Charles Bronson seems like a bit of a sweetheart, when he's not trying to gouge someone's eyes out.

Bronson is a three-ring circus of a biopic about the man known as Britain's most dangerous prisoner (and Britain's most expensive prisoner).

Charlie Bronson -- who started life as Michael Peterson -- was about 21 years old when he attempted to rob a post office with a sawed-off shotgun. He was caught and sentenced to seven years in prison.

That was 34 years ago, and Peterson is still in jail. He's spent 30 of those years in solitary. The additional years have been built up slowly but surely through Bronson's distinguishing volcanic explosions of brutal violence.

In this fictionalized account of Bronson's sad life, Tom Hardy stars as the British criminal in a completely riveting performance. As Bronson, Hardy is all beefed up and menacing. He narrates his own story like a carny at the funfair, sometimes hollering directly into the camera and sometimes acting as the host at a music hall setting in his imagination.

It's quite surreal.

He begins by explaining a key point: "All my life, I wanted to be famous ... I knew I was meant for better things."

Uh, oh.

His childhood is summarized in the moment he smashes a teacher against the wall. Later, when it's off to prison, Bronson feels he's found the place where he can finally get some recognition. Or at least some beatings. Bronson never misses the chance to fight the guards, and they are happy to return the favour. It doesn't take long for Bronson to be known and feared; infamous works as well as famous, apparently.

When his behaviour becomes utterly frenzied, Bronson is transferred to a psychiatric institution. He manages to trash sections of Broadmoor Hospital, taking hostages in a roof-top protest that caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

During one stretch of freedom that lasted about two months, Bronson is seen as a quiet man who has no idea what to do with himself out of jail.

He stays with his uncle.

He does some boxing (and gets that Charles Bronson name) and he falls in love.

He is vulnerable, lost.

Bronson seems almost relieved to get thrown back into prison, where he roars his terrible roars, he gnashes his terrible teeth and he rolls his terrible eyes.

Although he eventually gets recognized for his artistic (and writing) ability, Bronson still can't let go of his thirst for violent behaviour.

This film tells his tale from inside his own head; Bronson doesn't unfold as a film so much as it explodes. It's an incendiary device, awe-inspiring to look at, and with a spectacular soundtrack.

Bronson himself currently lives in a special cage somewhere in a British prison.

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