Although I believed they were 2 different actors, so playing twins worked to that extent, I felt the performances were really different. As Reggie, he acted very well, as Ron he was awful, so over the top it was comical. Had he just played that role I would have said he is a poor actor. And according to this film, older brother Charlie never existed! I was looking at my watch after 30 minutes and regularly thereafter. A terrible film.
shareI agree. Hardy does try but he's always come off as somebody who just can't pull it off. Christian Bale on the other hand....
Hardy does try but he's always come off as somebody who just can't pull it off.
He is Brando level captivating...he is a presence.
~I see a little silhouette of a man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango.
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Christian Bale is wooden af. He sucks.
shareI agree, can't imagine anyone rating Bale higher than Hardy. (Not necessarily on the basis of this movie, I don't think it was Hardy's best, but I still recall enjoying it. Some of Hardy's other work is some of the best acting I've seen from today's actors. His portrayal of Alfie Solomons in Peaky Blinders? Top notch!)
shareWill be interesting for me to see, have previously backed him as a mere supporting actor's supporting actor...overrated!https://tgjackson93.wordpress.com/2015/09/10/is-hardy-the-guvnor/
[url]http://tgjackson93.wordpress.com/[url]
Ahh, so here you admit you haven't seen it.
have previously backed him as a mere supporting actor's supporting actor
My intent isn't to make people think he's a supporting actors supporting actor, I've made an observation that I hoped could be discussed. I feel that despite his previous leads (as I've said elsewhere on my 'lame site') don't cement him as a truly convincing lead actor.
And no it's not a review, nor have I said it is. It's a few words I've shared in anticipation of the film, a preview some might even say.
I can't wait to see it in the coming week (it's out in the UK).
I have watched Legend today. I found myself believing it was two different actors playing Reggie and Ronnie.
Tom had different facial expressions for both twins.
Some of the makeup was a bit too much eg I could not help noticing Ronnie’s nose being over worked.
Some parts of the film were very comical and stupid.
Silly question but were both twins left handed? As the beginning of the film Ronnie was using his right hand to smoke but eventually he started to use his left hand.
Look upward... and share the wonders I have seen, John Crichton, Farscape
So do you think Hardy was trying hard to differentiate the characters too much? Maybe they were that different I don't know haha. I can see even from the trailer the make up and costume seems like it has a great deal of emphasis...could they have wrongly prioritised that over content like American Hustle?
Hope you still recommend seeing it...!
I feel that despite his previous leads (as I've said elsewhere on my 'lame site') don't cement him as a truly convincing lead actor.
Trust me, if Michael Shannon can handle lead roles, then Tom Hardy sure as hell can. Legend was just a very different film too. You'll be more convinced by his lead man dynamic in films like Bronson, definitely Locke, The Drop, and Child 44 (to a certain degree, it had some unconventional plotting).
shareI thought he was great in The Drop. Haven't seen Bronson yet, but Child 44 was a mess of a film, so I can't really comment on his acting in it. I might give Bronson a try soon. I've loved him since I saw him in Lawless, and I do think he is a great actor, but lately the characters he plays are becoming too similar in style. He mumbles through a lot of the dialogue and is stoic and unemotional, to an extent. I want to see him push his acting abilities by moving out of that character style.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgana0x
The Revenant I think will have you even more amazed by him, even if he's still kind of the same in that too.
shareI've seen The Revenant, and he was great as always, but he had the same character quirks as seen in other films. Leo was amazing though.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgana0x
It looks like he's now slated for a period piece from Chris Nolan. Here's to hoping it'll be a defining lead role.
shareHe was great as reggie but awful as ronnie. what the hell kind of performance was that. it was literally comical..pathetic and really spolied the film. actors have played twins before in films and not had to seperate their performance so knowingly...i can think of olivia de havilland in the dark mirror as a great example...or bette davis in a stolen life..albeit very old films but terrific performanes
shareTgjackson93 - Maybe like you say “Hardy was trying hard to differentiate the characters too much” but after a while he gave up. I know that Hardy is a left hander maybe that had something to do with it???
American Hustle, with Christine Bale was a hoot and Christine Bale in the first 5 minutes with that hair comb over was funny.
Yes I would still recommend family and friends to go and see the film.
James-Rainbow – I think from my own personal view Tom was brilliant with both the Krays and in particularly felt his Ronnie portrayal as very tongue in cheek.
Unfortunately I have not watched either olivia de havilland in the dark mirror or bette davis in a stolen life, nothing wrong with very old films.
