The Tom Hardy headlinedCaponehas now come and gone, with the movie failing to leave much of an impression. To put it mildly, the reviews have been largely mixed, with many praising Hardy’s central performance whilst chastising the movie’s overall approach to the material. Well, it turns out that several of director Josh Tranks fellow filmmaker friends may be to blame, as they not only failed to tell him to tone things down but in fact urged him to push the envelope even further.
“Everybody [fromRian Johnsonto Joe Carnahan] was like, ‘There are areas where you could be weirder. If you’ve already gone this far to make a movie this weird and this unexpected, own it. Own your shit.’ No pun intended.”
So, as if Rian Johnson had not already received his fair share of flack for his hugely divisiveStar WarseffortThe Last Jedi,Josh Tranknames him as one of the reasons forCaponebeing so…unconventional. In this instance, “unconventional” means having your main character defecate himself several times throughout your movie. We know Johnson has an affinity for subverting expectations but surely there’s a line. Of course, the bizarre nature ofCaponedid work for some, with many praising the depiction of the vicious crime boss as a loose-bowel boasting shadow of his former self.
Originally titledFonzo,Caponewas in development for some time, with many fans hotly anticipating seeing the talentedTom Hardy take on the role of Al Capone. Sadly, the movie debuted with a whimper, with reports claiming that the movie made $2.5 million in 10 days from releasing on VOD, which is a far cry from its $20.6 million dollar budget.
Caponefollows thenotorious mob boss Al Capone, played byInceptionandVenomstar Tom Hardy. The movie portrays Capone as the ruthless businessman and bootlegger who ruled Chicago with an iron fist, having already earned a reputation as the most infamous and feared gangster of American lore. The story centers on a less explored and far weirder aspect of the gangster’s life, as the effects of syphilis turn past to present, and harrowing memories of his violent and brutal origins melt into his waking life. The movie follows Al Capone after his 11-year sentence at the United States Penitentiary, Atlanta as he begins to succumb to the illness and looks back at his life.
Alongside Hardy, the movie also brings together a handful of suitably impressive actors in the form of Linda Cardellini as Mae Capone, Jack Lowden as an FBI agent, as well as Matt Dillon, Noel Fisher Kyle MacLachlan, and Kathrine Narducci.Caponeis written and directed by Josh Trank.
ThoughCaponewas originally scheduled to be released in theaters, the movie was instead released through video on demand on July 31, 2025, by Vertical Entertainment.
Despite the critical mauling thatCaponereceived, Josh and Trank and Tom Hardy have already arranged to team up again for a TV miniseries about the early days of the CIA, with Hardy set to star and produce. This comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
