From the first scene you can see they made a terrible choice in casting the krays and and Frank the clothing the whole thing in whole and sad to think if this is the only reg Travis film any one has scene as he is actually not a bad actor whole thing was a shambles
35 Reviews
Why did they bother?
phanes-9483130 November 2019
An awful film about two of Londons biggest gangsters, portrayed by two actors with clearly no attempt to find lookalikes and one of them has a London accent that constantly slips back into a country Plymouth accent. What really makes me laugh, and the film industry needs to clamp down on this, is using a plastic actress such as Nerissa whose face is so pumped full of botox, it don't move, in a film supposedly from the 60's. Two stars for Linda Lusardi 😊
Terrible
cliffjukes20 October 2018
Couldn't manage till the end.
billy-halliday17 January 2019
Who done the casting for The Krays? I'm sure they couldn't be any further from the actual Krays. Is it possible they got the casting requirements mixed up with the Stan & Oile movie? They looked more like Laurel and Hardy, rather than the Kray twins.
I normally have a look at the ratings and then give a movie a look to make my own mind up. Looking here, i thought surely it can't be that bad? It can! Even worse than bad. I actually feel guilty for giving it 1/10.
I gave this movie 32 minutes of my life that i could have used doing more constructive things, like taking a nap for example. There is so much wrong with this movie and I'm not going to waste any more time by going into detail. A pathetic waste of money and an embarrassment for the people involved.
Avoid at all costs.
I normally have a look at the ratings and then give a movie a look to make my own mind up. Looking here, i thought surely it can't be that bad? It can! Even worse than bad. I actually feel guilty for giving it 1/10.
I gave this movie 32 minutes of my life that i could have used doing more constructive things, like taking a nap for example. There is so much wrong with this movie and I'm not going to waste any more time by going into detail. A pathetic waste of money and an embarrassment for the people involved.
Avoid at all costs.
Peter Oxley
johnfoster3723 September 2018
Peter Oxley has posted here. He is executive producer of this utterly dire movie and thus hardly impartial. It is also unethical and bad form to review and grade your own film. This space is for ordinary members of the public to express their opinions, not for producers to push their tawdry wares. It is dishonest of Oxley not to declare his vested interest.
'Shocking Story' is absolutely correct
clearylee11 September 2018
The only reason to even attempt to 'review' this rubbish is to try and understand how so many adults involved in the making of this could possibly think that it was in any way a portrayal of the Krays or London's underground or London in the 1960's in anyway shape or form. From the absurdly fake accents.. "We are Old School!' to the amateurish attempt at Costume.... makes this truly one of the worse Movies I have ever tried to watch.
With so many documented photographs of Ronnie and Reg, wouldn't you even begin to cast someone with the slightest resemblance to the twins? I challenge anyone to find a photo of Reg with a 5o'Clock shadow. Lord Boothby could have been played by Boris or Benny Hill as opposed to a skinny Etonian and without doubt Lesley (Dirty Den) Grantham must be happy from above that this was his last film. Why? Why? Why? If Ronnie and Reg were still with us, I'm sure that these 'filmmakers' would have been paid a visit! Dreadful.
Don't.. Just don't watch this.
pacmanalex00721 October 2019
I didn't even bother watching it in full but I watched at least 30 minutes of it and thought, "yeaaaaah nah thanks"... Legend is 100x better than this and it got a medium to low-score (55 out of 100). This I'd say is like a 1 out of 100 and that's me being generous. Soooo BAD.....Just stop.
Who did the casting for this!!!
bakerstuart13 September 2018
Dire.
david-2160324 April 2020
I am not sure which is worse: the casting, the acting or the dialogue. Being historically incorrect seems inconsequential given that none of it is believably acted even if it were a true representation of the facts.An appalling and badly made film. A total waste of time.
