Tom Hardy keeps delivering knockout performances that stick with you long after the credits roll. His latest venture, the Guy Ritchie-backed gangster series MobLand, has been crushing it on Paramount+ and proving once again why Hardy remains Hollywood’s go-to guy for intense criminal characters. But here’s the thing – while everyone’s talking about his newest hit, there’s this darker, more twisted gem from 2017 that deserves way more love than it gets.
When Hardy Returned as London’s Most Dangerous Man
Taboo throws us straight into the world of James Keziah Delaney, Hardy’s most unsettling character to date. Picture this: a man who’s spent years in the African wilderness returns to fog-drenched London to collect what his dead father left behind. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. That inheritance happens to be a tiny island called Nootka Sound in North America, and suddenly everyone from British nobles to American spies wants a piece of him.
What makes this different from MobLand‘s street-level gang warfare? Taboo operates on a completely different scale. While Harry Da Souza deals with rival families and territory disputes, Delaney finds himself caught between empires, fighting battles that could reshape entire continents.
Hardy Unleashes Something Primal
Remember Hardy’s terrifying turn in Bronson? Well, Delaney channels that same raw, unpredictable energy, but cranks it up several notches. The guy moves like a caged animal who’s forgotten how to be human. Those haunting flashbacks of slave ships and brutal imagery aren’t just backstory – they’ve carved something dark and permanent into his soul.
His eyes tell the whole story. One look from Delaney can make hardened criminals reconsider their life choices. Where MobLand‘s Harry constantly reacts to threats around him, Delaney becomes the threat everyone else has to react to. He’s not just playing the game; he’s rewriting the rules as he goes.
Empire vs. Empire in the Dirtiest Game
The political chess match behind Taboo makes it feel like a completely different beast than your typical crime drama. Nootka Sound sits right at the crossroads between British Canada and the young United States, with both sides desperate to control this strategic chokepoint. Delaney’s little inheritance suddenly becomes the key to continental dominance.
Enter the power players: Edgar Dumbarton (Michael Kelly), an American operative who’d sell his own grandmother for state secrets, and Sir Stuart Strange (Jonathan Pryce), the East India Company’s ruthless puppet master. These aren’t just criminals – they’re architects of empire, and Delaney’s standing right in their way.
The historical setting gives every confrontation weight beyond personal revenge or money. When Delaney makes his moves, he’s not just fighting for survival – he’s battling the forces that shape nations.
Where Reality Meets the Supernatural
Here’s where Taboo really separates itself from the pack. Set in 1814 London, the show doesn’t shy away from the mystical elements that defined the era. Delaney’s voodoo practices with his half-sister Zilpha Geary (Oona Chaplin) aren’t just for show – they’re genuine expressions of power in a world where the line between reality and supernatural belief remains blurry.
His uncanny ability to know things he shouldn’t, combined with those ritualistic sequences, creates an atmosphere that crawls under your skin and stays there. The squalor of London’s underbelly, with its exploited children and crushing poverty, serves as the perfect backdrop for Delaney’s moral ambiguity. In this hellscape, he’s not the monster – he’s just the most honest about what it takes to survive.
Violence That Actually Means Something
Taboo doesn’t pull punches when it comes to brutality, but every bloody moment serves the story. Take that bone-chilling scene where Delaney takes down an East India Company assassin by literally tearing into his throat with his teeth. It’s not violence for shock value – it’s a window into a man who’s crossed lines most people don’t even know exist.
While MobLand delivers its action through quick gunfights and explosive confrontations, Taboo prefers the slow burn of psychological terror. Every act of violence feels earned, dangerous, and absolutely final.
The Hidden Masterpiece in Hardy’s Collection
Despite earning critical praise, Taboo somehow slipped under the radar for too many viewers. With Hardy dropping hints about a potential second season, there’s never been a better time to dive into this twisted historical nightmare.
What you get is gothic crime drama mixed with political thriller, seasoned with supernatural dread and anchored by Hardy’s most committed performance. It’s the kind of show that sticks with you, haunting your thoughts long after you’ve binged the entire season.
ImageCredit: Image via Netflix
