Michael Stillwell There are a lot of ways to define toughness—from physicality and swagger to mental fortitude and strength of character—but as a film fan, you tend to know toughness when you see it. It’s the way the character is framed, the way the music swells, or the sheer odds the movie places in the protagonist’s way.As such, some of the toughest men and women in film history are also some of the most beloved and heroic. Still others are shrewd, vengeful, and shockingly villainous. Whatever side they’re on, the iconic folks on this list are all unrelentingly feisty—but one character trumps the rest in terms of toughness. Click through to find out who.*Warning: Some entries contain heavy spoilers. 1 of 40 40. Forrest Bondurant (Lawless) You could probably populate this list with just Tom Hardy characters. In Legend, he played twin gangsters who tore up London. In Bronson, his take on the titular serial killer was appropriately terrifying. Hell, even Bane in The Dark Knight Rises broke Batman’s back and nearly detonated a nuke in Gotham City.But Forrest Bondurant, in 2012’s criminally underseen bootlegging thriller Lawless, remains Hardy’s most badass character. Known for being “invincible,” he survives a slit throat and multiple gun shots (as well as a fall through some thin ice), and deals with the perpetrators of crimes against him in 10 times as brutal fashion. 2 of 40 39. Frank Lucas (American Gangster) Like Hardy, Denzel Washington is an actor who could own a lot of… Click below to read the full story from Esquire
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The 40 Toughest Movie Characters
