Tom Hardy is 5 feet 9 inches tall. I am an inch shorter than
this man. I say this because time and again I have been described as a man of
below average height – which is true – yet, Tom Hardy is only an inch taller. I
take this as an empowering piece of information.
Despite Hardy’s height impediment, he is one of the most
physically imposing actors I have seen on the screen – I put him up there with
Arnold Schwarzenegger. His performance in Bronson echoed that of a young Robert
De Nero, as did his impressive turn in Warrior – but for me, it’s his turn as
Bane that shows how special he is.
…
I love The Dark Knight Rises – I think it is brilliant,
ambitious and most of all brave. I also admit that the film is very much
flawed, but not to the extent some believe it is. For instance, I do not think
that there is much technical difference between The Dark Knight Rises and its
much celebrated predecessor, The Dark Knight. The only difference to my mind is
Heath Ledger.
Now when I think of The Joker, I don’t think of the comic
book incarnations or Jack Nicholson for that matter, I think of Ledger – that
tells you what a hell of a job he did in TDK. But Tom Hardy has done the same
thing for the character Bane.
I can safely say, hand on heart, that if I was walking down
the street late at night, I’d be more scared of the brute slowly walking towards
me with his hands on the collars of his jacket than the bloke skipping and
laughing next to him. Don’t get me wrong, I’d brown my pants if I encountered
both of them – but Hardy’s Bane strikes me with more fear.
…
I fear Bane more because it doesn’t take much to imagine a
real life version of this character – and many of them at that. I don’t believe
there many Joker’s in this world, this is despite the horrible events of the
Aurora shooting.
Bane is a terrorist. He is smart, he is manipulative and his
logic makes a warped kind of sense. While The Joker had no motive or ideology
other than to create chaos – the presence of such things in Bane utterly
terrifies me.
It is the rooting of this character in a post 9/11 reality and
the addition of a physical menace that makes him special. Honest to god, he scares
me.
…
Let’s also not forget that all of Hardy’s performance was
with a mask on. He had to portray a range of feelings with a mask on. I mean,
stand in front of a mirror with a balaclava over your mouth – now act angry,
tough, surprised, calm, worried, sad and happy. It isn’t as easy as it looks.
I accept that the voice is an acquired taste – I liked it,
but I understand why it has been ridiculed. I don’t think the character would
have been as menacing if he had an American or British accent. Maybe they were
going for a non-Arabic foreign accent. Since 9/11, the foreign is a lot more
threatening than the domestic.
…
I truly believe that in time people will start to see The
Dark Knight Rises the same way they see The Dark Knight – as a generational
defining movie with outstanding performances. I accept that Hardy’s Bane will
never be as beloved as Ledger’s Joker, and that is ok, but I feel his character
and his work on that film deserves a lot more respect that it has gotten.
