Tom Hardy’s R-Rated Sherlock Replacement Showcases One of His Greatest Performances

Tom Hardy has delivered some memorable performances throughout his career, but his role in the eight-episode crime thriller Taboo remains one of his most compelling. The 2017 series gives Hardy the chance to play a character who combines the calculating intelligence associated with Sherlock Holmes with a far darker, more dangerous edge.

In recent years, Hardy’s film career has been closely associated with the commercially successful but critically divisive Venom movies. Earlier in his career, however, he regularly moved between very different genres and characters.

His television work has increasingly centered on crime dramas. Fans may know him as the intimidating Alfie Solomons in Peaky Blinders or as Harry Da Souza in MobLand. In both roles, Hardy brings considerable presence to characters who operate according to complicated moral codes.

Yet Taboo arguably gives him an even stronger opportunity to demonstrate his acting range. Although the series lasted only eight episodes and never reached the longevity of Peaky Blinders or MobLand, it established itself as a distinctive crime drama while allowing Hardy to make James Delaney one of his most fascinating characters.

James Delaney Has More in Common With Sherlock Holmes Than You Might Expect

James Delaney is an unusual protagonist, and Hardy has previously explained that the character drew inspiration from several famous fictional figures. In an interview with Digital Spy, he named characters including Hannibal Lecter, Oliver Twist, Bill Sykes, Heathcliff, and Marlow.

Sherlock Holmes was another major influence.

The connection becomes clearer when Delaney’s methods are examined. He is not a traditional detective, and Taboo does not follow Holmes-style individual mysteries. Instead, Delaney uses careful observation, strategic thinking, and long-term planning as he wages an economic and physical battle in 1814 London.

Like Sherlock, Delaney frequently sees possibilities that his opponents fail to recognize. He stays several steps ahead of the East India Company and the British Crown, carefully positioning himself while his enemies struggle to understand what he is really planning.

By the time they recognize his intentions, Delaney has often already secured the advantage.

There are also similarities in the way both characters exist outside conventional social expectations. Delaney never describes himself as a “high-functioning sociopath,” but he operates according to his own rules and displays many of the traits associated with an anti-hero.

Still, the similarities between Delaney and Holmes only go so far. Delaney is considerably more dangerous and intimidating than Conan Doyle’s detective. Taboo even hints at his history of cannibalism, adding another disturbing dimension to the character and potentially reflecting the Hannibal Lecter influence Hardy identified.

Tom Hardy Makes James Delaney Unforgettable

Hardy’s performance is a major reason Taboo works so well.

For much of the series, he plays Delaney with an unnerving quietness. His dialogue is often delivered almost as a mumble, while his expressions, prolonged silences, and intense stare communicate much of what the character refuses to say aloud.

That restraint makes Delaney particularly compelling. He can be threatening without raising his voice, and Hardy allows the character’s anger and determination to build beneath the surface rather than constantly putting them on display.

Delaney is also considerably more morally complicated than many of Hardy’s other crime-drama characters. He is unpredictable and has an almost feral quality, making him both frightening and strangely captivating.

More importantly, the character is built around contradictions. Delaney can be restrained one moment and brutally violent the next. He is self-serving while also capable of sacrificing himself, manipulative yet vulnerable, and deeply superstitious while remaining highly rational.

Hardy handles each of these opposing qualities with remarkable control. Together, they give him the opportunity to display a wider range than a straightforward crime-drama role might allow.

Nearly a decade has now passed since Hardy last played James Delaney in Taboo. Given how distinctive the character remains, it would be fitting if Hardy eventually returned to the role for the show’s long-planned follow-up.