# Locke **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 1, 2014, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076 "2014-10-01T11:23:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/1 "2014-10-01T11:23:48Z")
Tom Hardy is an acting god. You may know him as [Bane](https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=bane&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=F-IrVOqeC8b68QWXnYKICw&ved=0CCkQsAQ&biw=1680&bih=925#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=MhCYwT7mMBWlIM%253A%3B-EN5543Be2R2AM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fstatic.fjcdn.com%252Fcomments%252Fbane%252Bwould%252Bbe%252Bproud%252B_3401a0926ab7fc54bf7325374153975c.jpeg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.funnyjunk.com%252Fcards%252Bagainst%252Bhumanity%252Ffunny-pictures%252F5137143%252F24%3B470%3B706), [Eames](https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=eames+inception&espv=2&biw=1680&bih=925&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=B-MrVNWKKIG78gXX8YCoCQ&sqi=2&ved=0CBsQsAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=5C1gsFqf4-s86M%253A%3BpJhkWb10052vKM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F_YFbXKOW1NoQ%252FTFJVjeTQ9WI%252FAAAAAAAADvQ%252FiyS_oQpcsIk%252Fs400%252Ftom%252Bhardy%252Beames%252Binception.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ganggarrison.com%252Fforums%252Findex.php%253Ftopic%253D23561.90%3B400%3B267), [Ricki Tarr](https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=ricki+tarr&espv=2&biw=1680&bih=925&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=i-MrVISBNMHi8AX4l4GYAg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=LnrHn9L7KSETPM%253A%3BNKnyxGhAp_UI2M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F27.media.tumblr.com%252Ftumblr_lx5gfu2s4Q1qde7iyo1_500.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftomhardyvariations.tumblr.com%252Fpost%252F15158192126%252F6-the-first-teaser-for-ricki-tarr-tinker-tailor%3B500%3B336) or [Tommy Conlon](https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=tommy+conlon&espv=2&biw=1680&bih=925&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=1eMrVNK_B8KE8gXZ3IC4CQ&ved=0CB4QsAQ#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=Z24wuj__oK_JhM%253A%3BRG49_qX7Ns3rpM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fmedia-cache-ec0.pinimg.com%252F736x%252F19%252F30%252F93%252F1930932502024eecfad5bed2b5463884.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.pinterest.com%252Fpin%252F173036810653468086%252F%3B488%3B700) but you should acknowledge him as the greatest actor working today. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/2 "2014-10-01T12:14:26Z")
Or not. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/3 "2014-10-01T14:25:55Z")
Well of course! [Demosthenes](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0190555/) was a war-monger. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/4 "2014-10-01T15:15:23Z")
I donā€™t find him very memorable in his roles. He didnā€™t stand out in Inception, he didnā€™t do much acting as Bane, and his comdy was flat in This Means War. He reminds me of the Sam Worthington type. Theyā€™re kind of boring and fail to stand out. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/5 "2014-10-01T15:20:04Z")
I feel like when the OP describes Tom Hardyā€™s ā€œactingā€ abilities, s/he means Tom standing around with his shirt off. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/6 "2014-10-01T15:30:16Z")
His best work was [Bronson](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172570/). ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/7 "2014-10-01T15:46:29Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I feel like when the OP describes Tom Hardyā€™s ā€œactingā€ abilities, s/he means Tom standing around with his shirt off. Have you seen Locke? Iā€™m no Tom Hardy fangirl ā€“ Locke is the only movie of his Iā€™ve ever seen ā€“ and he literally carries the entire movie on his shoulders, as the entire movie is set in his car and features no other actor onscreen. (Voices, yes.) He is excellent in it. And his shirt remains on the entire time! ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/8 "2014-10-01T16:11:44Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > Have you seen Locke? Iā€™m no Tom Hardy fangirl ā€“ Locke is the only movie of his Iā€™ve ever seen ā€“ and he literally carries the entire movie on his shoulders, as the entire movie is set in his car and features no other actor onscreen. (Voices, yes.) He is excellent in it. And his shirt remains on the entire time! Must admit, I have not. And I would really like to. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/9 "2014-10-01T20:02:19Z")
You really should. Someone in a recent thread asked why there are so few grown up movies these days. Movies where adults deal with adult issues. Locke is an excellent grown up movie. Oh and Iā€™m a guy by the way. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/10 "2014-10-02T12:19:12Z")
OP, your argument is invalid because: _Star Trek:Nemesis_ That is all. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/11 "2014-10-02T13:15:00Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > His best work was [Bronson](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172570/). That movie was written by a guy named Brock Brock. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/12 "2014-10-02T19:19:02Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > OP, your argument is invalid because: > _Star Trek:Nemesis_ > That is all. Faltering steps of a future titan? Maybe heā€™s learnt a thing or two in the 12 years since then? I must confess Iā€™ve never seen it. Although thereā€™s a bit of revisionism about Hardyā€™s performance in this movie around on the [internet.](http://www.thegeektwins.com/2012/07/four-reasons-banes-star-trek-nemesis.html#.VC2k4_mSzE0) He certainly seemed to hold his own in the screen test opposite Sir Patrick Stewart IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/13 "2015-08-03T17:05:15Z")
