Tom Hardy’s Underrated R-Rated Action Movie Is a Hit on HBO Max, 18 Years Later

Before Tom Hardy started appearing in blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road and the Venom movies, he turned in the best performance of his career 18 years ago in an underrated R-rated action movie that is trending now on HBO Max. Hardy got his start in movies in Ridley Scott’s Oscar-contending Black Hawk Down and even earned some geek cred with his role in Star Trek: Nemesis as Shinzon. However, after getting some attention for his role in the period drama Marie Antoinette and the Guy Ritchie crime drama RocknRolla, he turned in what remains the best performance of his career. This was for the Nicolas Winding Refn biopic, Bronson.

Bronson leaped into the Top 10 HBO Max rankings on FlixPatrol, hitting the sixth spot. It ranks right below another newcomer in Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water and ahead of The Notebook, which has been on HBO Max for 34 days now. Both The Shape of Water and Bronson are brand new to HBO Max. If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is an Oscar contender and sits in first place for the most-watched movies after only two days on the service. I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not sits in fourth place, after arriving two days ago. Filling out the top of the charts is Sinners in second place (54 days) and The Smashing Machine in third (9 days).

Tom Hardy stars as Michael Peterson, a man who changed his name to Bronson and is widely considered Britain’s most violent criminal. His story is amazing, as he was sentenced to seven years in prison for armed robbery. However, that seven-year prison sentence turned into a much longer one thanks to his attacking other prisoners and guards. He was released, but ended up back in prison, where he began attacking more prisoners and guards and ended up with a life sentence. Hardy takes on the role of Bronson with aplomb, as Refn tells the story like it was Bronson explaining his life story as a vaudeville show.

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Tom Hardy Has Never Been Better Than He Was In Bronson

Tom Hardy has built an impressive career over his time in Hollywood. He has proven he can disappear into roles, as he did in the brilliant spy drama Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in 2011, and he proved he could carry the load, as he did in Warrior that same year. He also showed he was ready for the big time in Mad Max: Fury Road and all three Venom movies. Add in more critically acclaimed roles in movies like The Bikeriders and Dunkirk, and Hardy has more than proven himself.

However, while starring in Bronson, Hardy went above and beyond all expectations. While praise should go to Nicolas Winding Refn for his direction, the filmmaker has mostly stuck with more arthouse movies, although Drive might still be the highlight of his career. The best thing he did with Bronson, other than the quirky bookending format, was to let Hardy just run with the role of Michael Peterson, and in that, Tom Hardy delivered a masterpiece performance. He was unhinged in all the right ways, and it never once felt like you were watching Tom Hardy perform a role. It felt like you were watching Bronson himself.

However, critics were not all on board, and the Tom Hardy movie has a good, but not spectacular, 75% Rotten Tomatoes score. Of course, when the consensus asks where the line is between “art and exploitation,” it should tell audiences all they need to know about Bronson. The film is easily comparable to Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, and Hardy’s performance as Bronson was just icing on the cake. Fans on HBO Max are now getting a chance to see what this underrated Tom Hardy masterpiece is all about.

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