Top 5 Tom Hardy Performances

Let’s Take A Look At Tom Hardy’s Top 5 Performances

It has been a good year for Tom Hardy. Before his roles in 2015 like Mad Max: Fury Road, “Legend,” and next year’s “The Revenant,” Hardy had already established himself as a brilliant talent in front of the camera, but these most recent roles reveal he’ll be an Oscar contender in the near future. He’s been awarded many awards throughout his career, including mountains of nominations, but most movie-goers mainly know Hardy for his role as Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises,” or as Tuck in the action rom-com “This Means War.” He’s actually been in quite a bit more than those two favorites, including several projects in the United Kingdom.

I turned this into a Top 5 instead of a Top 10 because it made things more difficult for me. I’ve decided to only stick to his film performances that occurred before 2015, but everyone should check out his work on mini-series like “Wuthering Heights” and “Oliver Twist.” Plus, I’m sticking to his more prominent roles (Protagonist or main Supporting), mainly because he has many cameo and small roles in other film projects. I’m excited to see his work in “The Revenant” and “Mad Max: The Wasteland,” so let’s take a look at the Top 5 Tom Hardy Performances.

(Check these films out whenever you get the chance. I highly recommend it.)

#5. Forrest Bondurant – Lawless

This was a tough one for me. Hardy was fantastic in 2014’s “The Drop,” but my mind couldn’t put it over his performance as Forrest Bondurant in “Lawless.” I’m from Virginia myself, so trust me when I say I know what Virginia accents and culture are like. Hardy uses his acting chops to an excellent degree here, doing the perfect job of hiding his British culture behind that of Southern Virginia. Forrest is a ruthless moonshiner, who always seems to handle things in a cool, calm and collected manner… until you piss him off that is. The character’s calm nature sends adrenaline and tension throughout your body, even during the scenes where Forrest is simply talking to his family. Only Hardy could make a mellow character seem absolutely terrifying while he’s standing still; it kind of makes you wish Forrest was the main character. Forrest is considered a supporting character next to Shia Lebouf’s Jack Bondurant, but Hardy commands the screen whenever he appears, and he makes the audience understand why he’s the head of the family business.

#4. Ivan Locke – Locke

Hardy’s eyes set him apart from a lot of actors in the industry. You can see what I’m talking about in all of his works, but especially in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” and “Locke.” Within thirty seconds of a monologue or medium close-up of one of Hardy’s characters, you understand exactly what that character is thinking and feeling because of how Hardy utilizes his eyes to strengthen his performance. This kind of talent is perfect for a film like “Locke,” because the entire film takes place inside of a car while the protagonist makes a bunch of different phone calls. Only Hardy could captivate an audience for 90 minutes while sitting in a car and talking on the phone. It’s his little nuances and bits of facial finesse that make this performance wonderful and memorable. This is another example of his talents and how he commands the screen, all while building a character that is different from all his other performances. I never thought watching someone driving a car would be so interesting, but Hardy proved me wrong.

#3. Stuart Clive Shorter – Stuart: A Life Backwards

Hardy’s performance in “Stuart: A Life Backwards” has been bashed by a few as too over the top and unbelievable. I don’t care what anyone else says; Hardy should’ve taken home a BAFTA for this TV Movie. The performance itself shows Hardy’s versatility as an actor, where he creates an empathetic, psychotic criminal with muscular dystrophy who has heart and goodness inside of him. Alongside the amazing Benedict Cumberbatch, we get to know Stuart from his last jail sentence to the day he was born. Telling his story backwards makes you understand Stuart as a human more than a stereotypical journey from A to B could ever do. Even before you understand exactly what makes Stuart tick, Hardy’s captivating performance opens a window into the pain and suffering going on inside of this troubled person. When you finally learn about the sexual abuse, muscular dystrophy, and alcohol that riddle his past, you can do nothing but feel your emotional heartstrings being plucked. You may not be able to understand his speech when you first start watching, but I guarantee you’ll be in love with Stuart by the story’s end.

Click to the NEXT PAGE for the final 2!

#2 Tommy Conlan – Warrior

As an audience, you don’t understand Tommy Conlan’s motivations until late in the film, but you understand that he’s very angry and a talented fighter. Watching Hardy beat the crap out of people is fun for the first hour of the film. You get excited every time Tommy steps into the ring because you can’t wait to see his opponent go down in less than 10 seconds. That all changes, though. When the audience finally learns why Tommy is fighting in an MMA tournament and why all of this anger is built up inside of him, everything seems to fall into place in a beautiful way. Without Hardy’s explosive and sorrowful performance, everything wouldn’t have fallen into place like it did. It’s the perfect example of how an actor can increase the emotional resonance of a setup and payoff within a well-structured story. Hardy’s portrayal as Tommy Conlan plants seeds inside of the audience’s minds early on, letting them fester and grow until the sun finally shines on a fully bloomed flower. It’s a strange metaphor, I know, but you’ll see what I’m talking about when you watch “Warrior.” It’s relatively simple to play someone who’s angry and likes to fight, but Hardy injects inner demons and harrowing motivations underneath a simple façade, which plants the seeds that later open doors into Tommy’s soul.

#1 Charles Bronson – Bronson

Charles Bronson is a very explosive role for a talented actor like Tom Hardy, but Bronson is Hardy’s most complicated role to date. Take the psychotic psyche of Stuart Shorter, add it to the brash violence of Tommy Conlan and you’ll only come away with a “Mini-Me” copy of Charles Bronson. From the first frame of the film to the final moments before the fade to black, Tom Hardy captivates you with comedy, violence, sorrow, and psychotic rage. As an audience, Hardy allows you to dive into and discover the inner-workings of Britain’s most violent inmate. Some of the scenes are very mysterious, abstract and strange, but it all helps build the demented protagonist. You might be able to look at the movie screen and say, “That’s Tom Hardy,” when you watch his other performances. But when it comes to “Bronson,” you’ll have a tough time remembering that you’re watching a movie because Hardy grabs you with his performance, covers your eyes and doesn’t let go. For 90 minutes you sit inside a deranged mind with a madman. It sounds scary and intimidating, yet you’ll feel satisfied and enlightened at the end of it all. The film isn’t about what makes Charles Bronson the most violent inmate in British history. It’s about what makes Bronson human, even if he’s disconnected with the world. It’s a violent but wonderful story helmed by Tom Hardy’s brilliance. This is the first Tom Hardy performance I ever saw, and it has been his best ever since.

Tom Hardy will be in the industry for a long time, and he will create many roles that will continue to captivate us until films do not exist anymore. He’s been using his talents since his first role in HBO’s “Band of Brothers” to the upcoming “The Revenant.” He’s the type of actor whose name adds legitimacy to a film, even if he’s not the protagonist or antagonist. I’m excited to see what the future holds for him, and while he should’ve earned an Oscar nod for “Bronson,” Tom Hardy will most definitely be on that stage holding the gold in the near future.

Check out these five performances, and then check out other films that Hardy has worked on, like “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” “The Drop,” “Inception,” and “Star Trek: Nemesis.”

What are some of your favorite Tom Hardy performances?