Tom Hardy combines an eclectic mix of superstar traits and uses them in a variety of film types. This combination of talent and willingness to appear in anything from a major blockbuster to a smaller production as a supporting character makes him as likable as anyone in Hollywood. It also doesn’t hurt that his charismatic smile and sexual ambiguity in his personal life have turned him into a defining heartthrob of his generation.
He started on TV in HBO’s great miniseries Band of Brothers before turning to the big screen in the early 2000s. By the time the 2010s hit, Hardy was becoming a favorite of Christopher Nolan and became one of Marvel’s secret weapons. Looking at the best Tom Hardy movies gives audiences a fascinating look at the rise of a deservedly acclaimed acting icon of the last decade.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises gets overlooked due to the greatness of The Dark Knight, but the third and final Nolan film featuring Batman actually features much of the same incredible acting and special effects that its predecessor does. Tom Hardy plays Bane, a hulking terrorist with a more exacting bluntness than Heath Ledger’s Joker. The contrast between the villains is evident in both their physicality on the screen and in the ways they deliver their lines. Hardy’s performance here allowed him to excel in future superhero movies and would have been given more credit without the legacy of Ledger hanging in the background. The movie features other great performances from Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman.
Dunkirk (2017)
Dunkirk is a war movie for the true enthusiasts of World War II history. If you were ever in social studies class wondering what exactly fighting in the biggest battles of humankind looked like, this is your type of film. Christopher Nolan’s intensity and dedication to his craft are all realized here with 106 minutes of realistic special effects and actors who fit right into the aesthetic of the time period. Hardy doesn’t have to say much to convey his emotions in a story about brotherhood, desperation, and hope. Pop star Harry Styles also makes an appearance.
Capone (2020)
Capone puts Tom Hardy in the familiar position of physically transforming into a completely different looking person, this time the famous gangster Al Capone in his later years. The movie makes the interesting decision to not show Capone at the height of his criminal career, but rather after the downfall of his enterprise, and this results in a mixed bag of storytelling. America’s obsession with mobsters and organized crime always leaves room for these types of movies, but Hardy’s performance might be the only thing that makes someone want to watch Capone instead of a Martin Scorcese vehicle like Goodfellas.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Mad Max: Fury Road is just as famous for its long and drawn out production process as it is for the end result. Director George Miller literally needed decades to complete this movie from the time of inception to its culmination, but this also allowed major tweaks in the casting that resulted in Tom Hardy getting the starring nod as Max. The film follows a battle between two factions of society during the end times for resources and land. Sequels and prequels haven’t lived up to the greatness of this 2015 flick.
Inception (2010)
Inception is Leonardo DiCaprio’s film, but Tom Hardy proves our previous point about his supporting abilities tenfold. Christopher Nolan’s plot moves at a weird, rapid, and confusing pace yet again in a story about a dream infiltrator. Inception dives into humanity’s fear of the subconscious and inspects the impact it would have on our lives in an alternate universe. It became a defining sci-fi flick of the 2010s and encouraged Nolan to collaborate with Hardy twice more.
Venom (2018)
Tom Hardy elevates the comic book source material in Venom to give Eddie Brock a newfound vitality ready for the big screen. Other actors such as Topher Grace failed to make Venom a captivating presence, but Hardy’s antihero journey rushes through the audience’s eyes and has given life to multiple sequels. This first film follows Eddie’s origins as a man who struggles with being infected by an alien presence. It splits his personality and forces him to choose between his alter ego and true self . . . if he can decipher the difference.
The Revenant (2015)
DiCaprio and Hardy connect again in the award-winning, exhausting adventure tale The Revenant. This movie is most known for getting Leo his long-awaited Academy Award, but Hardy gets to flex his antagonistic acting as DiCaprio’s rival in a tale of two men fighting each other and nature’s wrath. A famous bear fight in the woods gets a lot of attention, but the climactic fight between Hugh Glass and John S. Fitzgerald is bloody and palpably violent. This one isn’t exactly a rewatchable classic, but every fan of high-level cinema should watch The Revenant.
