Legend

 

I had an experience with one of the Kray’s old crew once, who told me that although they were both certifiable, the East End felt safe while The Kray Twins were around – an air of gentrification and honour that ensured women could walk the street at night without fear of attacks, lest the attacker wanted to deal with severe repercussions. Now, the gent I spoke to was pretty old and suffering from Alzheimer’s, both of which I’m sure gave a rosy tint to his memory of that time. As would, I imagine, the fact he was one of the gangsters.

I think the rose tinted specs may have been passed along to director Brian Helgeland, who presented a pretty glamourised view of the Kray’s in his new biopic, Legend. The title alone gives them the glamour of film stars, when in actuality they were two psychopaths with some pretty vicious habits (rape, torture, murder – you know the thing).

Hardy excels as both Ronnie and Reggie, adding both the charm and the maniacal edge that he did for Nicholas Winding-Refyn’s Bronson, but with an added vulnerability that was lesser seen in the eponymous film. The fight scene between the twins was of particular note, managing to be both hilarious and dramatic in equal measure. Also, big props to the makeup department for the facial prosthetics that made Hardy’s Ronnie even more accurate, and helped to give a really creepy air to his character.

Emily Browning was there too, looking gorgeous and doing a rather good Eastenders accent, however she lacked depth and passion during scenes that demanded both. The rest of the cast were pretty interchangeable, reminding us that Legend is a film to show the true scope of Hardy’s talents. It really was his film, and his alone.

Legend is, visually, a treat as most films set in the sixties are. The outfits, the clubs and the hotels that we are shown give off that retro glamour feel, as you would imagine from living the highlife back in the Swinging Sixties. The outfits were all spectacular, from Browning’s gorgeous dresses to Reggie’s dapper suits. The set adds to the glamour of Legend but also to that rose-tinted feel mentioned previously. I guess with all of that money rolling into the Kray’s pockets they could afford to concentrate on making their immediate area gorgeous, even as the landscape is sprayed with the blood of the twins’ enemies.

There was more comedy to the film than I would have expected. The Kray twins were a vicious pair of bastards and this film carries more heart than I would have imagined. This works in terms of audience pleasing however probably doesn’t give an accurate reflection of the twins. Saying that, I guess a chipper East End gangster flick would be more saleable to the American markets than yet another Lock, Stock... knock off. Over in the UK it appeals as a biopic – people are always fascinated by the Kray twins, as they are by Bronson, or (lets go with it, as we’re from Nottingham), the Gunns.

All in all, without the vast acting acumen of Tom Hardy, Legend would easily fall into another attempted wide-boy, East End gangster flick with too much style and no substance.

Legend will be showing at Broadway Cinema until Thursday 24 September 2015, as well as in other Nottingham cinemas.

Legend Trailer