Starring: Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, Colin Morgan, Christopher Eccleston, Paul Anderson
Legend
Director: Brian Helgeland
Rating: 3/5
Tom Hardy is a huge favourite of ours here at FemaleFirst and he is back with new gangster film Legend, which saw him take on the dual role of the infamous Ronnie and Reggie Kray.
From the moment that it was revealed that Hardy was going to play both brothers, Legend is a movie that I have been looking forward to... the Oscar-nominated actor does not disappoint as he delivers a towering performance.
Legend follows the true rise and fall of London most notorious gangsters, Reggie and Ron Kray. Legend is a classic crime thriller taking us into the secret history of the 1960s and the extraordinary events that secured the infamy of the Kray Twins.
If you are a Hardy fan, make sure that you check out Legend as he delivers a two truly wonderful performances. He really has got under the skin of both Ronnie and Reggie Kray, has captured very different aspects of these two men, and makes them clearly very different characters. It is just wonderful.
Hardy captures the swagger of Reggie the reluctant gangster who is keen to go into business, pull himself up from the streets of the East End, and make a legitimate name for himself. However, he cannot keep himself out of trouble for long. Hardy's performance as Ronnie is also terrific as he understand the slightly unstable nature of the brother that wanted to be a true gangster.
Ronnie is openly gay and loves the violent side of the gangster life; it is the character of Ronnie that does bring plenty of humour to the film. I love the relationship between the twins; they may be driven to the edge of killing one another from time to time, but their loyalty is unshakable. It is incredible that Hardy has been able to capture all of that.
For me, it is Hardy that really does elevate this film and makes it all that it is and, sadly, the supporting characters are very much left in the shadows. While we do get a look into the relationship that Reggie had with wife Francis, you only feel that you scratched the surface of this relationship and this young woman.
Apart from Hardy's performance, there is a real lack of depth in Legend and you feel like you never really see the impact that the Kray's had on the East End at that time. They briefly talk about influencing witnesses and playing off the police, but we never see how much control they had or the fear that they instilled on those around them.
Legend is a solid gangster movie that really does take a close look at Ronnie and Reggie as people, but this is a movie that lacks some real grit. Perhaps, without such a charismatic actor giving such as wonderful central performance as Hardy has, Legend would be a little flat. I was just expecting so much more from a script by Brian Helgeland, who penned the screenplay for L.A. Confidential.
Legend is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now.