Jesus Christ this is bad
leeu-4950211 September 2018
Worst film ever!
seeviewpictures8 October 2018
Utter, utter garbage. It really is dreadful, bottom-of-the barrel drivel. The two amateur actors playing the twins look like they have come straight out of a village drama workshop. Worse still, they look, act and sound absolutely nothing remotely like The Krays. Since when did Reggie suddenly have designer stubble and resemble a skinny, goofy simpleton?
The amateurish, obviously low and very cheap production on display for all to see simply beggars belief that this film was even made. It's childish, pathetic dross, and how they managed to lure in stellar names for one-off scenes is truly baffling. Either that, or Michael Ball, Linda Lusardi, Darren Day and the late Leslie Grantham must have been very desperate for work to have signed up for what is the worst film I have ever seen!
The amateur director and the two 'actors' playing the Krays will hopefully never work in film ever again.
The amateurish, obviously low and very cheap production on display for all to see simply beggars belief that this film was even made. It's childish, pathetic dross, and how they managed to lure in stellar names for one-off scenes is truly baffling. Either that, or Michael Ball, Linda Lusardi, Darren Day and the late Leslie Grantham must have been very desperate for work to have signed up for what is the worst film I have ever seen!
The amateur director and the two 'actors' playing the Krays will hopefully never work in film ever again.
Outstanding
meldavies7422 November 2021
What we get is not really a Krays film, but a Frank Mitchell story that features The Krays and for the most, this film belong to Josh Myers ( Screwed, Anti-Social) with his brilliant portrayal of Frank 'The Mad Axeman' as he tiptoes beautifully the super fine line between gentle giant and extremely scary mentally disturbed individual. I genuinely was on edge with the scenes when Frank would switch at the blink of an eye and whoever he was having a dialogue with would either make it to the next scene, or they might not be seen for the rest of the film. There are so many 'gem' scenes in this film, such as one involving Frank and his Mother, and another involving one of the Krays henchmen Albert Donoghue (wonderfully played by Chris Ellison who fits perfectly into this film) arranging a 'bedroom date' for Frank to keep him company. The film doesn't hold back its brutality that's for sure so be prepared. The film can be difficult to watch as noone will watch this film and like Frank Mitchell (id be worried if you did) but this is fantastic drama but also has a few perfectly placed nuggets of humour which in some ways lighten the tone of the film (when its needed) but also help to make you even more nervous for some of the characters when the humour is used in potentially dangerous situations.
Not the story you think youll get, and its better because of that
s-bannerman1222 September 2018
2015 saw the release of the film The Rise Of The Krays and also Legend, both films featuring the legendary true like crime figures Ronnie and Reggie Kray and both films (but in a different way to each other) told us how the Kray brothers came to power and held onto that power for many years to come. Whilst in Rise Of The Krays, the brothers were portrayed by Kevin Leslie and Simon Cotton (wonderfully I might add) , and in Legend, Ron and Reg were played by Tom Hardy and Tom Hardy, to those who didn't watch the films, this might have appeared to be yet another case of two films coming out in the same year but telling exactly the same stories. To those who did see both films, you'll know that they are very different movies and help build up a bigger picture of the criminal underworld in the 60s. When 2016 came around and The Fall Of The Krays came around for release, there were many of that all too familiar keyboard bashing with phrases such as 'not another Kray movie' and 'why dont people do something original instead of going back to the same old story. (A lot of people didn't seem to realise that The Fall Of The Krays and The Rise Of The Krays were effectively one long film taking us through a near four hour journey from not only some of the stories we had been made familiar with from Legend, and also the 1990 Peter Medak film The Krays but also took us through so many other chapters in the life of the Kray brothers.So now we come to 2018 and The Krays: Dead Man Walking which also attracted much of the 'not another film about the Kray twins' feedback but once again will and has proved those people wrong. I must admit that when I first head about Richard John Taylor getting ready to bring Ron and Reg back to the screen, I did wonder what the films take would be and its fantastic to see that the film doesn't tread the same ground as other films have before it.
