Body Language: A Love Letter to Tom Hardy’s Bane
[Note: This open letter to Tom Hardy’s Bane is intended for audiences that have already seen The Dark Knight Rises; and is inappropriate for people who have a tendency to be late to the party. Spoilers ahoy! Also, it’s Wednesday! What have you been doing with yourself? Living your life?! No excuse. They’re going to revoke your nerd card, mark my words.]
Dear Tom Hardy’s Bane,
I think you’re having a tough go of things. You’re dead, for one thing. Aside from that, many people are wondering about your true motivation during your recent occupation of Gotham. Many people have found your brawling skills to be lackluster and disappointing. Many people wonder if your mask is delivering real Venom, or if it’s just some Nolanized, grittily realistic pain reliever like morphine mist that you have to constantly inhale to keep your physical pain at bay. Many people think your death is the lamest. Many people can’t understand what the hell you’re saying.
I think I understand what you’re saying. But not with your words, or even your eyes. Those help, but I think it’s your body, the way you move, that really tells me what’s up. I was an actor once, and I took a lot of arty farty actor classes. My favorites were those that focused on form and physicality, my personal weak points. I tend to rely heavily on words.
I took a mask class, a clowning class, a commedia dell’arte class, and some others that are so specific only the nerdiest of actor nerds would know what I was talking about. All of them taught me about the ways people carry themselves and hold their bodies, and what that says about their character. We all know how to read emotion through one another’s faces, and watching one another’s mouths move as we speak helps us to actually hear the words being spoken. So what happens when we cover our faces and mouths? We learn to read the rest.
There are a lot of actors who are great at expressing themselves physically. Andy Serkis is an obvious example. His Caesar in last year’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes was one of the best performances I’ve seen—nevermind that the audience never sees his human face.
Doug Jones also springs to mind. He turned in a fantastic performance in Hellboy, in spite of his Abe Sapien being voiced by another actor. (You may be able to sympathize there, what with your voice being filtered through several layers of sound design before reaching our ears.) He was downright masterful in Pan’s Labyrinth, giving life into not one, but two characters that relied on movement.
But Andy had his entire face mapped for motion capture, and Doug got to make use of his mouth for both Fauno and Pale Man. Both actors are also known for their exaggeration of movement: Andy’s adept at portraying other species because he’s so willing to get down on the ground, to swing from trees, to stretch his human’s body into a foreign shape. Doug is a full-on mime. You are not quite in the same boat on any of those fronts.
How about Hugo Weaving’s V in V for Vendetta? There’s a guy who’s got no face, no mouth, nor even eyes to express himself.
But V gets in so many fights! So many fights where he’s an acrobatic, knife-throwing crackerjack. I’m not green; I’m aware all actors utilize doubles and stand-ins while shooting a movie, but V himself is represented as a man who runs across rooftops and dispatches foes like a veritable ninja assassin for a good portion of the film. At these times the man in the mask is Hugo’s stunt double, David Leitch.
So V’s body is kept in motion by two men. Rumors abound that some of the final shots are of James Purefoy, the actor originally cast for V, which brings the total to three. That’s not quite you, either.
You, Tom Hardy’s Bane? You’re a little different. What struck me while watching you onscreen was with what subtlety you were able to relate your character’s identity. You showed me a masked performance that didn’t verge on grandiose gesture to get your fundamental point across. And I still saw you. I can see you, you beautiful, sad monster!
I see a man so racked with pain that his drug barely keeps it at bay. A man whose body is strong yet stiff, powerful yet slow. A man whose flexibility of mind makes up for the lack thereof in his limbs. And where did you get that accent? Oxford? A band of Irish gypsies? Thank god you have it, or I’d never have been able to make out anything above the growl of your apparatus.
There’s something else I see, too. Part of it is revealed in your costume. The chestplate that holds the canisters of your miracle drug also plays suspiciously like a piece of armor. When you are particularly pleased with yourself, you hook your thumbs into it. A gesture toying with the image of that Oxford scholar doing the same with his braces, perhaps? But I notice it’s a gesture that brings your massive arms into your sides, elbows tight at your waist. When we see you seated from behind, your gnarled spine is curved inward. Your head is down, knees up. What are you unconsciously trying to protect? What lies there at the center of your chest? How much is it already hurt?
So what’s your true motivation? Well, you aren’t the first to love a woman knowing she’ll never return the feeling. You aren’t the first to do anything for her, including take up the cause of the man who rejected and betrayed you. You aren’t the first to pin your hopes for redemption on a symbol of innocence, and keep them there even when that symbol becomes corrupt—when it reveals itself to be just another flawed example of humanity. You certainly aren’t the first.
