Birmingham, if you haven’t noticed, is now firmly on the cultural map, writes Craig Pullen. 

With the new Central Library (the largest in Europe, don’t you know), and the success of Peaky Blinders, which is due to return to our screens for a second series this year, the city is proving itself as a destination city for culture lovers from all over the globe.

It seems fitting, then, that the Cineworld on Broad Street was chosen as the location for the world Premiere of Steven Knight’s (Peaky Blinders creator) new film, Locke, starring Tom Hardy (who is to star in Peaky Blinders, series 2).

The film follows the story of Ivan Locke, a dependable everyman employed by a Chicago-based multi-national construction firm, who, on the eve of the largest moment in his career, is called away to deal with the consequences of an out-of-character mistake from seven months prior.

Shot entirely within the confines of Ivan’s BMW X5 as he travels down the M6 from the construction site in Birmingham to London, with the camera trained almost exclusively on his face throughout, we watch as this ultra-pragmatic, loyal family man sees all of the things that he holds most dear; his family, his job, his home, disappear.

The purpose of Ivan’s mission and the reason for his absence become apparent via a series of in-car phone calls between Ivan, his, wife, Katrina (Ruth Wilson), and a woman called Bethan (Olivia Coleman).

Gradually, Ivan’s troubled relationship with his now-dead father becomes apparent, as do the reasons for his determination not to let the mistakes of his family’s past repeat themselves.

During the journey, Ivan’s is determined to see through his professional responsibilities, ensuring that the last “pour” of concrete in Europe’s largest, non-military construction project goes without a hitch. He enlists his feckless colleague, Donal, and talks him though every aspect, including the logistics of road closures and the strength of the concrete mix for a building of its size (it’s C6 for all you concreteophiles out there), all the while being berated by his boss, Gareth (Ben Daniels).

Shot in real time, over 90 minutes, the film concludes with Ivan’s arrival at the London location in which he has to deal with his “mistake.”

The word that immediately sprang to my mind when asked to describe this film is “odd”.

I’m not aware of any other films that cover such diverse subjects as infidelity, the mistakes of our ancestors, the technical details of concrete pouring and unsung heroism.

It’s quite a departure from Tom Hardy’s recent work, given that he has recently been seen as Bane, the villain in The Dark Knight Rises. It could be said that playing a Welsh construction worker displays the versatility. The Welsh accent might need some work though.

All in all, this is a brave, innovative work, that manages to juggle the subjects of loyalty, unsung heroism, family history, the mistakes of one’s past and concrete to great effect.

- You can hear Craig Pullen on Birmingham: Live every Tuesday night at 7pm on Switch Radio (www.switchradio.co.uk).