The films synopsis is as follows 'Inspired by true events, the shocking story of London's most feared and notorious brothers Reggie and Ronnie Kray as they break Frank 'The Mad Axeman' Mitchell from Dartmoor Prison in December 1966.' which made me think that okay. Im going to see a film about a prison break, thats different and I look forward to seeing a story that I didnt know too much about. Bring it on! So earlier this week, I sat down to watch the film in the comfort of my own home, I shut the curtains, turned off my phone and sat down to see the first film featuring Ron and Reg in nearly 3 years. So what was it like?Opening in December 1966, we see Ron (Nathanjohn Carter) and Reg (Marc Pickering) discussing a plan to break Frank Mitchel out of prison. Cut to Frank Mitchel now being out of prison and stashed in a safe house until Ron and Reg can get him to Kent for Christmas Dinner. It threw me for a few moments. Where was the prison break? I thought this film was about the prison break itself? Well. No. This film is so much better.
What we get is not really a Krays film, but a Frank Mitchell story that features The Krays and for the most, this film belong to Josh Myers ( Screwed, Anti-Social) with his brilliant portrayal of Frank 'The Mad Axeman' as he tiptoes beautifully the super fine line between gentle giant and extremely scary mentally disturbed individual. I genuinely was on edge with the scenes when Frank would switch at the blink of an eye and whoever he was having a dialogue with would either make it to the next scene, or they might not be seen for the rest of the film. There are so many 'gem' scenes in this film, such as one involving Frank and his Mother, and another involving one of the Krays henchmen Albert Donoghue (wonderfully played by Chris Ellison who fits perfectly into this film) arranging a 'bedroom date' for Frank to keep him company. The film doesn't hold back its brutality that's for sure so be prepared.The film can be difficult to watch as noone will watch this film and like Frank Mitchell (id be worried if you did) but this is fantastic drama but also has a few perfectly placed nuggets of humour which in some ways lighten the tone of the film (when its needed) but also help to make you even more nervous for some of the characters when the humour is used in potentially dangerous situations.
As you can tell,I really enjoyed this film and whilst sometimes its hard watching a film featuring an unlikable character, and some people might think the film isn't for them. I urge you to give it a go and you'll witness a wonderful film and one of the best performances I've seen from Josh Myers (you've set a new benchmark for your talent my friend!) but also a career best for Rita Simons ( BBCs Eastenders) who goes toe to toe with Frank Mitchell as she has him in the palm of her hand (or does she) Is there a negative to this film? Well quite simply. No there isn't! The cast do their thing with such wonderful talent, the film is beautifully scored by Craig Gannon and of course the writing and directing by Richard John Taylor is top notch. So all thats left to say 'is what are you waiting for' Go watch The Krays : Dead Man Walking and please dont compare it to the other films featuring The Kray Twins, because this one isn't a retread and I love it for that.
The films synopsis is as follows 'Inspired by true events, the shocking story of London's most feared and notorious brothers Reggie and Ronnie Kray as they break Frank 'The Mad Axeman' Mitchell from Dartmoor Prison in December 1966.' which made me think that okay. Im going to see a film about a prison break, thats different and I look forward to seeing a story that I didnt know too much about. Bring it on! So earlier this week, I sat down to watch the film in the comfort of my own home, I shut the curtains, turned off my phone and sat down to see the first film featuring Ron and Reg in nearly 3 years. So what was it like?Opening in December 1966, we see Ron (Nathanjohn Carter) and Reg (Marc Pickering) discussing a plan to break Frank Mitchel out of prison. Cut to Frank Mitchel now being out of prison and stashed in a safe house until Ron and Reg can get him to Kent for Christmas Dinner. It threw me for a few moments. Where was the prison break? I thought this film was about the prison break itself? Well. No. This film is so much better.