Another man who shares your fate: Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities. He wasn’t a very good man either, but he gave up his life so the woman he loved could carry on without him. His last words: “It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done. It is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.” Ironic, that. Though you probably don’t know why.
So rest, my friend! And don’t let the haters get you down. I understand what you’re saying.
Sincerely,
Sara Clemens
beautiful review of Hardy’s Bane. I loved his performance, though of course i couldn’t quite articulate why, so thank you for doing it so well.
It was masterful, intense and deeply believable – even with that mask on his face, I could sense the emotion he was conveying. (I could hear his words fine though, and English isn’t even my first language!) Every glance, stare and gaze, coupled with his stance made him more than a imposing stock figure to mirror Batman/Bruce Wayne. He was a Force.
And that first fight scene between the two literally made me cringe and almost tear, it was that good, and much of it was sold by Hardy’s grim focus and absolute poise and control of every motion.
Could you have put the spoilers after the jump?! Are you fucking crazy?! You ruined the movie for me!
Thanks a lot.
My own thoughts on Bane in TDKR are mixed. When he moved he was terrifying, but when he spoke i kept laughing at his campy pantomime villain performance.
In the cinema i saw the film at least they seemed to have tried to fix the awful mumble mouth by making him 50% louder and come from all the speakers at once which was a really strange effect when he was conversing with other characters who were properly audio mixed.
I like Tom Hardy as an actor, i like that Bane had the build of a rugby player rather than a gym bunny. It seems that real life hard men are usually shaped like the former. I liked the slow reveal of his origin and motivations.
I hated his voice and that in the first fight Batman doesn’t just punch him repeatedly in his weakspot, the mask.
Pepper, you write very eloquently for someone who’s a non-native English speaker! I think your analysis is right on, too, and thanks for the compliment.
Niklas, I’m sure you’re not coming back to read this, but holy crap man, I’m sorry. I don’t actually put the jump markers in, but it looks like it’s been fixed so others will be spared your fate. A whole bunch of other important stuff happens in the film, so complete ruination of your viewing experience may be a slight exaggeration.
monstrinho, I totally hear you. For me, it was the juxtaposition of his weird/funny voice and his physical presence that was scariest. It’s interesting that the theater tried to compensate for his voice by changing the mix. Paul’s review mentioned something similar, where he felt like he was hearing Bane’s voice in his head. I wonder if that took away from the “realness.” He seemed to be mixed normally at the theater where I saw it.
Hardy’s portrayal of Bane is something I was hoping for. Most people have no idea that the Bane in the comics is one of the smartest and most calculating villains in Batman lore and DC. People who “laugh” at his accent and stuff don’t have any idea where the character comes from. If Nolan was going by comics, he hit the nail on the head because Bane, while raised in prison (Santa Prisca) studied his ass off, basically became a self taugh prodigy and the scholarly tone and accent fits that perfectly. I love when villains in movies catch you off guard and you don’t know how to react to them (you don’t know whether to be scared or to take them seriously). Because of these reasons and the bonus of Catwoman being done perfectly (IMO); Dark Knight Rises was my favorite of the 3. Also a side note: the pacing in this movie destroys 2’s. In a lame attempt to compare the DK and DKR: DK was like a speech (and one that drags for that matter) before the huge performance.
Another great piece, Sara!
Nah, it is fine. No offense taken. My opinion is not going to be influenced by that knowledge. “The way ist the goal”
Bane got my love. In December, I saw the intro of TDKR and knew I would love this character. Yes, he is not twisted and…sadist just like the Joker, but he knows what he wants and just goes for it. Pure evil.
I can’t wait to watch TDKR again.
Very good review. One of the few parts of DKR that I actually like was Bane and his voice. I just assumed there was a microphone and amp built into the mouth of the mask so that when he spoke it wouldn’t be muffled by the mask, thus accounting for the disproportionate loudness compared to those around him and the tinny, hollow quality with the haunting omnipresent effect
Good letter….
Also am I the only person who believes that Bane isn’t dead?…I dunno.
I think that this movie could be taken in 2 different directions:
1 of them being that yes everything is done.
2.The other being open ended because WB needs Nolan’s Batman to continue via some other director thus making it easy for any other person to carry the series on.
Ex. Bane still being alive, Bruce Wayne going back and reclaiming his fortune and mantle, Talia being resurected by her Father.
I mean technically no one was really seen dead except for Havey Dent/Two face.
