Identical twin gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray terrorize London during the 1960s.Identical twin gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray terrorize London during the 1960s.Identical twin gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray terrorize London during the 1960s.
- Awards
- 6 wins & 12 nominations
Major.
- The Double R Club Singer
- (as Major Johnson Finley)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsThe scene showing Ronnie and Reggie being acquitted in court ends with the judge banging his gavel. British judges have never used gavels.
- Quotes
Ronald Kray: [on his twin stabbing Jack] Why would you do that?
Reggie Kray: [walks up so he is pressing his forehead against his twin] Because I CAN'T KILL YOU! No matter how much I fucking want to!
- Crazy credits"This motion picture used sustainability strategies to reduce its carbon emissions and environmental impact."
- ConnectionsFeatured in Lost in Adaptation: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (2015)
- SoundtracksTea for Two
Written by Irving Caesar, Vincent Youmans
Performed by Teddy Wilson & His All-Stars
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Inc
Featured review
The second of the big screen retellings of the Kray storyline, following on from 1990's THE KRAYS which starred real-life brothers Martin and Gary Kemp as the terrible twosome. While I enjoyed LEGEND on a superficial level, I found it an oddly hollow viewing experience and not as good as the previous version. The problem lies with the direction, which is oddly inexperienced for a long-time director like Brian Helgeland.
The issues with LEGEND are entirely down to tone, and the tone just isn't right. The setting-up scenes are fine, the transition scenes are fine, and the film is well-shot throughout with an excellent eye for realism and a decent budget. What a shame, then, that all of the pivotal scenes are so oddly staged in a semi-humorous tone. It feels like Helgeland wanted to make the story a comedy, which is the last thing it could be.
This jokey approach to the material manifests itself in the violent moments, which are rather incredibly played for laughs whereas really the raw power of the incidents should have come out. It's present in Tom Hardy's dual role; the special effects are excellent (and have come a long way since Van Damme played twins in DOUBLE IMPACT) but Ronnie Kray is nothing more than a caricature here, a weirdo played for maximum relish by the off-beat actor.
LEGEND also messes up some of the source material, which is a little odd. I've read Reggie's autobiography so have some experience with the facts. For some reason this film plays down the pivotal relationship between the Krays and their mother; the latter only appears in a couple of scenes. In contrast, it bigs up the role Frances Shea played in the story, giving her way too much screen time at the expense of others. Thus at times LEGEND feels like a romance rather than the gangster epic it should be. It's certainly not a bad film, but is it something I'd watch again? Not really - I'd prefer going back to THE KRAYS.
The issues with LEGEND are entirely down to tone, and the tone just isn't right. The setting-up scenes are fine, the transition scenes are fine, and the film is well-shot throughout with an excellent eye for realism and a decent budget. What a shame, then, that all of the pivotal scenes are so oddly staged in a semi-humorous tone. It feels like Helgeland wanted to make the story a comedy, which is the last thing it could be.
This jokey approach to the material manifests itself in the violent moments, which are rather incredibly played for laughs whereas really the raw power of the incidents should have come out. It's present in Tom Hardy's dual role; the special effects are excellent (and have come a long way since Van Damme played twins in DOUBLE IMPACT) but Ronnie Kray is nothing more than a caricature here, a weirdo played for maximum relish by the off-beat actor.
LEGEND also messes up some of the source material, which is a little odd. I've read Reggie's autobiography so have some experience with the facts. For some reason this film plays down the pivotal relationship between the Krays and their mother; the latter only appears in a couple of scenes. In contrast, it bigs up the role Frances Shea played in the story, giving her way too much screen time at the expense of others. Thus at times LEGEND feels like a romance rather than the gangster epic it should be. It's certainly not a bad film, but is it something I'd watch again? Not really - I'd prefer going back to THE KRAYS.
- Leofwine_draca
- May 15, 2016
- Permalink
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Leyenda: La profesión de la violencia
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,872,994
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $86,836
- Nov 22, 2015
- Gross worldwide
- $42,972,994
- Runtime2 hours 12 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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