What we get is not really a Krays film, but a Frank Mitchell story that features The Krays and for the most, this film belong to Josh Myers ( Screwed, Anti-Social) with his brilliant portrayal of Frank 'The Mad Axeman' as he tiptoes beautifully the super fine line between gentle giant and extremely scary mentally disturbed individual. I genuinely was on edge with the scenes when Frank would switch at the blink of an eye and whoever he was having a dialogue with would either make it to the next scene, or they might not be seen for the rest of the film. There are so many 'gem' scenes in this film, such as one involving Frank and his Mother, and another involving one of the Krays henchmen Albert Donoghue (wonderfully played by Chris Ellison who fits perfectly into this film) arranging a 'bedroom date' for Frank to keep him company. The film doesn't hold back its brutality that's for sure so be prepared.The film can be difficult to watch as noone will watch this film and like Frank Mitchell (id be worried if you did) but this is fantastic drama but also has a few perfectly placed nuggets of humour which in some ways lighten the tone of the film (when its needed) but also help to make you even more nervous for some of the characters when the humour is used in potentially dangerous situations.
As you can tell,I really enjoyed this film and whilst sometimes its hard watching a film featuring an unlikable character, and some people might think the film isn't for them. I urge you to give it a go and you'll witness a wonderful film and one of the best performances I've seen from Josh Myers (you've set a new benchmark for your talent my friend!) but also a career best for Rita Simons ( BBCs Eastenders) who goes toe to toe with Frank Mitchell as she has him in the palm of her hand (or does she) Is there a negative to this film? Well quite simply. No there isn't! The cast do their thing with such wonderful talent, the film is beautifully scored by Craig Gannon and of course the writing and directing by Richard John Taylor is top notch. So all thats left to say 'is what are you waiting for' Go watch The Krays : Dead Man Walking and please dont compare it to the other films featuring The Kray Twins, because this one isn't a retread and I love it for that.
Don´t waste your time !!!
alan-fulham11 September 2018
Wow, that's an hour and nineteen minutes i´ll never get back !!!
Why oh why these so called filmmakers still keep "flogging the dead horse" is utterly beyond me.
The subject of the Krays has been made and remade, and by the way, by a lot more talented actors than this bunch of over the hill nobody´s, until it gets boring, which is what this movie most definitely is.
The only half decent two minutes of this whole debacle was a cameo by the still lovely, a sixty, Linda Lusardi, and that´s the only reason I gave it one star.
What a pile of crap
reganerik23 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
So i was scrolling through films i could watch to do with the Krays and of course when films like Legend come out and are extremely successful there are bound to be films that try to follow on to the success and this is a prime example.
So it starts with the twins sitting down and talking about breaking their friend Frank "the mad" Axeman out of jail and by these first 5 minutes you can already figure out the quality of the acting which to be honest is not good if i had to be kind.
Then after they get this Frank out they take him to some safe house where he the actor has the opportunity to show his one dimensional acting skills by always being in a fit of rage.
This is where some woman comes in and tries to please him but her acting skills are a little bit better but still bland and the rest of the story is just him beating the crap out of his new girl and bodyguard.
The actors of Krays are probably the worst casting choice i have ever seen due to virtually having no looks of each other or the the real brothers and even worse is the acting skills which are unforgivable with ronnie being the worst acted because of his script and the acting itself.
Altogether this is a film i would not recommend watching on a week night because you are bored because 1 hour 19 minutes is still enough to put you off low budget crime films.
Worst Film Ever!
idh19096 February 2019
No, tweacle, just no!
jc333-555-98515617 September 2018
Utterly and truly awful. More ham than a pork butchers.
From the casting to the dialogue, costumes, direction and acting it is a wonder that one of these actors didn't mention that it was bloody abysmal.
It started slowly and finally ground to a halt.
If you are considering watching this, take some advice and have a better time by sticking pins in your eyes.
As Gangster films go this is the worst I have ever seen
john-clarke-253377 November 2018
What we have here is a badly constructed attempt at once more making money from the name Kray. Yes the basics of the "story" are factual but once that it is established early on what we then have is 75 minutes of disjointed, badly acted toilet cinema. Whilst the twins were not identical they did at least pass a resemblance to each other, the two casted here not only look nothing like each other they look nothing like the Krays. One looks more like a geography teacher and the other like a 80's estate agent with a fixation for Freddie Mercury. Chuck in a few ex Eastenders actors used basically to boost the cast list on the DVD cover, an awful storey line, abysmal dialogue ( treacle ???!! ) and you have the recipe for wasting just an over an hour of your life you will never get back.
