18 Years Later, Tom Hardy's Crime Thriller Breakout Role Keeps Getting Better

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Published Mar 17, 2026, 4:38 PM EDT

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Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King.

For many viewers, Tom Hardy rose to prominence thanks to his collaboration with Christopher Nolan. After his genuinely entertaining role in Inception, Hardy went on to appear in The Dark Knight Rises and Dunkirk. He has achieved fan acclaim from across the board, with television roles in Peaky Blinders and playing fan-favorite characters like Mad Max. However, his early work is just as compelling and arguably more interesting.

After a small part in the masterful Band of Brothers, Hardy starred in the highly underrated crime film, RocknRolla. Guy Ritchie made the film in 2008, and though it wasn’t as iconic as Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, it earned its place as a cult classic. Hardy appears as the third member of the Wild Bunch, a criminal crew that flounders its way into an enterprise that is far above their pay-grade.

Tom Hardy is the Heart of ‘RocknRolla’

RocknRolla has a large ensemble cast that Guy Ritchie is known for, and a lot of moving parts. Following many aspects of the London criminal world, the film centers around One-Two (Gerard Butler), who tries to keep his small crew together. In this comedy of errors, the Wild Bunch – composed of One-Two, Handsome Bob (Tom Hardy), and Mr. Mumbles (Idris Elba) – gets on the wrong side of Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson), a local gangster. Cole gets robbed by his former rockstar stepson, Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell), and the Wild Bunch gets roped into these shenanigans.

The Wild Bunch is aptly named because they aren’t the most dependable of criminals. Their purview is odd jobs to keep the money flowing, no matter what the consequences. These consequences come in the form of Bob supposedly going to prison for five years because of their exploits. Hardy’s role as Bob is the closest the film comes to a genuine emotional connection, whether the characters want to admit it or not.

One-Two is initially at odds with Bob when he learns of his best friend’s sexuality, but after agreeing to share a dance with him the night before he’s supposed to go to prison, One-Two is forced to accept how much he cares about Bob. One-Two and Bob’s friendship is undeniable, illustrated by what he does for Bob. When Mr. Mumbles chastises One-Two about his attitude, Bob’s sexuality becomes a non-issue. Bob is, in fact, the one who keeps the crew together. After being freed from prison on a technicality, Bob keeps the crew together and is responsible for revealing Lenny Cole’s role in their imprisonment over the years.

RocknRolla continues to resonate because it has a solid cast of actors and uses them all to great effect. The film isn’t as gritty as Ritchie’s previous crime thrillers, but that is the fun of it. The low-stakes criminal story is more of a character film that tragically did not see the sequel that it deserved. The end credits promised a return to these characters, but it never came to fruition. The fame of Hardy, Elba, and Butler added to the enjoyment of the film and should have been reason enough to secure a sequel. Though flawed, RocknRolla is genuinely engaging and humorous when it comes to the main trio of the film.