Tom Hardy is an amazingly diverse actor, but what's great about
him is that he can play a brute just as easily as he can be suave and debonair.
It's just not often he's called upon to do both in the same film, and playing
opposite himself, no less. But that's what he gets to do in Brian Helgeland's
twin gangster tale, Legend,
as the infamous London gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray. Double the Hardy is
always going to be worth laying down a few bucks to see, but more often than
not his dual performances are the only thing Legend has going for it.
The story of the Krays has been told
before in the weird 1990 film, The
Krays, which starred two members of the '80s band Spandau Ballet. Legend, thankfully, isn't that;
it uses some nifty visual tricks to have Hardy playing both Kray brothers.
What's amazing is how easily Hardy becomes two completely different men,
bringing different physical attributes, verbal cues and more. It doesn't take
long before you forget its one man playing them. If only there were more
inspiration in telling the Krays' story, rather than the point-by-point
structure it eventually gives way to.
The Krays were kings of the London
underground in the 1960s. Their firm, or gang, was infamous for extortion,
fraud, and murder. But Reggie, the more level-headed brother, had aspirations
of being something more. Strong-arming a therapist to release his psychotic,
shark-toothed brother Ronnie from the mental ward, Reggie began using his
influence and power to hob-nob with society's elite. He also met the perfect
girl, Frances (Emily Browning), and began turning his life around.
Ronnie, an admitted homosexual with a
severely violent streak, wasn't a fan of any of this. Not only does he keep
yanking his brother back into the seedier side of being a gangster, but he's
not too fond of the attention being lavished on Frances. The pull between
family obligation and legitimacy is the key dramatic tension, for what little
of it there actually is. Helgeland, who also wrote the script, sets up a number
of interesting storyline possibilities that go nowhere. A rival gang led by a
hammy Paul Bettany is set up as potential foils, but are practically written
off in voice-over. Much is made of Frances' mental instability; her brother
(played by Colin Morgan) refers to her as "fragile", but little is
made of it even though it's something she shares in common with Ronnie. And
while Hardy is great playing against a digital version of himself, only Reggie
is a character to be taken seriously. Ronnie's uncouth, caveman demeanor is
played up as comic relief too often for him to be seen as someone to be feared.
Helgeland, along with cinematographer Dick Pope, capture the period details
beautifully, evoking the look and energy of Scorsese's Goodfellas. Still, if you're going to see Legend, see it for Hardy who
gets the rare opportunity to beat himself up in a fight. Turns out that twice
the Hardy isn't quite enough to ensure a great film, so an average one will
have to do.
Rating: 3 out of 5
