0
During the build up to this film I read up a little bit on the Kray Twins. Not enough to spoil the story but certain ample material to whet my appetite.
As the title would suggest it’s easy to see why their story became legend, the opening line is about how everyone had a story about them in 1960s London, their impact was huge despite the little time they had actually being gangsters when looking at the bigger picture.
This film condenses it nicely down to a solid 2 hours of violence but heartfelt imagery and a plot which really draws you in.
Tom Hardy is the star of the show in more ways than one. He plays both Twins, Ron and Reggie in a casting masterstroke. This makes previous incarnations of the Kray’s seem really stupid in comparison, especially when you have 2 different actors who aren’t even remotely related play them as was the case in The Rise of the Krays, another movie about the Twins from this year.
Back to Hardy, I enjoyed his take on Reggie, if he was playing just the one character, I’d say did an admirable performance. He manages to overshadow himself as Ron however. When I looked at Reggie in this, I felt it was just Tom Hardy being suave and cool like he usually is, with hint of 60s gangster thrown in.
His Ron on the other hand is genuinely believable and it feels like you’re watching the real man. He shines the brightest during Ron’s angriest moments and he’s so dramatically different to his brother at times, you don’t realise it’s the same person after a while. It was really easy to tell the difference in his voice and looks despite them being Twins and the same actor, that’s credit to Hardy, as well as the makeup and costume departments.
For all the stories I read of of Nipper Reed during the build-up; the closest thing you can get to a ‘villain’ in this movie, unless you of course count the Kray’s as villains themselves, I felt underwhelmed by his presence and when he turned up, it felt as if because the plot required him to.
It felt not too dissimilar to another one of his other characters- Malakeith in Thor: The Dark World, underused and not particularly well introduced to the audience; which is a shame because Christopher Eccleston is a fine actor who seems to keep getting these type of ‘meh’ roles.
The split screening of Hardy as the Kray’s really works and you barely notice it, unless you are specifically looking out for the moments when the used it. Even when other actors are used during their fight in the nightclub, you don’t notice the camera trickery involved.
Hardy stands tall above everyone else in the film, although Emily Browning does well opposite him as Frances Shea and comes across as ridiculously likeable, especially when compared to the evil Twins who’s archetypes are exposed further when she’s around.
I really enjoyed Legend, the British gangster flick isn’t something that comes around as often as it perhaps should, but when they do, they are an absolute treat. Putting the film through the gaze of Frances was a great idea that makes the twins dishonourable but still retainable in certain aspects, just as Frances would see Reggie for the most part, but as the film goes on, that desire to be the girlfriend of one of London’s most notorious gangsters comes back to bite her.
I would recommend it, be wary of it’s violent nature, it including a scene where Ronnie bashes a member of a rival gang’s head in with a hammer before breaking his kneecaps, going to show that it doesn’t shy away from the abhorrent acts of the Twins and lays it pretty bare but as the audience, you’re far more thankful for it, you’re given a true reflection of what they where like.
Purple Revolver rating 3.5 outta 5