This truly is the worst film not only of the genre but possibly ever made avoid at all costs even if it is offered to you free of charge. Jog it on treacle
Ham acting
w-5669913 September 2018
Wasted opportunity to tell a compelling story
neilrider-8017215 September 2018
If you're likely to be entertained by a film that features gratuitous and largely unconvincing violence and some brutal sex, in combination with dialogue littered with frequent colourful cockney expletives, which is sometimes unintentionally funny, then this may well be the film for you. However if a carefully constructed, coherent storyline, believable characters is important to you then you may be best advised to look elsewhere.
The film, inspired by real events is set over twelve days leading up to Christmas 1966, though there is little evidence of any attempt to evoke the look or feel of that era. I remember '66, I'm that old. It's true that the gangsters wear expensive looking suits, but the budget must have run out at that point leaving little left over to cover set design, cinematography, lighting and suitable period clothing for many of the cast. Overall the production values are poor, with the exception of the original music composed by Craig Gannon.
The Kray twins plan the escape of Frank Mitchell from Dartmoor Prison, then hide him in a London flat and leave him under the care of gang member Teddy. Frank is angry, Frank is always angry except for the times when he's both violent and angry. This may be connected to the appalling state of the cold, dark, dingy flat that the Krays have provided for his use,
The Frank Mitchell portrayed by this film is a psychopath that no one could conceivably have any sympathy for and this is the central problem with the film. Nearly all of the characters are essentially one dimensional and though very bad things happen to several of them, it's difficult to feel real empathy and compassion for anyone, even though given the events unfolding you really should.
I watched this film because I was already aware of and interested in Frank's story. I'm certain the portrayal of Frank in this film is both grossly unfair and inaccurate. There are well documented violent episodes in his life, but the sadistic sexual behaviour he exhibits here is a distasteful fantasy based on no evidence that I'm aware of. The real Frank Mitchell escaped from an outside working party on Dartmoor after feeding some moorland ponies, the Frank Mitchell portrayed in this film would have been locked up in Broadmoor for life with no hope of release.
Rita Simons plays Lisa, a hostess who is hired by the Krays to calm down Frank and see to his needs. She apparently accepted the role without having read the script. Perhaps there's a lesson to be learnt there. However her portrayal is the most nuanced and is the standout performance in the film.
I'm sure all the actors did their best with a frequently woeful script, but some of the roles are seriously miscast. There are several scenes featuring the Krays and their associates that have little or nothing to do with the main story that pad out the thankfully still short running time. Few of these scenes would have been necessary if the central story had been fully developed and the relationships between Frank, Lisa and Teddy had been explored in real depth.
There is a compelling story to be told about these events, perhaps it will be seen one day soon. Frank deserves better.
The film, inspired by real events is set over twelve days leading up to Christmas 1966, though there is little evidence of any attempt to evoke the look or feel of that era. I remember '66, I'm that old. It's true that the gangsters wear expensive looking suits, but the budget must have run out at that point leaving little left over to cover set design, cinematography, lighting and suitable period clothing for many of the cast. Overall the production values are poor, with the exception of the original music composed by Craig Gannon.
The Kray twins plan the escape of Frank Mitchell from Dartmoor Prison, then hide him in a London flat and leave him under the care of gang member Teddy. Frank is angry, Frank is always angry except for the times when he's both violent and angry. This may be connected to the appalling state of the cold, dark, dingy flat that the Krays have provided for his use,
The Frank Mitchell portrayed by this film is a psychopath that no one could conceivably have any sympathy for and this is the central problem with the film. Nearly all of the characters are essentially one dimensional and though very bad things happen to several of them, it's difficult to feel real empathy and compassion for anyone, even though given the events unfolding you really should.
