Tom Hardy starred in a movie 14 years ago that changed the trajectory of his career and remains one of his best roles. Hardy has become one of Hollywood’s most reliable actors, taking on roles in action movies, dramas, and superhero fare. However, 14 years ago, he took on a role that proved he was ready for the big time.
Hardy had an eclectic career in his first decade acting. He took on supporting roles in war movies, starred in the Star Trek franchise, and even did a period drama in Marie Antoinette. Three years after proving himself in the brilliant Bronson, Hardy got a chance for a leading role in a great sports drama that made him a star.
Tom Hardy’s Warrior Remains One Of His Greatest Roles
In 2011, Tom Hardy took on the role of Thomas “Tommy” Riordan in the MMA drama Warrior. Hardy did a lot to get into shape for Warrior, and it was reminiscent of the work Robert De Niro put in decades earlier for the boxing movie Raging Bull. While not up to that level, Warrior still offers a fantastic Hardy performance.
Tommy is a former soldier who went AWOL and reunites with his father to train for MMA. Hardy ended up getting jacked for the role, but there was more to it than just seeing Hardy without a shirt on in simulated fight scenes. Hardy went above and beyond in delivering an outstanding acting performance to prove his leading star status.
Sadly, at the time of the movie’s release, it didn’t get much attention. Warrior was a box office flop, only making $23.3 million on a $25 million budget. However, while fans didn’t show up in theaters to support it, critics praised it highly, awarding the movie an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score.
It also became a streaming success years later, and fans who saw it loved the film, with the RT audience score reaching a very high 92%. Critics praised both the excellent fight choreography and Hardy’s performance as a troubled fighter who has to eventually reconcile with his family, albeit in a brutal climactic fight.
While the fighting was the selling point, Hardy proved he was more than just an action star. The family relationship and conflict between Tommy and his brother is what makes this such a brilliant movie and a big reason that Hardy ended up moving on to bigger things.
How Warrior Helped To Shape Tom Hardy’s Career
Warrior could have been just another sports drama, but Tom Hardy helped elevate it thanks to his outstanding performance as the troubled and disturbed Tommy Conlon. Paired up with Joel Edgerton, who played his brother, and Nick Nolte, who played his dad, this was a good mix of Raging Bull and Rocky, with an upbeat ending from the latter.
One year after starring in Warrior, Hardy took on the biggest role of his career as the villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, and once again, delivered a performance that rose above the source material. However, Warrior helped him get even bigger chances, including leading his own movie, Mad Max: Fury Road.
Mad Max: Fury Road was an Oscar-nominated film, and while much of that was the action scenes and direction, Hardy again proved that he was doing more than just the grunt work of a generic action hero. Without his performance, the movie might not have been as well-received. He also elevated Venom into a surprise hit franchise.
This all kicked off with Warrior, where Tom Hardy proved he was more than a supporting character actor and proved that he was a force to be reckoned with.
Watching Warrior 14 Years Later – How It Holds Up
It has been 14 years since Tom Hardy starred in Warrior, and the movie remains a relevant and inspiring film to this day. The fight scenes still match up with anything in films today, and it is easily a modern-day Raging Bull, which was also a movie that gained its reputation over time.
As fans prove when Warrior hits different streaming platforms over a decade later, this is a story that speaks to them with an actor who has proven that he gives his all every time he accepts a role. Tom Hardy has always been a talented actor, but Warrior proved that he was a leading man waiting for his chance.
