What a year Tom Hardy has had. He headlined one of the biggest movies of the year this summer, he starred opposite of Leonardo DiCaprio in another one of the biggest films of the year which may or may not nab him an Oscar nomination, and if that isn’t enough he stars in Legend, a film which is loosely based on the story of identical twin gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray, two of the most notorious criminals in British history who ruled an organized crime empire in the East End of London during the 1960’s.
A dual performance from Tom Hardy as the Kray Brothers is really all I needed to hear to see this movie, but unfortunately Legend is a movie that fails to live up to any of its potential. On paper, this is a down and dirty gangster movie and while there are definitely certain elements to admire about the film, they fail to add up into anything particularly substantial. A lot of this is because of Brian Helgeland’s messy and uneven script that is all over the place especially when it comes to establishing a proper tone.
Hardy is trying his best and he’s able to give half of a good performance as Reggie Kray but as Ronnie he fails to capture the insecurity of the character. And again, the script from Helgeland really comes into question because it fails to actually give proper characterization and depth to Ronnie Kray’s character and the result shows in Hardy’s performance. And while there are elements of a really good gangster movie present, they are never really structured and put together as well as they should have been. The story feels empty, the pacing drags and there just isn’t enough of a story in there to fit the film’s 130 minute run-time.
Even the style feels overdone, the film’s glitzy portrayal of 60’s London feels excessive to say the least. There are moments in the film that are enjoyable and very much in the spirit of old school British gangster flicks but all together Legend is a sorely disappointing miss.
5.0/10
-Khalid
The Blazing Reel 
Bummer. I really like Hardy and still may see it just for him.
LikeLike
You might like Hardy’s performance but I really cant vouch for the film itsef
LikeLike
Oh no, that’s too bad! I just saw The Revenant and he was incredible in it
LikeLike
Yeah I loved him in The Revenant and to be fair he isnt bad here, he’s just let down by a poor script
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh no! I hate it when that happens.
LikeLike
I thought Hardy was brilliant but Emily Browining was a complete disaster
LikeLike
Dont even get me started on her. Hardy was in my opinion, okay, he did far better work in both Fury Road and The Revenant this year but my problem is the poor script that really lets the whole film down
LikeLike
What a year indeed. I haven’t seen this but I have heard a lot of people say Hardy is good but the movie, not so much.
LikeLike
You heard right. Hardy is serviceable and does alright handling the two roles but the film itself is really disappointing
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had high hopes for this but like you, I was left disappointed.
Best dual performance: Nicholas Cage in Adaptation.
LikeLike
PALEESE. Nothing beats Adam Sandler’s incredible dual performance in Jack and Jill
But seriously, Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers is the bomb.
LikeLike
Hahahaha. Or Eddie Murphy is Norbit 😉
And yeah, Irons is incredible in Dead Ringers.
LikeLike
That too 😀
LikeLike
I actually really enjoyed Hardy’s acting. Thought he did a great job creating clear points of distinction between the two characters. Have to agree about the film’s script not having a proper, consistent tone. I loved certain parts of it like the bar fight and the prison beat downs but overall there’s never a clear sense of purpose to this movie.
LikeLike
Agreed. I would say the same. I enjoyed certain parts but altogether it just didnt work for me
LikeLike
Yeah, kind of a disappointing one this, wasn’t it? I loved both parts of Hardy’s double role — awful lot of work for one man, I’d say. But I would agree that Reggie was stronger than Ronnie. Wasn’t a fan of Emily Browning narrating the thing and going into that whole God-complex towards the end. So so awkward. Almost as awkward as Death narrating the events of The Book Thief from a few years back
LikeLike
Haha agreed. I really hate Emily Browning’s performance here the more I think about it.
Glad I missed the Book Thief
LikeLike