Tom Hardy takes on the role of the Kray twins in ‘Legend’, the true life story of the gangster twins who once ruled London in the 1960’s.
Tom Hardy had a difficult task on his hands as he played not just one but both of the Kray twins, however he managed to do it so effortlessly and there was a clear differentiation between the two characters. We have Reggie, the cool and collected twin, the one who fires the shots and keeps his more outrageous brother in line. And then we have Ronnie, the mentally ill brother who lives for danger and destruction. I loved how there was a clear divide between the two characters and Hardy played them so differently that it was hard to believe the two twins were being played by the same actor. I was particularly fond of Hardy’s take on Ronnie; we could see that he was clearly mentally unstable and yet his lines were delivered flawlessly and I even found myself chuckling at some of the things he said. Despite the Kray twins being possibly the biggest gangsters of the 1960’s, I couldn’t help but like them and be drawn in to their world. We know they are the “bad guys” and yet we are made to see things from their point-of-view and be in awe of their lifestyle, something that potentially could have been very hard to achieve.
The Kray twins likability could have been down to the fact that the story was narrated by Frances Shea (Emily Browning) who is drawn in to their world from a young age and later becomes Reggie’s wife. Her narration of the Kray twins life gives us a biased view of the twins and here we see her fall in love with Reggie and desperately tries to make him go “straight” and give up his gangster lifestyle for a better life with her. However, Ronnie craves his brother’s attention and soon he draws his brother back in to the gangster lifestyle, something that we later see that Reggie actually loves being part of.
The Kray twins lifestyle is clearly very glamorised in this latest retelling of their lives but it has a way of engaging the audience and making us understand their social status in the 1960’s. Everyone seemed to be in awe of the brothers. Reggie was also the owner of many large and exclusive clubs, where we saw him lust for his glamorised lifestyle.
‘Legend’ explores the Kray’s life and shows the audience the brothers at the peak of their game, all the way to the bitter end. It is a movie loaded with violence, glamour, fame, wit, and sarcasm and it will have you locked on to the screen for the duration of the film.
‘Legend’ is a fantastic film and Tom Hardy exceeds in his role, with Emily Browning being a very impressive leading lady, making us understand what is was like to be a part of their glamorous but violent lifestyle. This is an incredible story with phenomenal acting that exceeded my expectations.
Overall Rating: 4/5
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