Legend

Legend is a 2015 French-British crime thriller film written and directed by Brian Helgeland. It is adapted from John Pearson's book The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins, which deals with the rise and fall of the Kray twins; the relationship that bound them together, and charts their gruesome career to their downfall and imprisonment for life in 1969.

This is Helgeland's fifth feature film. Tom Hardy, Emily Browning (who acts as a narrator from beyond the grave), David Thewlis and Christopher Eccleston star with Chazz Palminteri, Paul Bettany, Colin Morgan, Tara Fitzgerald and Taron Egerton as well as singer Duffy featured in supporting roles.

Plot[]

In the 1960s, Reggie Kray is a former boxer who has become an important part of the criminal underground in London. At the start of the film, his twin brother Ron is locked up in a psychiatric hospital for insanity and paranoid schizophrenia. Reggie uses threats to obtain the premature release of his brother, who is rapidly discharged from hospital. The two brothers unite their efforts to control a large part of London's criminal underworld. One of their first efforts is to muscle-in on the control of a local night club, using extortion and brutal violence.

Reggie enters into a relationship with Frances, the sister of his driver, and they ultimately marry; however, he is imprisoned for a previous criminal conviction, which he cannot evade. While Reggie is in prison, Ron's mental problems and violence lead to severe setbacks at the nightclub. The club is almost forced to close after Ron scares away most of the customers. When Reggie is finally released from prison, the two brothers have an all-out fist fight on the first night after Reggie's release, but they manage to partially patch things up.

The brothers are approached by Angelo Bruno of the Philadelphia crime family on behalf of Meyer Lansky and the American Mafia, to try to interest them in a crime syndicate deal. Bruno agrees to a fifty-fifty deal with Reggie to split London's underground gambling profits in exchange for local protection from the Kray brothers. Initially, this system is highly lucrative for the Kray brothers. However, the results of Ron's barely concealed violence continue to cause problems with Scotland Yard, who open a full investigation of the Kray brothers.

Reggie beats and rapes Frances and she leaves him. Reggie then approaches her to start afresh offering her a holiday to Ibiza. However, she is soon found dead after committing suicide with an overdose of prescription drugs. The brothers' criminal activities continue, and they are unable to thwart the escalating Scotland Yard investigation by Detective Superintendent Leonard "Nipper" Read, who soon arrests Ron. The final scene shows a police squad breaking down the door to Reggie's flat in order to apprehend him.

The closing captions indicate both brothers receiving criminal convictions for murder. They died five years apart, Ron from a heart attack in 1995, and Reggie from cancer in 2000.

Historical Inaccuracies[]

Albert Donoghue is already working for the Firm at the start of the film when Ron is in the mental hospital. However, in real life, Albert started working for them a few years after Ron's release.
The real life events which are depicted in the film happened throughout several years (from the late 1950s or early 1960s until 1968). However, none of the characters age or start to appear older as the film goes on.
John Dickson and Pat Connolly do not have Scottish accents in the film, despite both in real life hailing from Scotland.
In the scene where Ron meets Frances for the first time, he tells her that he is homosexual. However, in real life, Ron claimed he was bisexual.
Charlie Richardson's arrest in July 1966 is shown onscreen before George Cornell's death, though this could be considered a flash-forward.
The film has a scene where George Cornell calls Ron a "fat poof" in a confrontation with the twins in E. Pellicci, but in real life, Ron claimed Cornell "never called [Ron] a poof in his life, because if he had done, [Ron] would have killed him then and there."
In real life, Ron claimed to have shot George Cornell because he threatened to kill him, as this made Ron decide to kill him first. In the film, however, Ron shoots Cornell for £2,000 from a dock worker who was beaten up by Cornell.
In real life, Ron claimed George Cornell did not say anything to him when he walked into The Blind Beggar and shot him. Also, the song 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' was said to have been playing in the pub at the time of the shooting, but in the film, no music can be heard.
Reggie was told by Ronnie at The Lion what happened to Cornell, he was not left to find out himself. The film also does not make it clear that Charlie Clark disposed of the gun, and it would appear that Teddy Smith does that in the film.
In the film, Reggie and Frances's eight-month marriage falls apart when he beats her up and rapes her. In real life, Frances insisted Reg was never physically violent towards her. Several friends of theirs have corroborated this. Helgeland has since said he used this scene as part of his "poetic licence."
The escape and murder of Frank Mitchell are not mentioned or depicted in the movie. This happened in December 1966, whereas the movie jumps from Reggie and Frances' relationship ending, occurring in 1966, to them both getting tickets to go to Ibiza in order to "make amends", occurring shortly before Frances' death in June 1967.
Allegedly, during the morning after Frances' death, her brother Frank left a cup of tea for her in her room before he left go to work, unaware that she was dead. However, in the film, he is seen to have realised she was dead after entering her room.
Billy Exley drove Jack McVitie to Payne's house to kill him, but in the film, Jack appears to be alone. Payne also did not answer the door, nor did McVitie shoot him at all.
The murder of Jack McVitie happens differently in the film. Reggie suddenly decides to shoot Jack after he told Reg that it was "not [his] fault Frances killed herself" instead of already intending to do so due to him failing to kill Leslie Payne. He was lured into the basement and it was not done within the party. Also, Albert Donoghue and Teddy Smith were not present at the murder.
In real life, the Firm continued to operate for another seven months after, whereas the film seems to depict the arrest on 8 May 1968, happening the morning after McVitie's murder.
Ronnie only occasionally wore glasses, not all the time as depicted in the film. Also, in the film, Ronnie's eyes are a blueish-gray colour instead of brown.
Throughout the film, there is no mention of Charlie Kray, the twins older brother, who was part of the Firm, and also a key influence on their lives, being present at and/or involved with many of the real-life events seen in the film.

