As engrossing as any thriller, this quietly shattering character study, like Locke himself, achieves exactly what it sets out to, with the minimum of fuss," said Matt Glasby of Total Film.

In fact, pretty much the only negative review of Locke came from The Guardian's Xan Brooks, who wrote, "Having stripped away all but the bare necessities, having reduced the components to a car and a man - they make a classic error of overcompensation. Locke, it occurs, is quite the most garrulous exercise in minimalism I've witnessed in years."

Locke hits theaters in the UK on April 18, 2014. 

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Watch the 'Locke' trailer: