Tom Hardy did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying "Mad" Max Rockatansky in Mad Max: Fury Road.
The success of Mad Max: Fury Road can be perhaps most immediately described through its streamlined and visually stunning approach to action. That is but an element though that is part of its greatness, however the whole of the greatness in a way comes from all the seemingly more minor elements around that action, which makes the meaning of the action all the greater. This in the richly designed world of the apocalypse with all the different strange characters making up the world, all whom seem to have their own story even if we only get a glimpse of them. The writing of the work in itself is underrated, yes the plot is simple, and effectively simple I'd say, however the world is complex, the development of the themes is remarkable, and the actual dialogue I'd argue is iconic already. As much as performances aren't the first thing one thinks of with an action film, they can be essential in distinguishing a good one from a great one, and in Mad Max you have a myriad of impressive performances within the supporting cast, again even with some you only get a glimpse of, but the main three performances within the film are Nicholas Hoult's Nux that has the most dynamic character arc of the film as the henchmen turned hero, Charlize Theron as Furiosa as the driven action heroine of the piece, and of course Mad Max himself, though the latter perhaps received the least amount of kudos throughout the film's much lauded run.
Tom Hardy I'd actually say does not really fill the shoes of Mel Gibon as Mad Max, because the character really isn't the same in terms of role, Gibson's I'd say was more overtly sarcastic and cynical, where with Hardy's we get this embodiment of a singular survivor in a sense. What does match, despite some poor commentary upon the time of the release, is the role of Max in the series who while is the "lead" of the film doesn't lead the film. Just like in Road Warrior and Thunderdome, Max essentially wanders into someone else's story and basically sees what he can do. Hardy's performance in this sense then becomes a bit of a performance that isn't ever really on his own, yet in a way is within his own experience in a way, offering a particular challenge then in Hardy's often silent performance. Tom Hardy though is an actor with a tremendous presence, as for example a few later he would show in Dunkirk where he somehow held the screen despite being a set of eyes and infrequently used voice. Mad Max though is a greater example of this in his use of expression that is all his own, and essential to the film in a way that I don't think gets enough credit. This as his portrayal of Max both is filled with character while being one of the greatest audience surrogates of all time. This as this is not Max's story really, but Max is how we see this story each step of the way.
We open the film and just from the opening do we get a sense of Hardy's Max instantly, and he is instantly captivating as well. This just as he's attempting to run from the war boy henchmen of the ultimate bad-guy Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Hardy manages to portray a definite doggedness in his forceful manner in the opening chase. There is more though as sense of near mania in his eyes, though a specific kind of haunted mania. This as Max is haunted by his past failures that we see as hallucinations, and Hardy matches those images with his own performance. His face is that of a man with all sorts of deaths he has seen, and his mania is that of a man whose past is a constant sort of a particular kind of sorrow. That sorrow though again something Hardy depicts so pitch perfectly though in that it just seems to fuel the innate madness of the man. When the chase begins, activated by Furiosa running off with Immortan's brides leading the villain to lead all his men to capture them once again. We then get basically this brilliant tapestries of action scenes, each though that are a phase in Max's development conveyed almost entirely through Hardy's silent performance. Meanwhile though Hardy also needs to make Max consistently a captivating feature in these actions scenes while technically just being one part of them.
I think it is so easy to ignore what Hardy is doing here, which is a major disservice to his work which on its own is a major service to the film. This as there is so much, for the lack of a better word, character in everything that he does, and he just adds that much more color to the film by the virtue of his existence. Now Hardy is good, he has that presence, he has all that, and maybe that would be enough for a good action movie, but this is a great action movie, and Hardy delivers a great action performance. Watch any second of Hardy's performance here he is actually doing something interesting that conveys not only what Max is going through in a given scene but also who Max is. Take the extended initial chase. Hardy, as Max is literally used as a blood bag for Nux, conveys just this tight near disbelief of his terrible state, and just a kind of anger at the insanity of his plight. There is still a sense of the fight and we get that as soon as he's released, and the glint of a dogged survival when his shackles are briefly removed is just brilliant work from Hardy. Hardy never just in a scene, as he's so consistently dynamic in his reactions. This as the scene continues and Hardy takes us through every thought of Max as he's attached to the kamikaze henchmen in Nux. This with a particular highlight being Hardy's face of a perfectly hilarious "you gotta be kidding me" when Nux asks Max to "witness him", that being Nux using his own car, which Max is attached to, as a suicide bomb to kill Furiosa.
After barely surviving that we follow this with a series of consistent scenes where we see Max meet up with Furiosa and the wives, who he'll treat as an obstacle at first, again as Hardy portrays a man just looking for his own survival at first. Here's where we get masterful physical work by Hardy, that is that of a great silent comedian basically though here as the action hero. Take two scenes in particular, one where he confronts the wives to try to steal their supplies, and every motion and movement, and little sound effect is perfection by Hardy. This as we know everything that Max is saying without saying a single thing. We get the same thing when he hitches a ride with the group, after initially fighting with them, and he collects all the guns in their truck fortress. Hardy's performance again is that of silent brilliance as it is such a simple scene of just gathering things, but there is so much fun, and character in the method in which he does it. This in his ways his eyes dart around, the way he snaps and asks for the gun, again Hardy entirely conveys what Max wants, his belief in the moment as just survivor ensuring his own safety, while doing it in kind of a covertly entertaining way. Hardy is fantastic in the same way in the action scenes by being entirely within the action scenes in terms of creating their stakes, yet doing so with that slightly off-kilter manner of his that gives Max a particularly unique flavor as a hero for the film.
What we also get is Hardy's work in the action scenes that crafting the arc of Max going from a man only interested in running from any danger to ensure his own survival to wanting to turn around to face that danger through seeing a chance for those around him. Hardy does this by being so dynamic in every scene. This as initially his actions are personal and reactions of concern for oneself. In each successive scene though we get a greater sense of compassion and care in these scenes. There is a greater ease in Hardy's manner that appears, and slowly a real sense of concern for the others around him and not just himself. The emotional element here is entirely earned by this silence as Hardy is just so pitch perfect in every moment of just creating this man slowly caring again. We also get this through his scant few lines, where Hardy's delivery is particularly unique. This as in much of the film Hardy speaks very quietly, almost as a man who is speaking to himself and no one else, this befitting a man who hasn't spoken to anyone else for years. Hardy's quiet little rumblings say much about Max, and each little delivery of his is memorable in this approach, particularly adore his way of saying "that's bait" which just immediate illustrates a clear understanding of a knowledgeable survivor as he notes a naked woman "alone" is a little too obvious. The most important delivery though is his final moment directly with a potentially dying Furiosa, where the whole scene Hardy's shows the absolute sincere urgency of a man saving someone who truly deeply wants to help. The finale of this being his simple delivery of "my name is Max". Hardy's delivery of this is again greatness in delivering his character, as he first says it internally one more time though now almost this realization of himself again, and a recognition of his humanity. This before turning to say it externally to everyone around him and fully becoming a man connecting with others rather just trying to escape them. This is a great performance by Tom Hardy that is one of the essential features to the film's success. Although it is easy to take his work for granted, that is part of his greatness. Hardy's not fussy within the film, instead he's just part of every moment, creating his own unique take on the iconic character, that naturally realizes an arc, while doing this so smoothly you barely notice, but his presence always adds that certain something to every scene he is in. This extra bit of character that isn't just a someone to follow through the story, but rather someone to amplify every bit of it.
