Warner Bros.With Bane from The Dark Knight Rises, the Kray twins in Legend and a taciturn Mad Max under his acting belt, it's tempting to say that Tom Hardy has already delivered more than one iconic performance. But while it might be controversial to say so, the chances are he's due a role which will move him onto an entirely new level of greatness. Bane was certainly a well-crafted (if sometimes incomprehensible) villain, but when held up to Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight the shortcomings become apparent. Hardy certainly did the Cockney gangster schtick well in Legend, but it was hampered by a script which failed to truly explore the psychopathic nature of these gangster brothers. Max, meanwhile, was overshadowed by the real star of Fury Road, Charlize Theron's Imperator Furiosa. As Bane loved to pontificate, "theatricality" is a concept that applies to some of Hardy's most talked about performances (it's what makes his portrayal of real life British criminal nutcase Bronson so memorable). But as the singularly minimalist Locke also showed, Hardy is just as amazing when he dials things down to a murmur. If any actor working today is destined to reach the same heights as the greatest actors of all time, Hardy is clearly a front-runner. His next film The Revenant, in which he stars alongside Leonardo diCaprio and with Alejandro "Birdman" Iñárritu behind the camera can't come soon enough. What other amazing actors do you think are still waiting for that iconic role? Let us know in the comments.
