Legend
Legend
The true story of London's most notorious gangsters, twins Reggie and Ronnie Kray. As the brothers rise through the criminal underworld, Ronnie advances the family business with violence and intimidation while Reggie struggles to go legitimate for local girl Frances Shea. In and out of prison, Ronnie's unpredictable tendencies and the slow disintegration of Reggie's marriage threaten to bring the brothers' empire tumbling to the ground.
匚卂尺ㄥ reviewedJanuary 24, 2025
At the start of this film, the voiceover says "In London in the
1960s, everybody had a story about the Krays", and that is
true. The Krays are part of London folklore, as much as Jack
the Ripper, or the London Blitz. They are part of our dark gothic
past, and I have known people who knew them. As a Londoner
I have read, seen and heard just about everything on The Kray
twins, and this movie just about covers all the important parts
of their story. But first, let me tell you, the how, and the why
The Kray twins took over London, and yes, they were that big.
The reasons why the Kray Firm became so big is, ONE: In 1964,
Harold Wilson's Labour Government, changed the gambling laws,
thus opening betting shops and new casinos, (have you seen Peaky
Blinders?) . The Kray firm took over many clubs and casinos, more
than in shown in this movie, and the Mafia did move into London
with The Colony Room, who had George Raft as the front man
for it. The Kray Firm were also involved in every aspect of crime
in London, from Purple Heart Pills, to "The Long Firm" swindles ...
Then on the 30th July 1966, their biggest Gangster rivals, The
Richardsons firm from South London, were arrested, thus giving
the Kray firm free rein over all of London. This would only last
for less than two years, as they were arrested themselves in
May 1968. Soon after, the Labour government saw the error of
their ways, and changed the casino laws, and kicked out all
the American Mafia too... But for 4 years, the Kray Twins did
run London.... back to the movie...
OK, em, ... Tom Hardy and Tom Hardy, are a great pair of actors.
Tom Hardy plays both Twins, that have distinctively different
personalities, and you can't see the lines in between the two.
Tom Hardy is brilliant at playing the Brothers. The script
is very good too, with many little touches from their story. For
example, Reggie and Frances visit Ronnie in his Caravan, and
we hear a Winston Churchill speech. This is never explained or
spoken about, but in real life, whenever Ronnie Kray went into a
bout of depression, he would listen to Churchill's speeches on vinyl
records, for hours and hours at a time.
This is a great film, I could argue about what they left out, and bits
that weren't in it, for example, the death of Jack the Hat was much,
more brutal in real life, also that when Ronnie shot Cornell in the
Blind Beggar, the record "The Sun isn't gonna Shine Anymore, was
playing on a record player at that moment... Ironic and dramatic at
the same time, but true. To tell the whole story of the Krays on film,
would be too long and too unbelievable, but it did happen, and this
movie is the best story so far, about them.
If you enjoyed this movie, I would suggest Charlie, starring Luke Goss.
Charlie tells the story of Charlie Richardson and the Richardson gang,
and it makes a good campaign piece to this film. Don't be put off by Luke
Goss, he is very good as Charlie Richardson, and this is a good movie. And...
I would say, have another look at the Kemp bros in the 1990 movie The Krays.
This movie dealt with The Twins relationship with their mother, and is has it's
interesting moments.