Written by: Brian Helgeland, John Pearson (book)
Directed by: Brian Helgeland
Starring: Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, Taron Egerton, David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston, Chazz Palminteri, Paul Bettany
Rated: R
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!
Plot
Based on a true story, identical twin gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray terrorize London during the 1960s.
Verdict
It wants to be a stylish British gangster movie but falls a bit short, instead becoming a showcase for Tom Hardy's acting ability as he plays the twin brothers simultaneously.
The plot is thin, punctuated by scenes of extreme violence. You never get a sense of the character's motivations.
Skip it.
Review
Tom Hardy does an amazing job. He feels like two distinct people, but that also overshadows the rest of the movie. It's easy to overshadow. The characters have no real purpose other than to punch, fight, and shoot. This is accented by the scene where Ronnie attacks men with a hammer in each hand and the fight between the brothers themselves. These scenes just can't hold the entire movie together.
It explores loyalty, whether Reggie will side for or against his brother Ronnie. Ronnie has well documented mental problems and is prone to extreme violence.
Reggie's wife is used to pit them against each other. I can't figure out why he has the wife. She doesn't like Reggie's business, but married him anyway. Is she in this just to push the plot? Her motivations are never established, nor are Reggie's. Maybe he just likes violence or likes being a big shot.
We don't see their takeover of the city, and while that's not the focus, they never seem that powerful. Sure they're violent, but they seem like small time gangsters, not bosses running the city. It's the violence that eventually topples their empire.
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