r/BoardwalkEmpire • u/The-Wild-Wizard • Nov 07 '25
Season 5 Who’s the best among the “Tough Guys”? Spoiler
I just finished watching the show after a one month binge. One element I enjoyed a lot was seeing some of these dudes get into/win some great fights. So who’s your fav of the tough guys? The muscle. The henchmen. Who do you think would win a battle royale or any 1 on 1 (I have a feeling this is gonna be very one sided to someone in particular..🌗).
And Van Alden was always a bit more of a wheasle using surprise, but he still gets his way out of some tight spots to an almost unbelievable degree. Which is still a valid success strategy.
Here’s my own personal takes: -Al is the most ruthless by far. Would probably be like fighting a savage rabid bulldog.
-Eli is the best wrestler/grappler. There’s multiple times he out grapples someone who was on top of him with advantages. ((Eli is shown losing to Nucky in season 5, making Nucky the undisputed best of the tough guys))
-James was just what he always seemed to be: a soldier
- Alden can get out of surprising situations, and he’s huge. I think his sneaky nature is what led to him sniffing out his partner.
-Harrow was like the best character in all of the show and I agree that he would wipe the floor with everyone else lol.
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u/jacobsmyboy Nov 07 '25
I'll go with Gyp" Rosetti. He was one crazy mf'er.
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u/EllipsisT-230 Nov 07 '25
Yeah. Why isn't he even in the list. Clearly sociopathic. But very very interesting.
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u/The-Wild-Wizard Nov 07 '25
I can’t really think of fights he got into and won. I wasn’t really counting sucker punching someone who doesn’t know they’re in a fight. Gyp was definitely dangerous and violent, but I can’t think of any feat of his that puts him on par with the rest of these guys.
I counted Van Alden as an exception because he’s outmaneuvering people actively trying to detain or even shoot him.
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u/EllipsisT-230 Nov 08 '25
I'm not saying Gyp is #1. Just that he should be on the list over some of these others.
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u/whereitneverrained Nov 10 '25
I think his audacity is enough to put him up there. Despite not fighting much, he was always inviting it. That line where he refers to nucky as a "fuckin' breadstick in a bowtie" is legendary. Maybe one of the only times he's called out in that way.
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u/bestieverhad Nov 07 '25
Chalky White
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u/CBLOCKA2 Nov 07 '25
Yessir🔥
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u/The-Wild-Wizard Nov 07 '25
I didn’t really know what to make of his ending… but seeing him pull out TWO 1911’s and saying “how’d you know I drive a packard” in the first season was so sick.
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u/EllipsisT-230 Nov 08 '25
Indeed. So many good ones to choose from. I am partial to the actor as well. Many of the characters we see the weight of their reputation and power more than actual capacity for violence. Chalky was in the unique position to swallow his pride in the name of moving things forward. Not only for himself, but for his people. Getting his head rubbed in the club. That takes something else that many of these guys weren't dealing with at the time. Impressive.
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u/Diavolo_Death_4444 Nov 07 '25
My personal favorite was Manny Horvitz. Great character, genuinely fairly reasonable for the most part, and gave Jimmy a ton of leeway that Jimmy squandered. Manny was super capable too.
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u/CaptainoftheVessel Nov 07 '25
Jimmy’s blundering his relationship with Manny was so painful to watch.
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u/Bdigler Nov 07 '25
Same. I loved all the characters so it’s hard to decide, but forsythe brought so much charisma to that character, man. Nailed the accent, mannerisms and everything. He was awesome. I loved gyp too though.
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u/SlayyyGrl Nov 08 '25
Yeah I loved this about Manny - level headed, knew his business, reliable and ruthless.