Iā€™m reviving this thread because I saw [The Drop](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1600196/) last night, and Tom Hardy really impressed me with his acting choices. In the Drop, his character, Bob, is a very quiet, shy, humble guy, but you develop a sense that there are layers of bedrock underneath that, some of that from the dialogue but in reality itā€™s almost entirely from Hardyā€™s acting. In the end, I was left with the clear impression that if any other actor had played Bob, the role would have fallen flat, just like his role in **Locke**. Thereā€™s one very brief moment in particular that I watched, like, four times in a row because of what Hardy does with his face and his energy. In this scene, Bobā€™s being threatened by another man who is menacingly calm but is known to be violent and mentally unstable. The man is a taller than Bob/Hardy and he gets right up in his space and looms down over Bobā€™s face as he quietly speaks his threats. Hardy has a look of tension and discomfort on his face, avoiding the manā€™s eyes, until the man makes one threat that is particularly personal. In that moment, Hardyā€™s face loses its tension, and he casually raises eyes and looks at the man softly, almost with a fondness, then blinks. This isnā€™t an unusual reaction from what weā€™ve seen of Bob, but somehow Hardy puts an energy behind that soft placid gesture and makes it more of an OH SHIT moment than if he had lashed out and stabbed the guy. It wasnā€™t any kind of that ubiquitous forced ā€œI am only pretending to be calm ha ha!!ā€ typical villain thing, either ā€“ it was entirely natural, really something to behold. I wish I could find a clip of it onlineā€¦ [Iā€™m going to have to watch more of his back catalogue ā€“ \*\*Child 44\*\* will be next, just because Noomi Rapace is in that movie, too, and they have good chemistry together.] ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/14 "2015-08-03T17:35:36Z")
While ā€œgreatest actor working todayā€ is certainly hyperbolic, Hardy has certainly demonstrated his chops as a first tier character actor. He doesnā€™t have the looks or personally to be a conventional leading man, but he certainly commanded the screen in _Locke_ and has shown dedication to craft in his transformation and unrepenant atavism in _Brosnan_. Even his earlier roles, such as his supporting role in _Layer Cake_, holding his own with noted character actors Colm Meaney and George Harris, showed promise. I donā€™t think anybody should be judged on the acting prowess demonstrated in _The Dark Knight Rises_. Acting and dialogue were just not a focus of that film. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/15 "2015-08-03T18:18:36Z")
I really, really enjoyed **Locke**. Hardy really impressed me in that one. But what is it with that guy? I could pass him on the street and never recognize him - I wouldnā€™t recognize him in any of his movies if his name wasnā€™t on the posted. I canā€™t for the life of me fix him in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/16 "2015-08-03T18:50:37Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I donā€™t think anybody should be judged on the acting prowess demonstrated in _The Dark Knight Rises_. Acting and dialogue were just not a focus of that film. Actually, I was quite impressed with his acting in The Dark Knight Rises, for much the same reason as I was amazed by Edward Nortonā€™s performance in Kingdom of Heaven. A large part of emoting is your facial expression. If you can give a strong performance with your face entirely hidden, thatā€™s pretty impressive. Hardy only really had a single place to act in the movie, but you knew what he was thinking and going through, despite having a vacuum cleaner glued to his face. Thatā€™s better than Tom Cruise could ever hope to do, Iā€™m pretty confident. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/17 "2015-08-04T01:35:17Z")
Quoting myselfā€¦ > [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > I wish I could find a clip of it onlineā€¦ Well, I didnā€™t find a clip, but I did find gifs someone made of that moment ā€“ [Tumblr](http://tomhardyvariations.tumblr.com/post/106532872916) Of course, stripped out of context, his facial expression has no power, butā€¦hey, at least you can visualize it now! ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/18 "2015-08-04T01:37:13Z")
Personally I find that most of the time he owns the screen when heā€™s on it like nobody else in quite a while. Heā€™s great in Bronson, heā€™s great in Locke. He owned Lawless, and otherwise mediocre movie. He [raps reasonably well with a baby](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdYlaD6e84w). If heā€™s in it, Iā€™ll give it a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/19 "2015-08-04T04:33:25Z")
Hardy is unmemorable because heā€™s a mimic. He changes accents, posture, facial expressions, until heā€™s a different guy. Also, tends to take the occasional weird risk when choosing a role. That, sadly, tends to work against him, since recognition is a factor in our movie stars. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076/20 "2015-08-04T15:59:27Z")
He was pretty damn awesome in Mad Max: Fury Road (the best movie so far this year), especially since it called for him to not be the main character. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/locke/700076.md?page=2)