Ranking Tom Hardy’s 10 Best Performances (By How Much You Can Understand Him)

5. Legend (2015)

2015€™s awesome organised crime biopic, Legend, gets to go right in the middle of this list because it jumps all over the spectrum of how understandable Hardy€™s dialogue is. While channelling the infamous Kray twins of East London, Hardy immaculately imitates the two brothers - down to the fact that when he is Reggie he is (mostly) coherent, and when he depicts the psychopathic Ronnie he is the very embodiment of spittle firing blind rage. This dichotomy is part of what makes the performance(s) so compelling and interesting. On the one hand Reggie€™s temper tantrums and inane outbursts are so overwhelmingly physical they border on the absurd - if you€™re unfamiliar with the Kray twins that is. What he actually says barely matters, and as a viewer the need to understand the nuances of his speech feels about as necessary as it would if you were being threatened by the real Ronnie Kray. He is incomprehensible during these rage sequences and that€™s fine. He€™s not meant to be comprehended €“ he is meant to be terrifying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14uWPEYJT8s When he is Reggie though, he is all cockney charm and calmly channelled rage. He barely cracks the veneer of cool (although when he does it is pretty spectacular) and his lines are delivered economically and with an arrogant gravitas that implies that what he is saying is important and needs to be heard. It is a study in contrasts and the film is a great example of how one actor can convince you that he is in fact two different actors entirely.