Locke: a great excuse to gawp at Tom Hardy's lovely neck

The ancients thought that the seat of female hysteria was the womb. My theory (just as credible) is that male charisma resides in the neck.

The most magnetic films stars have always had impressive upper spines. Marlon Brando’s neck was so thick it was simply a continuation of his temples with only a jutting chin to betray the difference. While James Dean’s sudden bare nook between hair and leather collar is the definition of sexy vulnerability. Tom Hardy, one of the most exciting actors of the moment, is just as well endowed. His neck, playing the serial killer in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Bronson and a charming forger in Christopher Nolan’s Inception, was in constant danger of overshadowing his head (not to mention the other actors on screen). When casting him again in Batman, Nolan made damn sure Bane’s mask was sufficiently revealing to flaunt his star’s best asset.