It has been a while since audiences have seen Tom Hardy in a starring movie role since his most recent appearances were cameos in Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Matrix Resurrections, as well as the Peaky Blinders TV show. That being said, Hardy is gearing up for a return with Netflix’s Havoc in 2023.
It’ll be interesting to see where his upcoming movies will rank among the best that he has ever had a role in. The film lovers at Letterboxd have reviewed Hardy’s career and have picked out the projects that they consider the best, whether blockbusters or indie darlings.
10 Bronson (2008) – 3.60
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It wasn’t until the 2010s that Tom Hardy really became a household name but he was shining in starring in lead roles before that. Bronson was a shining example of that as Hardy portrays Michael Peterson, who was known as Charles Bronson from 1987 onward.
The film depicts the time the titular man spent in prison where he became known as Britain’s most violent prisoner. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, Bronson was praised for some of the absurd scenes and especially for the performance by Hardy, which Letterboxd users loved.
9 Marie Antoinette (2006) – 3.67
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Now that he’s so well known for appearing in films with a lot of action, it’s kind of hard to picture him in something with a chill vibe. However, Hardy does make an appearance in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette.
The Academy Award winner for Best Costume Design tells the story of Queen Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) in the years leading up to the French Revolution. Tom Hardy’s role is a small one as he plays Raumont, a man at a party who plays a charming little game with the queen and Count Fersen.
8 The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – 3.70
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Following his breakout performance in 2010, Tom Hardy returned two years later to work with director Christopher Nolan once more. They have gone on to have a partnership spanning several movies and the biggest blockbuster of them was The Dark Knight Rises.
Hardy bulked up to portray the villainous Bane who famously breaks Batman’s back during a violent hand-to-hand exchange. While this was probably the worst received of the Nolan Batman trilogy, it was still seen as a success and Hardy’s performance as Bane is legitimately terrifying and intimidating.
7 Stuart: A Life Backwards (2007) – 3.75
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If a movie came out today led by Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hardy, it would likely be a pretty big hit since both actors have become major stars in recent years. Back in 2007 though, neither was well known yet and they starred together in Stuart: A Life Backwards.
The joint HBO/BBC production is based on the true story of the friendship between a writer (Cumberbatch) and an illustrator who also has a history in crime (Hardy). For his performance, Hardy landed a BAFTA nomination as the first major accolade of his career.
6 Dunkirk (2017) – 3.79
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Returning to work with Christopher Nolan once more, Tom Hardy stars as an RAF pilot in Dunkirk. It continues an odd trend of Tom Hardy having his face covered in movies as you can barely see him while he’s engaging in a dogfight.
The intense movie depicts the Dunkirk evacuation during World War II from various perspectives. Light on dialogue, it makes the audience feel as if they’re on the battlefield with everyone and Hardy makes the most of his role.
5 The Revenant (2015) – 3.82
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Christopher Nolan was not the only person Hardy teamed up with again after working with them on Inception. He shared the screen with Leonardo DiCaprio a few years later in The Revenant, which famously saw DiCaprio finally earn his Oscar win.
Alejandro González Iñárritu nabbed the Best Director Oscar win as well for his work on this film, based on a novel, that follows a man (DiCaprio) who is mauled by a bear and on the verge of death in 1823. Hardy was up for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for his turn as John Fitzgerald, the film’s antagonist.
4 Warrior (2011) – 3.91
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A year before really putting on muscle to play Bane, Tom Hardy got in tip-top shape to play Tommy Riordan in Warrior. This marked the biggest sports movie made about mixed martial arts to date and received widespread critical acclaim.
While the MMA aspects were well done, it was the engaging story of two brothers fighting in the finals of a tournament that really made this work. Every actor was praised for their work here and Hardy brought intensity to Tommy.
3 Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) – 4.05
Stream On Starz
Viewers everywhere were stunned when the post-credits scene of Venom: Let There Be Carnage saw the titular character get sucked into a different universe where he saw the MCU’s Spider-Man on the TV screen. It meant that Sony and Marvel Studios were crossing over in a big way.
Alas, while venoms and heroes from Sony’s old Spidey films have big roles in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hardy’s Venom, a standout Sony character, was on the sidelines. He only appears in a post-credits scene where he gets sent back to his universe but leaves behind a bit of the symbiote, setting things up for the future.
2 Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – 4.14
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Yet another case of Tom Hardy having a role where he doesn’t have to talk much and has his face covered, he has possibly never been better than he is in Mad Max: Fury Road. Not many expected a 2015 sequel to a franchise that seemed dead, yet it worked in spades.
The movie is filled with action from start to finish and almost never lets up. Hardy plays Max, a prisoner who joins forces with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) to take down a cult leader in a post-apocalyptic world. It was such a hit that more installments are coming and it was nominated for 10 Oscars.
1 Inception (2010) – 4.18
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The aforementioned breakout role for Tom Hardy came in Inception. Directed by Christopher Nolan, this was the rare original film to become a box office hit as it nearly raked in $1 billion. Hardy stole the show for many as Eames, who plays a key part in the heist.
Hardy brought charm and charisma to the role, managing to stand out alongside film greats like DiCaprio, Michael Caine, and others. He landed nominations at the Scream Awards, People’s Choice Awards, Saturn Awards, and more.
