Legend (Review) - Two Much of a Good Thing

Tom Hardy is a pretty incredible actor - there's no real question there. So when I heard that he'd be playing not one, but both of the notorious Kray twins, I was excited to say the least. As with most movies, trailers began spilling out and the film seemed to be getting better and better. So where did it all go wrong? 

Well, that's not entirely fair. There's not necessarily anything wrong with Legend, as it's a reasonably competent crime biopic detailing the retention and decay of the Kray twins' power in the East End of London. Rather than beginning with an introduction to how they grew their empire, the film instead opens with Reggie Kray already at the top of his game: police officers fear him, rivals fear him, and he's generally adored by locals who see him as a beacon of protection - or instiller of fear. Once his mentally unstable brother comes onto the scene, however, thing begin to go awry. Not only physically formidable, Reggie's brother Ronnie is also a paranoid schizophrenic who will use his brute strength to intimidate and nullify those who stand in his way. Sound pretty cool, right? Well, I thought so too, until Reggie's love interest Frances (Emily Browning) comes onto the scene. 

And this is where things began to feel a little off. I was expecting an out-and-out crime drama with enough violence to justify its 18-rating, but instead we got half of that, and half of a fairly mundane romance Reggie and Frances. Don't get me wrong: I don't mind romantic sub-plots in movies. In fact, in the case of critically acclaimed films like Forrest Gump, a romantic partnership can add numerous layers to the plot. But in the case of Legend, it's just a bit boring and predictable. I won't spoil anything, but the story hits all the beats you'd expect, and even the ending isn't a huge shock. Also, the film features a constant narration by Frances that accompanies the key events of her relationship with the twins, but it's weak to say the least. I'm a huge fan of interesting narration in movies, and it can often add an entirely new layer of depth to an already interesting story (such as A Clockwork Orange). But in Legend, it's just boring, and Emily Browning comes off as bored when delivering her lines.

When the film's on-point though, it's really on. The moments shared between Tom Hardy and...well, Tom Hardy, are especially memorable. One fight scene involving Ronnie and Reggie in particular is both funny and hard-hitting, and there's plenty of scenes that manage to create that engaging atmosphere that keeps you interested - even between the slower-pace of Reggie's relationship. The way in which both brothers appear on-screen together is also admirable, as there's never a moment at which you feel like one of the brothers has been digitally added to appear with the other. 

A relatively minor issue I had with the two lead characters, however, was that they were often characterised by a single feature that was stretched to its absolute maximum. This isn't a huge issue with Reggie, as his relationship with Frances made him layered enough to empathise with. Ronnie, on the other hand, seemed to be identified a lot of the time solely by the fact he's gay. Sure, it was surprising to hear that such an iconic gangster was openly homosexual, but the number of scenes that played with this idea became a little stale. The conversation in the trailer ("I like boys") was entertaining, but then we're shown homosexual parties galore, and Ronnie's numerous boyfriends pop up like caricature cartoons. 

Verdict
It might sound like I hated Legend - I didn't. I just felt so underwhelmed after the months of expectation and intrigue. Tom Hardy is understandably brilliant with what he's been given to work with, but the plot of the film feels like it treads so much common ground. Honestly, if Hardy hadn't played both of the brothers so competently, then this wouldn't be worth watching, even on DVD. However, if you can excuse the consistently average side-plot with Frances, then there's a movie here worth checking out. 

"Reggie was a gangster prince of the East End, Ronnie Kray

was a one-man mob."