Legend

For years Hollywood has been fascinated with gangster/mafia oriented films, so much so that we could see as many as three or four releases a year easily. With films such as "The Godfather", "Casino", "Goodfellas", even comedies parodying that lifestyle: "The Freshman" and "The Family", and even the recent "Black Mass", Hollywood has cashed in on a subject matter that is rife with material to write upon. With "Legend" to add to that continuing list in tow, will there be an end to these films anytime down the road? Well, as long as they keep making money, most likely the answer to that question would be an overwhelming no.

This tells the true story of identical twin gangsters, Reggie and Ronnie Kray (Tom Hardy), two of the most notorious criminals in British history, and their organized crime empire in the East End of London in the 1960's. Focusing on the relationship between Reggie Kray and Frances Shea (Emily Browning), this is told from Frances' vantage point as someone who knew him best, as well as the mental health issues Ronnie Kray faced and their rise to power using gruesome and unhinged tactics and savvy business acumen to seize control of the city. With cohorts Jack McVitie (Sam Spruell), Nipper Read (Christopher Eccleston), and their finance advisor, Leslie Payne (David Thewlis), Constable Scott (Joshua Hill) certainly has his hands full trying to instill justice and apprehension when it comes to nailing the Kray's to that proverbial wall. With such a difference of character between these brothers, how can they even propel themselves ahead within their empire when they are such odds with each other?

Others to round out the cast are Chazz Palminteri as Angelo Bruno, mob boss from Philadelphia, Tara Fitzgerald as Elsie Shea, Frances' mother, Taron Egerton as Teddy Smith, Paul Anderson as Albert Donoghue, Colin Morgan as Frank Shea, Frances' brother, Nicholas Farrell as Dr. Humphries, Adam Fogerty as Pat Connolly and Mel Raido as Ian Barrie.

This was incredibly well directed by Brian Helgeland ("Payback" '99, "A Knight's Tale" '01, "The Order" '03, "42" '13). This filmmaker is not unfamiliar with biopics, hence "42", and he's not a director that can be pigeon-holed--he's quite eclectic, whether he's directing or writing. Obvious Tom Hardy is an awesome actor, however the nuances Hardy's characters emitted were amazing in that the characters had two very distinct personalities which makes this practically cutting-edge in directing and writing. It was equally well written by Helgeland ("Highway to Hell" '91, "L.A. Confidential" '97, "The Postman" '97, "Payback" '99, "Blood Work" '02, "Mystic River" '03, "Man on Fire" '04, "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" '09, "Green Zone" '10, "42" '13) plus others. Other than a couple of very small places that seemed to just 'be there' with not much meaning, this script decidedly scored. Helgeland has certainly proven himself time and again--look at the resume above, and with these meaty characters from the 1960's to write about, the sky's the limit. And personally I'm a Tom Hardy fan, but this is certainly one of his best performances to date--played two distinct characters and not get confused is a skilled actor, and he's done some fine work. I smell Oscar buzz all over this film.

This is an intense film, hey, these were not angels in this film, but one needs to see this if for no other reason than for the acting, directing and writing. Even though this is a drama, there are numerous places of humor, mostly because these guys were ludicrous in nature, especially Ronnie Kray. The events in this secured the infamy of the Kray twins, and when one sees this they will see what I'm talking about.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                             Rated: R                            131mins.