Legend (2015) Review

Following in the footsteps of such acting greats as Jean-Claude Van Damme and Adam Sandler, Hardy plays both lead roles.

I’ve watched Legend three times now. With each viewing it gets slightly worse. The biggest cause of this is the score. It seems to be an attempt to induce some sort of nostalgia but it’s out of place, and doesn’t really fit the era. The opening scene looking like a movie version of Coronation Street doesn’t help either. Maybe the director’s first choice for The Krays was Steven and Andrew McDonald. But Street Cars isn’t going to run itself.

Speaking of The Krays, Hardy is phenomenal. Following in the footsteps of such acting greats as Jean-Claude Van Damme and Adam Sandler, Hardy plays both lead roles. The performance here is head and shoulders (times two) above every other facet of the film.

I’d dare to say there are two interesting aspects to The Krays. Violence and the relationship between the brothers. There isn’t enough of either in the film. The scenes depicting the violence are enjoyable if a little cartoonish. The centrepiece being a fight between Ron and Reg. Which must have a been a ball-ache to choreograph. Especially for Hardy as Reg. Yes, Ron grabs Reg by the testicles. Reg should just be glad he wasn’t bent up like a pretzel by Ron.

Were pretzels common in 60's London? Are they common now?

So Legend charts the rise, thanks to Reg, and fall, thanks to Ron, of the twins. There is an utterly forgettable and unnecessary plot point that deals with the Mafia. My problem with this is Chazz Palmietri. He has played mobsters before and convincingly so. I’m not sure what happened here. Maybe Chazz saw the opening scene and presumed he was in a soap and adjusting his acting accordingly. You never saw Mike Baldwin in a Scorsese film, did you? But the knicker factory isn’t going to run itself.

The Tale of the Krays IS fascinating. There’s so much material there and maybe Legend’s failing is trying to fit too much in and painting everything in broad strokes.

There is one line towards the end of the film that is a fascinating indicator for what could have been. After violently stabbing a man to death in a room full of witnesses Reg and Ron have a little heart to heart.

R: What did you do that for?

R: Because you signed us both up for this film.

SPOILER ALERT: The Krays end up in prison. A place where Ron won’t have to concentrate half as much to get the other inmates to give him their sausage.

✊