This is a far cry from the Kemp brothers film The Krays back in 1990. Legend has more style but not necessarily more substance, more comedy but not necessarily more character. But does this make Legend a bad film? Not necessarily. Legend needs to be judged on its own merits, as a film made for entertainment rather than being compared to the more factual Peter Medak film.
Legend tells the story of the rise to infamy of the notorious London gangsters, the Kray brothers. The film focuses on Ronnie and Reggie (both portrayed by Tom Hardy) as they ascend the ranks of London’s criminal underworld by whatever means necessary. What makes this film different from previous recounts of the Krays exploits is that it is told from the perspective of Frances Shea (Emily Browning), the wife of Reggie Kray. The film not only recounts the exploits of the fearless brothers but it also focuses on how their violent and turbulent lifestyle effects the relationship of Frances and Reggie. Whilst this is a fresh viewpoint, it does detract from some of the more interesting aspects of the Krays life that could have been further explored within the film. There are also references to Ronnie’s…show more content… The use of Frances s a narrator throughout the film adds some confusion to the tone of the film. As a film that is set to be a drama about the gang culture of the East End of London utilising a female narrator in a similar vein to many romantic dramas feels misplaced. Whilst director Brian Helgeland flexes his writing muscles, toned by writing commercially successful films such as Robin Hood (2010), Mystic River (2003) and
(2001), in terms of Ronnie and Frances, and to a certain extent Reggie, it does feel as if other aspects have been overlooked. The immense relationship they both had with their mother barely gets any screen time and Reggie’s relationship with Ted could have been further explored rather than focusing purely on the relationship between Ronnie and