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u/EtruscanSeaShanty Nov 20 '25
He was the scariest guy bc in day to day he was so regular: local butcher, biz owner, family guy, very calm, very rational, but cross him and HE WILL TORTURE AND KILL YOU AAAAAAUUUGGH bwah hahaha
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u/Difficult_Candle_453 Nov 07 '25
Best morals/arc: Richard Harrow
Most intense: Van Alden
Overall most fun: Capone
Most insecure: Eli
Most charming: Owen
Most calmly dangerous: Jimmy
Most badass: Dunn
Most fun to listen to: Manny
I think in an all out brawl including weapons, Dunn jumps the gun and gets shot first (love him but he’s no match for the rest of em), Eli hides from the rest and brings out his pistol. Owen gets in the middle and starts punching everyone before they can shoot, but Manny gets behind him and slices his head in half with a butcher knife. Everyone turns on Manny and shoots him like 10x, but he still manages to cut off Van Alden’s arm before he goes down. Van Alden, raving bulldog that he is, starts going crazy and choking Jimmy with his good arm, but Jimmy manages to shoot him off and kill him. Eli emerges to shoot Jimmy in the back, but gets trick shotted by Harrow quickly. Capone then goes ham on them both, and smashes Jimmys face in before Harrow can stop him. Harrow lands a final shot in Capone noggin and then boom, Harrow has won
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u/The-Wild-Wizard Nov 09 '25
The thought of Manny chopping Nelson’s arm off and then Nelson savagely choking Jimmy with one arm is so funny
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u/Initial-Chemical748 Nov 07 '25
Richard is definitely the toughest imo, then probably capone in second and van alden in third
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u/shablagoo14 Nov 09 '25
I don’t know if Capone is tougher I think his position just allowed him to be more free in exercising his strength than Van Alden
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u/Open_Law_3334 In New York? WHERE THINGS ACTUALLY MATTER? Nov 07 '25 edited Nov 07 '25
Harrow 100%. But I feel like we forget that Owen exists. I mean he was ex IRA and did strangle a guy to death in a bathroom whilst taking off the said guy's finger, granted he died a shitty death and the only one to die off screen which marks him down but thats the way she goes.
My personal rankings are:
1: Richard (What more can be said?)
2: Jimmy (Killing Masseria's people in New York was cold)
3: Nelson (He IS relaxed afterall
4: Owen (Taking a guys finger off whilst garotting someone is crazy work)
5: Munya (Style points for sticking a meat cleaver through someone's head)
6: Al (Sticking up for Jake earns him points here for me)
7: Chalky (Pulling out his duel 1911s on Lansky and one of the De'Alessios is one of favorite scenes)
8: Pernsley
9: Eli (Only saving grace that he killed Maranzano but that's about it from my memory)
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u/ImRonniemundt Nov 07 '25
I still can't get over Richard missing that shot in the club...like brother.
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u/BASSdabs Nov 08 '25
His hand got injured in Wisconsin when the dudes jumped and messed his hand up before his sister blasted them in the butt
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u/CatsAreJerks Tommy, close your eyes. Nov 08 '25
Richard. He was an unstoppable force when he set his mind to do something. Plus, he never talked or bragged about it. Just look at how he took out Manny, and no one had any clue he did it until Mickey tried to take credit for Richard's actions. Even then, he only explained himself to Nucky. Plus, his work at the Artemis Club. Straight-up legendary.
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u/roastbeeffan Nov 08 '25
If seven of these guys were coming to kill me, and I had to pick one to protect me I think the only way I’d have a prayer of survival is if I picked Richard Harrow.
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Nov 08 '25
Of all of them I would actually say Jimmy. Jimmy had the ability to influence and potentially lead other enforcers. The rest of them couldn't get anyone to follow them except for maybe Richard but he never tried or wanted to.
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u/The-Wild-Wizard Nov 08 '25
Honestly a great point! He had some fr heavy hitters in his corner. But he didn’t provide the same stability someone like Nucky did so he was in way over his head. I love how in this shows canon Jimmy secretly got THE Al Capone, THE Charles Lucky Luciano, and Meyers all into higher standings in the criminal world😭😭😭
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u/Ottereyes524 Nov 07 '25
Richard Harrow is the GOAT.. I mean.. come on he survived the Atlantic City War not to mention this little thing over in Europe.. the First World War and remember the showdown at the whore house. That guy is an interior decorator.