Legend (2015)

I got in to just over an hour and whatever heft the film attempted to show was sucked dry by a director (Helgeland) trying to be Tarantino. The use of the 1960's American jazz and soul sounded more like Jackie Brown than Swinging London. The gay brother's perversion as well as the old fruit who indulged in the same was proof positive the director/screenwriter hadn't much original material to begin with.It is surprising considering his body of work - the sets looked like they were all shot inside a studio instead out doors.

Like many others here, I share the opinion on Hardy's performance: It was great. He played the two characters so differently, I didn't even see the same actor in them. Even though Hardy plays both of the main characters, I could distinguish them in every second of the movie. The props were great too. I am sucker for old cars and the 60s in general, so that was great, really.But the other things that play into a good movie, for example a compelling plot(!) was not really there. I got so bored at times, at the dialogue, at things repeating themselves, etc. There were one or two scenes in the movie that I really enjoyed, but most of the time I just sat there, waiting for something to happen. After one hour, I thought the movie should be over soon - only to find out I hadn't even watched half of the movie. I stuck through it nonetheless, because I thought something gamechaning or super amazing would happen, something I couldn't predict or anything like that, but nothing happened.All in all I would say that you could watch this film if you are into mafia-gangster-movies, into the 60s and cool cars, or into a really good acting performance, but you don't have to. It's not a Must-see. It's a Could-watch-if-bored.

Tom Hardy is Brilliant in this and after a while you forget that he is acting both roles as Reggie and Ronnie. Nothing much new in this apart from the tragedy of Reggie's wife Frances and that is the slant that they put on this otherwise well known story, but it is in fact Hardy's portrayal of Ronnie that is most outstanding. he captures the true madness of the man without becoming a caricature.His portrayal of Reggie was also pretty much spot on and showed how he struggled with wanting to be a successful businessman but unable to escape his violent side.Without Tom Hardy's exceptional acting though the movie would have been pretty dull.

Some years after they died, Reggie Kray and his more psychotic twin brother Ronnie still attract attention.They ruled the London underworld in the 1960s and attracted glamour through celebrities as well as the attention of the police. They used threats and violence to establish a foothold to run nightclubs and operate protection rackets. Dogged detective Nipper Read tried for years to get the twins behind bars.Tom Hardy plays both roles. Reggie is the more straightforward gangster, level headed, he falls in love but still prone to bouts of violence. Ronnie suffered from complex schizophrenia, he was unhinged, homosexual and could fly off the handle very easily.Brian Helgeland wrote and directed this rather muddled film. Apart from the brothers and Reg's romance with Frances, most of the characters are caricatured and the story flatly portrayed which needed a heavy voice over. Christopher Eccleston is wasted as Nipper Read and the third Kray brother is never mentioned.Peter Medak's 1990 film The Krays which was more low budget tried at least to aim higher. It showed the brothers coming up through the ranks as gangsters and the enemies they made, we see them getting into trouble during National Service and we also see a more complex relationship they has with their mother.