Agreed, Tom Hardy killed it. He didn’t have much to work with, at all, but managed to raise the character to an unexpected level. The speed at which he threw punches in the final fight scene was incredible. Someone was likening the final fight to a boss battle — endless punching via button mashing, eventually Batman hit a piece off of Bane’s mask to weaken him, Bane comes back stronger, more furious punching, more mask damaging. His vocal delivery was also immense. The way he says in a sing song voice to Batman as he prepares to break his back, “I wondered what would break first, your soul, or your body?” is fucking RIGHT ON. RIGHT ON, BANE! YOUR VOICE IS DARTH VADAR’S COOL KID BROTHER’S VOICE!
That said, I completely agree with the peanut gallery that Bane’s demise was utter, UTTER crap. Not in a “Hey, he deserved a better death!” sense, but more in a “Hey, I was TOTALLY engaged with this character and then you killed the main villain without even showing his (masked) face for the last five minutes . . . with, like, a missile?! OK?!” sense. And that’s ultimately what ruined the movie for me: despite all of the interesting and ponderous themes, the movie succumbed to one too many corny death scenes, cheap nuclear bomb plot devices (It’s a trap, look out! She’s got a knife! Whoops you threw your police badge in the river!), and glib monologues. You just can’t have it both ways in my book, both a revolution of blockbuster thinking and a reinforcement of blockbuster thinking. The last hour was torture: “Gotta find that nuclear bomb! Who the fuck cares because there ain’t no fucking way this movie is gonna let that fucking bomb detonate in Gotham! Ain’t no nuclear bomb ever gone off in no super hero movie before, so let’s just reiterate for the audience: there’s nothing to see here, move along. Something something martyr roll credits.”
FART SOUND! REBOOT!
ALSO ANNE HATHAWAY IS THE BEST OF EVERY BATMAN THING EVER. Perfectly written, perfectly costumed, perfectly acted. MICHAEL CAINE CRYING.
@Jaromir
Yeah, I’m not sure why everyone’s so damn sure he’s dead. Sure he got blasted in the chest by the bat-bike, but he was wearing a pretty damn big armored plate there last I checked.
But no, we’ll never see Hardy as Bane again, no way.
All I heard when he spoke was Sean Connery. As much as I love Sean Connery, it took away from the character.
Also, Anne Hathaway stole every scene she was in. I was not expecting that at all.
Ms. Clemens, allow me to point out that while my strong dislike of this film as a lifelong Batman fanatic whose love spans decades, this is another great article from you. Bane’s voice was distractingly odd, the fights looked like pro wrestling anyway you look at them. In fact, somebody erroneously told me he was one of the Hardy Boyz tag team and I believed it before checking up on that little factoid. Also, the notion that a man like that would knowingly go head to head with Batman knowing that all it would take was one good shot to the kisser to unleash hell on him was stupid at best, but Hardy’s physical performance was not the problem. I still think he was a good choice for the role. I’m laying the blame at Nolan and Goyer’s feet for not giving a shit. I’d also like to point out that while Bane had ZERO resemblance to the character Batfans know, Hathaway captured the essences of Selena Kyle pretty flawlessly.
Hey Roman, I absolutely agree that being unsettled by a villain is the only way to be. Either that or outright liking them, Hans Gruber style. Grassy ass, Remy! Niklas, glad you came back! And I really am sorry, if I came off too snarky up there. Thanks for keeping things cool. Craig, incredibly well-reasoned explanation for the sound mixing. You? You I like.
I don’t know, Covalent. I don’t think purely evil sadists cry silent tears while someone is recounting their story, or go out of their way to protect anyone from their fellow prisoners. I think he was tragically devoted to Talia, which is too bad because she sucks and is also insane. PS. Let the record show I’m only operating within the world of the trilogy, no comics.
I see you, Bane! I will kiss your tears away! Or we can just cry it out, whatever you want! I hear that Alfred guy loves a good sob! Come follow me around and I’ll be nice to you forever!
And Bane is absolutely alive until proven dead. But I have to agree with Paul—Tom Hardy’s Bane? He’s gone. Like so much Darth Vader/Sean Connery love child dust in the wind.
BK, way to hit a thousand nails on the head (and crack me up). Boss fight analogy? You’re speaking my language. The film wasn’t absolutely ruined for me, but I 1000% agree that once the “endgame” started rolling I definitely thought to myself, “Did Charlie Kaufman write this? Is this really Adaptation II: The Dark Knight’s Boogaloo?”