Look upward... and share the wonders I have seen, John Crichton, Farscape
I know that Hardy is a left hander
Hardy is my favorite actor working now. Pure and simple. I cannot wait to see his work in this film.
shareHardy is my favorite actor working now. Pure and simple. I cannot wait to see his work in this film.
Dakoko
You got me thinking now. In films I've always noticed Tom has a tendency to hold things in this left hand.
Look upward... and share the wonders I have seen, John Crichton, Farscape
Agreed. Based on The Drop, Lawless, Locke, Mad Max: Fury Road, Peaky Blinders, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Inception and RocknRolla, Hardy is the most electric and versatile actor working today.
shareHardy is A Very Good Actor & only getting better. Every Great Actor has Great performances in Bad movies & Vice-Versa-After their scenes are in the can so many things are left to complete the film that are completely out of the actors hands. I one has the chops while also possessing that presence & charisma on the screen that you cannot teach-He has an unpredictability & vulnerability that the great ones haveHe can command all of your attention by doing very little(See Mad Max)-Or he can hold every scene in the AMAZING Film Bronson-I luv his choice of projects & hopefully he will keep making wise decision & can stay on the wagon because as we kno Crack is Wack & throughout history great artists hav had demons & Tom has his. & Theres a fine line between the edge those demons give u & the fall into the abyss
In the past 2 years he has moved to the top of my fave Young-ish actors & I really hope his team continues to make challenging,interesting projects where Tom his allow to grow as an actor because I truly believe he's amongst a handful of our best Male actors at the time-Hardy-Bale-Leo-McConaughey-J.Lawrence-Rooney Mara-Oscar Isaac-& many more I'm leaving out-
Tom Hardy as Ron reminded me of Harry Enfield. That impression eventually seeped into Hardy's portrayal of the other brother Reg; so the cumulative effect for me was of an extended Fast Show, with Paul Whitehouse as Reg.
shareHa Ha,
I have just dug out the fast show. You are so right, now what ever I thought of Legend will be forever tainted!!!!
Re the OP question - I am still unsure. At times I thought we just saw Tom Hardy playing . . . Tom Hardy. Like we've seen in Lawless, Warrior, Manson and Peaky Blinders. So whilst he invests a lot of effort into his roles, I am not sure he's a good ACTOR.
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At times I thought we just saw Tom Hardy playing . . . Tom Hardy. Like we've seen in Lawless, Warrior, Manson and Peaky Blinders.
Not sure what point you are trying to make. Yes he played those characters. But his portrayals and mannerisms are the same across all the characters.
shareIf you could see the same mannerisms in an uncontrollably violent convict and a 1920's moonshiner who deliberated every move he made, and see the same portrayal of a post WWI London Jewish gangleader and a sullen brooding ex Marine from Pittsburgh, then I don't know what the *beep* you are watching movies for. Moron.
shareWhoa! I though your day had started good. What went wrong that you suddenly felt the urge to insult somebody over the internet? And to think that you even had the strongest argument here. I can't imagine what happens when you are wrong.
share"Yes he played those characters. But his portrayals and mannerisms are the same across all the characters."
Huh, that's quite a bizarre statement, at least from my point of view. The main reason I like the guy and I think he's one of the (few) best working today is that he does NOT repeat himself in his roles (at least he tries, as it's, I guess, humanly impossible for some stuff not to trespass in a role).
But what do I know :)
"Yes he played those characters. But his portrayals and mannerisms are the same across all the characters."
What a brainless statement. All actors have their unique style and use the same mannerisms over and over again.
With this in mind, you probably think that Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Mickey Rourke and others aren´t good actors.
He's great! more than good.
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"Re the OP question - I am still unsure. At times I thought we just saw Tom Hardy playing . . . Tom Hardy. Like we've seen in Lawless, Warrior, Manson and Peaky Blinders. So whilst he invests a lot of effort into his roles, I am not sure he's a good ACTOR. "
Wow, how insecurely desperate are you to sound authoritative and contrarian?
The same way we see Pacino, Cage or De Niro (and countless others) playing themselves in every movie they star in for the last 15+ years?
To answer the question, Hardy, judging by his portrayal of the Kray brothers, is neither a good or poor actor, he is outstanding. Regard his performance as a standout and will expect him to be in contention for an Oscar next year. A well-paced absorbing film - one of the best of 2015.
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I haven't seen it, but reviews are calling his performance in this "award-worthy". I also think he's an excellent actor who has shown great range between films like Inception, Bronson, Locke, The Drop, and The Dark Knight Rises.
We all need mirrors to remind ourselves of who we are. - Mementoshare