On the surface, Locke writer-director Stephen Knight has given us a minimalist movie about a man, his car, and his mobile device. For 85 minutes we watch a man who pours concrete for a living, driving alone in his car and talking on the phone. On a deeper level, however, this is a movie about something subtle and important: The role of honor. 
Top Responses to “Honor in the concrete”
Carrie Ann B
Great, concise review that gets at the essentials, Kurt. Thank you, as always, for sharing your perceptive insights. Your review moved me to take a break from work (which is NOT an easy thing for someone to inspire in me!) to go see "Locke" yesterday. Wow, this one will have me...
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Don H
Nice review, with which I agree. I saw the film several weeks ago and also was immediately struck by the parallels with the work of Ayn Rand. First, as in "The Fountainhead," a major plot element is the construction of a huge skyscraper. But perhaps less obviously, "Locke"...
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Recent Comments
One more thought, lest it sound like I'm not giving Ivan and the film sufficient credit for parallels to Rand's work. I see Ivan's reverence for his work and his integrity concerning his buildings to... More »
What I mean by Locke's having been deontological is that before his one big mistake, he had scrupulously performed all of his duties in every realm, so that everyone could count on him as extremely... More »
Interesting, I didn't know the parable as "Death in Tehran" but as "Appointment in Samarra," which is also the name of a John O'Hara novel. I'm not sure I see Locke as acting on a deontological... More »
One more quick thought... With respect to Oedipus, I thought that his tragic flaw was his hubris in thinking that he could elude his fate by leaving his home, sure that this would prevent him from... More »
Yes, Kurt, tragic flaws are tricky and they vary from person to person. Locke's tragic flaw, I think, emerges in part from not having dealt properly with the trauma/anger surrounding his relationship... More »
