Tom Hardy’s Recent Crime Roles Prove He’s Mastered the Modern Antihero

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Tom Hardy has been a standout actor in Hollywood for over 25 years, known for taking on a wide range of roles. He’s played both the good guy, like in Mad Max: Fury Road, and the bad guy, such as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. But he truly shines when playing characters who are a bit of both, as he does in .

Look, this actor absolutely blew me away this year. Everyone’s talking about his complex character in this new film, but it’s worth remembering he also played a similarly flawed, yet compelling, figure – this time as a criminal – in the fantastic series MobLand. Seeing him nail both roles in the same year really cemented his status as the master of the anti-hero. He just gets those morally gray characters, and delivers a performance you can’t look away from.

Tom Hardy Is Electric In Havoc And MobLand

Gareth Evans, the director known for his action films, is back with Havoc (it’s different from the 2004 thriller with Anne Hathaway!). This new movie lives up to its name, taking viewers on a wild ride through a corrupt city, largely experienced through the perspective of a troubled detective, Patrick Walker.

Gene Hardy delivers one of his strongest performances in recent years as Walker, particularly when facing off against a more corrupt police officer. Playing this tough, burdened character, Hardy is incredibly imposing – almost as much as he was in his role in MobLand just a month ago.

The series, which actually came out just before Havoc on Netflix, also features Hardy as a complex and ethically ambiguous main character. This time, he plays Harry Da Souza, a seasoned problem-solver deeply involved with a major crime family in London.

Tom Hardy acts with a brilliant cast including Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren, both incredibly talented performers. However, Hardy truly stands out, bringing a captivating and mischievous charm that’s become his trademark. Though Scott Walker is also likable, Hardy deliberately tones down that charisma for his role in Havoc. This different approach to his performance, compared to his portrayal of Harry, is essential for distinguishing the two characters.

Tom Hardy’s Havoc And MobLand Roles Have A Lot In Common

Many Netflix viewers likely mistook parts of one show for an unusually long episode of MobLand. This is because the main characters in both shows have surprisingly similar personalities and traits.

Both Havoc and MobLand feature protagonists grappling with ethical dilemmas that put a strain on their marriages. In Havoc, Walker gets caught up in a police conspiracy and tries to protect the troubled son of a corrupt politician, Lawrence Beaumont (Forest Whitaker). Similarly, in MobLand, Harry finds himself embroiled in a conflict between crime families while attempting to shield the grandson of Irish mob boss Conrad Harrigan (Brosnan) from trouble.

As a movie fan, I’ve noticed a really interesting pattern in Tom Hardy’s characters, Walker in Havoc and Harry in MobLand. They both get what they want through sheer intimidation and incredibly violent outbursts. There’s even a striking similarity in how these outbursts play out – both films feature these guys just completely losing it on their enemies inside a crowded nightclub. The specifics of each scene are different, but the core idea – that explosive, chaotic violence – is surprisingly similar. It’s almost like a signature move for Hardy’s characters!

Since Havoc was filmed in 2021 – three years before MobLand even began production and was ultimately released in 2025 – any similarities between the two films are likely just coincidence. However, it’s still notable that these fast-paced crime thrillers starring Tom Hardy were released so close together on streaming platforms.

Ultimately, the striking resemblance between Patrick Walker and Harry Da Souza isn’t the most important thing. While they’re both flawed characters with distinct jobs and accents, they’re both incredibly engaging to watch, largely thanks to Tom Hardy’s excellent performance in both roles.

There’s one more striking connection between Havoc and MobLand that’s hard to overlook. The theme song for MobLand, “Starburster” by Fontaines D.C., was actually used in the trailer for the Netflix film. Considering all the surprising overlaps between these two very different projects, this coincidence is perhaps the most remarkable.

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Tom Hardy’s Double Trouble: Test Your Havoc & MobLand Knowledge!
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2026-02-15 18:08