CATWOMAN. The only thing keeping her from perfection are those goddamned heels. There is no woman who’d take stock of her needs to run around, scale walls, and possibly fight a bunch of dudes who would choose to wear those shoes. Some women may tell you they would, and that they think heels are “totally comfortable,” but these are the same women who say “It’s okay, it happens to everybody.” It doesn’t happen to everybody, it’s not okay, and she would be rocking some kick ass combat boots, plain and simple. Otherwise, someone get Hathaway her own movie, stat.
trashcanman, you sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. While I cannot agree wholeheartedly with all of your points, your unfailing politeness and formality are beyond charming, as ever. Please, stop by anytime! And do give my regards to Flagg.
I don’t often comment on stuff like this, but this article was so well-written that I had to. Someone already said this, but you pinned down everything that went through my head while I was watching the Dark Knight Rises in regards to Bane. I actually LOVED how his voice was refined and light, because I think it was so much more fitting than a garbly garble garble. What’s so wonderful about the social nature of the human race is that we’re able to pick up on gestures like his thumbs-in-the-harness gesture and know what they mean without actually realizing what we’re reading. It’s why I admire actors so much — you lot have learned how to quantify and convey the subconscious things we do with our bodies and emulate them convincingly. I never would have broken down all the gestures he made the way you did, and yet I was able to understand every one. Your analysis called to light all the things I LOVED about this movie and Tom Hardy’s performance, so thank you!
There’s no real point here, I just thought I’d respond to your love letter with a love note.
Thank you, dinobot. I accept love notes, always. And thanks for the good words towards actors—we’re actually not all a bunch of dummies!
First of all, I would like to say how beautifully constructed I found the above review. If other critics were to set their work with such a theme, they may well find people starting to pay attention to them again.
I completely agree with Sara’s thought’s on Bane’s body language – I am also an actor and was just as curious as to what Tom Hardy was hiding beneath his armour. Though it was never spoken of, it seemed as glaringly obvious as the metal monstrosity on his face, even when he was sat down.
I loved the sense of menace literally emanating from Hardy whenever Bane was in a good mood – the aforementioned thumbs-in-the-harness was a fantastically simple way of portraying an emotion with a covered face, but I had no idea how effective it could be. And although it is essentially a human trait, tell or habit, it seemed to put Bane in a more God-like light. It made him look not only unmovable, but bloody smug about it too.
The voice and accent I found somewhat odd, but as the film went on I found myself thinking about it less and less. It was a necessary tool to portray Bane as a great mind as well as a brute. Had his voice been gravelly and dark, there is no way the audience would have seen him as the mastermind he actually is.
I have been a fan of Tom Hardy for a while now. after watching him in Bronson and The Take (anyone who hasn’t seen The Take, please, please watch it!). Though he has always (to me) been a master of expressions and often carried the gormless countenance of someone who likes to punch things whenever the role called for it – and that is not an easy expression, guys, sluggishness and malevolence are hard to mix – so it was a real eye-opener to see him conquer such a character with half of his face obscured. This, to me, is akin to juggling chainsaws while blindfolded – it takes absolute skill.
And, while I am here, I really never used to rate Hathaway. I am now prepared to eat my words.
Sara Clemens, I hope to read more from you. Please, do keep up the good work.
Sam, thank you, and you make some excellent, excellent points yourself. Sometimes I think being an actor helps me see things that may be missed by those who have never tried it. It is, like many things, much more difficult than it looks. Being terrible at it is easy, but even being mediocre takes effort. So once you have someone like Hardy—who I think is one of the greatest physical actors working—laying out some pretty subtle, intricate choices, I worry that audiences may miss his genius! Hence the above love letter, of course.
Also, I haven’t seen The Take—so thanks for the suggestion. I can’t wait. And I’m here every Wednesday morning, and often float around the comments the rest of the week, so please come back!
Sara, amazing letter, truly amazing. Believe it or not, those are my thoughts exactly, albeit no so technical.
I do believe Hardy´s portrayal of Bane was majestic, imposing, commanding… He was a force of nature…
I did focus on the phisicality of his performance, just like you did, and found an incredible amount of expressions to my delight..
Absolutely amazing…..
great letter 🙂 i think mostly actors will appreciate how great tom was. the man is my idol and it does annoy me that such a subtle and believable performance is taken for granted. watching bane i could not see tom hardy the actor i just saw bane the brutal tactician. i will even go so far as to say that his bane is better than heaths joker (which was great) because he didnt have to play an outlandish larger than life personality.. the way he moved alone create this “dont fuck with me” atmosphere.