I watched this film because I was already aware of and interested in Frank's story. I'm certain the portrayal of Frank in this film is both grossly unfair and inaccurate. There are well documented violent episodes in his life, but the sadistic sexual behaviour he exhibits here is a distasteful fantasy based on no evidence that I'm aware of. The real Frank Mitchell escaped from an outside working party on Dartmoor after feeding some moorland ponies, the Frank Mitchell portrayed in this film would have been locked up in Broadmoor for life with no hope of release.
Rita Simons plays Lisa, a hostess who is hired by the Krays to calm down Frank and see to his needs. She apparently accepted the role without having read the script. Perhaps there's a lesson to be learnt there. However her portrayal is the most nuanced and is the standout performance in the film.
I'm sure all the actors did their best with a frequently woeful script, but some of the roles are seriously miscast. There are several scenes featuring the Krays and their associates that have little or nothing to do with the main story that pad out the thankfully still short running time. Few of these scenes would have been necessary if the central story had been fully developed and the relationships between Frank, Lisa and Teddy had been explored in real depth.
There is a compelling story to be told about these events, perhaps it will be seen one day soon. Frank deserves better.
Very Very Bad
grant160812 September 2018
Well where do I start. I used to write to The Krays and I saw Reg once when he was in Blundeston I worked with Charlie Kray and this film is a very poor adaptation of The of the Krays is very very bad. The guys who played The twins never even looked or acted like the krays would. And they never used the word Treacle either. The guy who played Reg looked more like Freddie Mercury with his teeth. And apart from the known actors who the hell has heard of the guys who played RON & REG was this there first film because I have asked a few people and they had not heard of them. Maybe they came straight from acting school for nursery kids. Ron Krays accent was awful as was Reg's The whole film is totally. The only descent bit of the film was seeing Rita Simmons again. She had a good role but then she is a good actress. The best film was LEGEND that had it all Enough said JUST DON'T BUY IT I will be putting it on ebay
"Straight-to-DVD" for a reason
ms_cann11 October 2019
This is obviously a "Someone made a film about the Krays last year: we should get in on that audience before they get bored with it" type of effort. How fortunate that movies aren't shot on celluloid anymore, for this would have been a criminal waste of material. I only watched it because I was intrigued to see if Leslie Grantham (remember him?) could play a police officer even as well as a piece of driftwood could. Sadly, I was disappointed, much to the shame of Mr Grantham who I believe didn't even live to see it released! If only they had at least bothered to cast a pair of twins as a pair of twins, it might have helped, instead of us having to watch two "hoodahells" constantly having to refer to each other by character names so that we could tell who they were meant to be.
Enjoyable slow burner.
parry_na9 July 2021
This is an independent film about a caper organised by notorious east end gangsters the Kray twins. Despite something of a drubbing from the critics, I enjoyed this. The cinematography is nice and gloomy, the weather relentlessly wintry. The acting ranges from good to very good (former EastEnder Rita Simons is excellent as Lisa Prescott). Sadly, the weakest link by some way is Nathanjohn Carter as Ronnie Kray who wouldn't cut it as a supporting character, and as one of the main players, lets the side down rather.
What a cast too. Chris Ellison, Linda Lusardi, Nicholas Ball and the late Leslie Grantham in his final role.
The story is a good, low-key, character driven slow-burner. The director and writer is prolific Richard John Taylor (who was also behind the similar gangster tale, 2020's 'Vengeance'), who is a name to look out for. My score is 7 out of 10.
What a cast too. Chris Ellison, Linda Lusardi, Nicholas Ball and the late Leslie Grantham in his final role.
The story is a good, low-key, character driven slow-burner. The director and writer is prolific Richard John Taylor (who was also behind the similar gangster tale, 2020's 'Vengeance'), who is a name to look out for. My score is 7 out of 10.
Don't bother
jameslinin16 September 2018
Really?
tiny-313524 November 2018
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