Cast[]

Tom Hardy as Ronnie Kray and Reggie Kray
Emily Browning as Frances Shea
Christopher Eccleston as Leonard Nipper Read
David Thewlis as Leslie Payne
Taron Egerton as Edward "Mad" Teddy Smith
Chazz Palminteri as Angelo Bruno
Paul Bettany as Charlie Richardson
Martin McCreadie as Eddie Richardson
Colin Morgan as Frank Shea
Tara Fitzgerald as Elsie Shea
Aneurin Barnard as David Bailey
Paul Anderson as Albert Donoghue
Duffy (singer) as Timi Yuro
Millie Brady as Joan Collins
Kevin McNally as Harold Wilson
John Sessions as Lord Boothby
Alex Giannini as Antonio Caponigro
Sam Spruell as Jack McVitie
Shane Attwooll as George Cornell
Charley Palmer Rothwell as Leslie Holt
Adam Fogerty as Big Pat Connolly
Mel Raido as Ian Barrie
Chris Mason as Ronnie Hart
Stephen Thompson as Ronnie Bender
Frankie Fitzgerald as Jack Dickson
Jane Wood as Violet Kray
Jon McKenna as Charles Kray

Production[]

Development[]

Tom Hardy as both twins in cafe. — Tom Hardy as both twins in E. Pellici cafe.

On 12 October 2013, it was announced that Brian Helgeland had written a script and would be directing a film focusing on the life of Reggie Kray who, with identical brother Ronald, formed the notorious Kray twins. Helgeland said the film would concentrate on Reggie's attempts to control the psychopathic tendencies of his younger twin.

Helgeland spoke of hanging out in London with well-known Krays associate Freddie Foreman, saying, "I had drinks with him in his local haunt. When we finished he got up to go and they feted him at the bar. I said to him, 'what about the bill?' and he replied, 'we don't pay." Helgeland attended the Cannes Film Festival with Working Title's Tim Bevan and Chris Clark to talk to potential buyers of the film and showing test footage of Hardy playing the twins.

Casting[]

On 18 April 2014, it was announced that Helgeland would write and direct the film, with the shooting being based in the United Kingdom and with Hardy starring as the male leads. Five days later it was stated that Browning was in negotiations for a role as the film's female lead.

Filming[]

Crews and cast were spotted filming scenes at Falmouth Road, London, St Anne's Limehouse in Limehouse and in the Windmill Walk area around London Waterloo. Filming also took place in Caradoc Street in Greenwich, London in June 2014.

Principal photography started on 12 June 2014. The film was released in September 2015.

Release[]

Financing for Legend was be provided by StudioCanal, which also distributed the film throughout the territories of the United Kingdom, France, New Zealand and Germany in addition to handling international sales, which started at the beginning of the Cannes Film Festival. On 30 April 2014, Brian Oliver's Cross Creek Pictures acquired the North American distribution rights to Legend from StudioCanal, with a planned 2015 theatrical release through Universal Pictures in its distribution deal with the studio and Oliver also named as a producer on the film. Sales to other territories such as Asia, Africa and much of Europe are being completed. The film was originally set for an 2 October 2015, U.S. release, but it was moved to 20 November 2015.

Legend premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 12 September 2015 at Roy Thomson Hall.

Marketing[]

On 13 June 2014, the first image of the film was published, featuring Hardy as the Kray twins. A promotional poster attracted publicity because it made a two-star review from The Guardian appear to be a four- or five-star review by placing the two stars between the heads of the Krays.

Home media[]

Legend was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on 25 January 2016 and in the United States on 1 March 2016.

Reception[]

Legend_Official_Trailer_1_(2015)_Tom_Hardy,_Emily_Browning_Crime_Thriller_Movie_HD — Legend Official Trailer 1 (2015) Tom Hardy, Emily Browning Crime Thriller Movie HD

Legend Trailer (2015)

Box office[]

As of 31 January 2016, Legend has grossed $41,636,816 worldwide; $27,960,112 in the United Kingdom and $1,872,994 in North America.

Critical response[]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 61% based on 146 reviews and an average rating of 6/10. The site's consensus reads, "As a gangster biopic, Legend is deeply flawed, but as a showcase for Tom Hardy – in a dual role, no less – it just about lives up to its title." On Metacriticthe film has a score of 55 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".