Legend

On Saturday, I went to the ODEON in Lincoln with a friend to see Legend. I was very impressed with the film, I had heard good things about it from friends and relatives who have seen it but it was still much better then I was expecting. If you have not yet seen this film I advise that you do.

Legend is directed by Brian Helgeland. It is about Ronald (Ronnie) and Reginald (Reggie) Kray, otherwise known as the Kray Twins. They are a set of twins who practically ‘own’ London’s Eastend, they are at the very top of their own gangster world, everybody knows who they are and nobody wants to be in trouble with them. Tom Hardy plays both Ronnie and Reggie Kray, which is actually really effective! Ronnie Kray is a schizophrenic with many other mental health issues which are portrayed perfectly throughout the film. Not only is the film very serious and thrilling but at the same time there is a very comical aspect, the Krays are so confident within their gangster circle that their encounters with rival gangs or businesses they’re working with are actually quite funny because their confidence makes these encounters a lot less serious. Legend is a lot less violent than I was expecting, which is what makes it better I think because it doesn’t have to be packed with blood and gore to be a good gangster film.

Brian Helgeland shows the deterioration of Frances, Reggie Kray’s wife’s mental health very well as her relationship with someone who is so strongly involved with the gangster culture progressively gets worse and eventually leads to domestic violence which leads to Frances commiting suicide to escape Reggie Kray. This is also what lead to The Kray’s finally being put behind bars because the guilt of what Reggie ‘did’ to Frances became too much for him and sent him crazy at the mention of her name.

If you have not yet seen Legend I strongly recommend that you do! I’m not usually a big fan of gangster films but I found the lives of the Kray Twins very interesting and the film was just great to watch whether you’re interested in the Kray’s or not.