Tom Hardy’s R-Rated Sherlock Replacement Boasts 1 Of His Greatest Performances

Tom Hardy delivered one of his greatest performances in an 8-part crime thriller, which can easily be touted as a worthy Sherlock replacement. In recent years, Tom Hardy’s big-screen presence has been defined more by the critically panned but commercially successful Venom movies. Before that, though, Hardy was known for taking diverse roles in myriad movie genres.

On the small screen, Hardy has largely been involved with crime thrillers, especially during the latter years of his career. While some might recall his performance as Alfie Solomons in Peaky Blinders, others might recognize him more for his portrayal of Harry Da Souza in MobLand. In both shows, Hardy does an incredible job of bringing his characters’ intimidating presence and complex moral codes to life.

However, his best crime thriller TV show is 2017’s Taboo. Although Taboo did not get to last as long as Peaky Blinders and MobLand, it did enough in eight episodes to etch its mark among other highly acclaimed crime dramas. More than anything else, the show also gave Hardy a lot of room to put his acting forte on full display.

Tom Hardy’s James Delaney In Taboo Is Partly Inspired By Sherlock Holmes

Tom Hardy’s James Delaney in Taboo is unlike any other characters out there. However, in an interview (via Digital Spy), Hardy revealed that the character was partly inspired by some of the most clever and intimidating fictional figures like Hannibal Lecter, Oliver Twist, Bill Sykes, Heathcliff, and Marlow. Interestingly, apart from all of them, Sherlock Holmes, too, was a big inspiration behind Delaney in Taboo.

A closer look at James Delaney shows how the Sherlock inspiration makes a lot of sense. Unlike Sherlock Holmes, Delaney does not take on the conventional detective role where he sets out to solve individual crime mysteries. Like Holmes, though, he carefully plots an economic and physical war in 1814 London to outsmart his enemies and eventually make them completely powerless.

He remains highly observant of his surroundings and, similar to Sherlock, always stays two steps ahead of the East India Company and the British Crown. Just as Sherlock’s targets realize his plots a little too late, Delaney’s enemies, too, do not see his true intentions until he has already gained the upper hand.

While Delaney does not call himself a “high-functioning sociopath,” he quietly operates outside societal norms and displays many anti-heroic traits.

Despite all these parallels between him and Sherlock, though, Delaney stands out as a crime thriller protagonist. What separates him from Arthur Conan Doyle’s character is how dangerous and intimidating he can be. The show even suggests he has indulged in cannibalism in the past, which is perhaps where his Hannibal inspiration comes from.

Hardy’s Portrayal of Delaney In Taboo Is Mesmerizing

Almost throughout Taboo‘s runtime, Hardy carries himself with a chilling but appealing quiet intensity. He almost mumbles his way through most dialog, allowing his eyes and long pauses to perfectly convey Delaney’s anger and simmering determination.

Compared to Tom Hardy’s characters in shows like MobLand and Peaky Blinders, James Delaney is also incredibly complex in terms of morality. He is unpredictable and almost has a feral quality to him that establishes him as a dangerous yet appealing protagonist.

As a character, Delaney is also full of contradictions that Tom Hardy brilliantly portrays throughout the show’s runtime. He is restrained but brutal, self-serving but self-sacrificing, manipulative but vulnerable, and superstitious but rational. These contrasting traits in his personality give Tom Hardy immense room to showcase his range as an actor.

Hopefully, even though a decade has passed since Tom Hardy last played James Delaney in Taboo, he will eventually consider reprising his role in the show’s long-planned follow-up.