Legend

Legend

Starring Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, Taron Edgerton, Christopher Eccleston

Directed by Brian Helgeland

The Story:
In the late 1950s in London, twins Ron and Reggie Kray (Tom Hardy) are working their way up the criminal ladder by muscling in on local nightclubs and offering protection with the threat of violence.  Reggie is the more straight-laced of the duo, eventually marrying shy Frances Shea (Emily Browning).  Ron has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals, showcasing pathological violence and psychiatric instability.  As Reggie continues to climb, Ron keeps pulling him down, which leads to several confrontations between the twins over how to manage their criminal underground syndicate, all the while under the watchful eye of Scotland Yard, as they wait for the twins to mess up once so they can put them in jail for good.

The Synopsis:
"Legend" is one of those gangster films that's rather easily forgettable.  It doesn't have quite the effect other gangster movies like "Black Mass" or "Goodfellas" have, which leads you trying to remember what actually happened during the two hour film.

Maybe it has more to do with the fact that it's just really...boring.  There was no really big, epic moments that had me gasping in amazement, it was all rather monotonous.  The only thing going for it is Tom Hardy's incredible acting ability, taking on not one but two lead roles in one film.  He takes on duel personalities as different as night and day, yet bonded together by blood.  As Reggie, he's an intellectual, strategic person with a fairly normal life, yet struggles with anger and power.  As Ron, he's off his rocker, dangerous, and lacks general knowledge.  He plays both roles perfectly, except there wasn't a lot given for him to work with.

Sorry this review is so short, but I watched it yesterday, and now I don't remember much about it.  Maybe that speaks volumes itself when you really think about it.  One thing I remember is that their last name is Kray, and all I could think about is how cray cray this movie was.

The Summary:
Even with charismatic Tom Hardy as two leading roles, "Legend" doesn't live up to its name, because there's nothing legen...wait for it...dary about it.

The Score: C+