A real-life story of a criminal reprobate that recalls the stylised excesses of Ken Russell and the psychological incision of Chopper.

Evolving from a schoolyard bully to hardened criminal, Charles Bronson (born Michael Petersen, and later changing his name in homage to the actor) has became Britain's most notorious inmate. His seven-year jail sentence for armed robbery has ballooned into a 34-year stay - all due to his joyous commitment to bringing violence and mayhem to the correctional system.

With all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn of the Pusher trilogy (screened by MIFF in 2006) recreates Bronson's real-life rise to infamy in this fast-paced, highly theatrical character study of a man whose only art is pure violence.

Director Nicolas Winding Refn is a guest of the Festival.