Tom Hardy has always excelled in the crime genre, and many of his most memorable characters are dangerous gangsters. Since his breakthrough role in Christopher Nolan’s Inception, many of Tom Hardy’s best movies have been crime thrillers, and he can play both villains and heroes.

Tom Hardy often brings a lot of comedy to his criminal characters, but this only makes them seem more dangerous. In movies like Legend and Lawless, his ᴅᴇᴀᴅpan persona adds some spice into the mix. He can also be extremely intimidating when he wants to be, and this range helps differentiate between his gangster characters.

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Handsome Bob – RocknRolla (2008)

Tom Hardy Suits Guy Ritchie’s Style

RocknRolla isn’t usually considered one of Guy Ritchie’s best movies, even though he excels in the gangster genre. RocknRolla came out after Ritchie’s early hits like Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Battles, but before he revitalized his style with The Gentlemen. It’s a shame that this is the only Ritchie movie Tom Hardy has appeared in, since he seems perfectly suited to the director’s comedic tone.

Handsome Bob is just one of many bickering thugs in RocknRolla. Ritchie likes to populate his gangster flicks with a dense web of eccentric personalities. What makes Handsome Bob stand out from the crowd is his proudly gay nature, which jars with the gangster genre’s fixation on heteronormative masculinity. Hardy has a couple of funny moments, but Bob is a minor character.

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Al Capone – Capone (2020)

Tom Hardy’s Biopic Didn’t Reach Its Potential

Al Capone has been portrayed dozens of times in movies and TV shows over the years, with F. Murray Abraham, Robert De Niro and Stephen Graham all delivering memorable performances. Josh Trank’s biopic of the notorious gangster examines a time in Capone’s life long after the days of wielding baseball bats and intimidating juries.

Tom Hardy delivers a strong performance in Capone. He displays the tension between the gangster’s violent past and his struggles to get to grips with his old age. There’s a vein of psychological horror running through Capone, as the lines between past and present, and reality and violent fantasy start to blur. Ultimately, this sounds better on paper, and Capone was met with underwhelming reviews.

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Johnny – The Bikeriders (2023)

Hardy Plays His Part In A Great Ensemble Cast

The Bikeriders was met with mixed reviews when it came out, probably because it surprised a lot of people who expected a more action-heavy affair. In truth, The Bikeriders gets more of its dramatic thrust from shifting allegiances and perceptions of power. Its structure and tone have drawn comparisons to Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. Like Goodfellas, The Bikeriders is based on a true story.

Tom Hardy’s Johnny acts as a mentor to Austin Butler’s Benny, but he also represents the dark path that Benny could follow. A key part of Johnny’s character is that he was inspired to start his gang after watching a Marlon Brando movie. He’s an idealist, or a dreamer, and his gruff demeanor can’t hide the fact that he’s ill-equipped to deal with the monster that he creates.

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Ronnie & Reggie Kray – Legend (2015)

Hardy’s Dual Performance Is One Of His Most Memorable

Tom Hardy gets two chances to show off his flair for playing gangsters in Legend, as he plays both of London’s notorious Kray twins. Many actors have played multiple characters in the same movie over the years. This usually works well in comedies, and Hardy’s performance in Legend brings plenty of humor and style to a grisly tale.

The Kray twins were famous media figures during their heyday, giving interviews to magazines and rubbing shoulders with London’s rich and famous. Hardy’s charisma suits their eccentric nature, whether he’s playing the violent, volatile Ronnie or his more measured and analytical brother. He creates a clear distinction between the two characters, and he’s talented enough to carry scenes in which he’s acting opposite himself.

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Forrest Bondurant – Lawless (2012)

Hardy Hits His Peak As A Menacing, Malevolent Criminal

Lawless doesn’t always work as a cohesive whole, but Tom Hardy’s performance is key to the parts of it that work extremely well. He embodies the quiet menace of Forrest Bondurant perfectly, with a subtle, unblinking persona that evokes an ambush predator coiled up and ready to strike.

Villains are often much scarier when they sit back rather than going in for vile displays of power. Forrest merely has to nod his head to unleash his more chaotic, energetic brothers on whoever crosses his path. He also has one or two dry jokes, but these jokes make him seem even more comfortable and dangerous rather than undercutting the tension.