Legend: Impressions

Legend portrays the story of the twins who became London’s most notorious and legendary gangsters, Ronald and Reginald Kray. It is the tale of how through ruthlessness and ambition they rose to the top, from the East End to the richer, more higher-up West End. With money and power the lips of Lords, American Mafia, police and even the Prime Minister spoke their names with fear and respect. However, behind the legends were men. Exceptional men, but still with their own flaws and problems. And it was these ‘human’ problems that precipitated their fall…

Right, let’s deal with the positives. First of all, acting wise everyone is good, however Tom Hardy is just absolutely brilliant in his double performance. Having to play two very different characters is difficult for any actor, let alone such dynamic characters as the Kray twins. But Tom Hardy not just manages, he excels: from the psychopathic, unstable Ronnie, to the calm, measured but ruthless and fallible Reggie. But in particular it’s the character of Ron that shines out of everyone. Every time he is on set, you can feel his presence like a chill. Every time you look into his eyes, you can see the intense, chaotic emotions running in his damaged brain. Hardy’s performance as Reggie starts out fine, but it starts to really pick up in the last parts of the film.

Fun fact: Tom Hardy also played the role of the most notorious prisoners in Britain, Charles Bronson/Michael Peterson in the film Bronson, and believe it or not, Reginald Kray actually did know Bronson and Peterson, because they served in prison together. Kray would describe their first meet as “The most frightening prison experience I’ve ever had.”

Technical-wise, the film is well done, with a visible effort to recreate London of the 60s, both East and West End. I love the costumes, especially the ones that differentiate class, and I do like the soundtrack as well. Not as stylish as Man from U.N.C.L.E. but still very immersive, with notable classics.

Fun fact: Critic Benjamin Lee from The Guardian had given a negative rating of the film, giving it only 2 stars out of 5. His rating was actually featured in one of the promotional posters for the film, but placed in between the heads of the twins so that it would look like a four/five star rating, merely obscured by the twins. At the very least, it worked until Lee himself brought it up.

Story-wise however, the film felt…..limp. That’s the only real way that I can describe it. I don’t know why, but the structure and narrative of the film just gives the impression of going through events, without giving them real emphasis or focus. There isn’t any high or low moments, just working at the same tone, even considering the romance between Reggie and Frances, or concerning the ties between Kray and the Mafia, or even the rivalry between Reggie and the police officer Leonard “Nipper” Read. Also, I feel like where the film began and where it ended were the wrong moments. In the history of the Krays they were in National Service in the 50s, and even then they rebelled against authority. It should have begun perhaps at the end of that, where perhaps they would have got the idea for starting their own gang.

Fun fact: The Krays first started out as professional boxers from the age of 19, however their criminal records and dishonourable discharges prevented them from pursuing it further, paving the way for their criminal careers. Also Ronnie Kray was openly bisexual, as he said so in The Kray Tapes: “I’m bisexual, not gay. Bisexual,” and was planning to marry a woman named Monica in the 1960s, calling her “the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.” 

Not the most detailed recap of mine, but I give Legend a 6 out of 10. An absolutely phenomenal Tom Hardy performance, truly deserving of an award. As for the film itself, it’s merely serviceable. Not bad, but I could understand why other people would call it bad.