Tom Hardy is one of those actors who fully submerse himself in a role. One of the best movies of Hardy was Bronson, where he played Britain’s most violent criminal, Charles Bronson. Hardy was not afraid to completely dive head-first into the psyche of this dangerous criminal. I can say the same about Hardy’s performance in Josh Trank’s Capone.
Not The Capone You’re Expecting
Capone centers around the infamous Prohibition Era gangster Al Capone. Rather than being a typical gangster film, Capone focuses on the last months of Al’s life. After seven years of activity and countless murders, including the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, Capone was sent to prison. Within the ten years of incarceration, Capone’s underlying syphilis has eaten away at his mind. He is deemed no longer a threat and is released. Capone then resides in his come in Florida, where he must be cared for by his family, who witness his deteriorating mind.
The real Al Capone was responsible for over thirty-three deaths and for that reason, he doesn’t deserve sympathy. Hardy’s portrayal of Capone garners a mixture, though; of sympathy and discomfort. The syphilis has caused dementia and in real-life, doctors deemed that Capone had the mind of a twelve-year-old. Due to that, watching his performance was unsettling at times. I do feel that anyone who has watched a loved one deal with dementia or Alzheimer’s, as I have; can see a bit of their loved one in Hardy’s Capone.
What Is Real?
Due to Capone’s constant hallucinations, you are thrown for a loop from time to time. What is real? What isn’t real? The imagery is something to behold at well. Capone lives in a grand mansion and slowly, throughout the film; pieces of his home is stripped away. One after the other, until it’s all gone. The weight of that is heavy on our shoulders. There are also a few moments of extreme violence, which hit exactly how they’re supposed to.
Slight Criticism
I do wish that Hardy was made to look a little bit more like Capone, perhaps his hair could have been dyed darker? I’m unaware of how Capone sounded, so I can’t comment if the voice Hardy used is accurate or not. There was a slight subplot of the government clearly trying to see if Capone had money hidden or not. I wasn’t sure if his doctor was in on it or not and that was never really explored.
3.5/5
Either way, Capone is at the very least, a showing of how dedicated Hardy is to really bringing a character to life. The imagery is done well and is an interesting take on a very well known gangster.
Capone stars Tom Hardy, Linda Cardellini, Jack Lowden, Noel Fisher, Kyle MacLachlan, and Matt Dillon.
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