The Rise and Fall of the Kray John Pearson Twins. The film "Legend" (Legend) "Any place can be the center of the world, even the East End" .... Brothers against the British army

Good day everyone!

I watched the movie before the New Year, but I only got to the review now.

I can say that each film needs its own time, this film made a very good impression on me and I VERY liked the film. Apparently, I chose the most suitable time and the mood too.

Now a little about the movie itself!

The film is set in London in the 1960s. The film tells the story of twin brothers Reggie and Ronnie Kray, who led one of the most powerful crime groups in the East End.

The film is narrated from the perspective of a girl, and in the future, the wife of one of the Kray brothers, Francis Shih.

The film will tell about the struggle for power, show crimes and true love, not only for a woman, but also for a family.

The plot of the film is stated as:

Thriller, Drama

But there is also a bit of humor in the film, which makes the film even better.

Whether the film is based on real events is difficult to say.

There is little information about the real Kray brothers, and then mainly about their crimes, so you have to rely and trust the events of the film.

Now about the main characters of the film.

The cast is just perfect for me. Acting is top notch.

And of course Tom Hardy, who deserves special respect, after this film. He played simply brilliant and masterpiece.

He played two main characters, the Kray brothers. So similar, yet so different at the same time.

One of the brothers is a respected "businessman", who is known and respected by almost everyone.

And the second brother is a dangerous and unbalanced psychopath, who is feared and tried to bypass.

It seems to be clear who has achieved more success, but the characters of the brothers and their actions are so intertwined that it is very interesting to watch this. And again, special thanks for playing Tom Hardy.

Playing the main character of the film, conveying his character to the actor is not easy enough, but playing two completely different people, each with his own character and his own disposition, thoughts and habits, is doubly difficult. Tom did it 100%.

Watching the brothers, it is quite difficult to assume that the same person is playing, to be honest, at first I thought that they had found a double. But no, it's all the same actor, but to find at least a drop of similarity in the characters' characters, you have to try.

Now about the main character of the film, which tells us this story.

Frances Shea, played by actress Emily Browning.

The actress approached this role perfectly, to be honest, I can’t even imagine who would play better or which actress could replace her.

She fit into this film 100%.

Now about the heroine.

Frances, sister of one of the workers of the Kray brothers. Lives with his brother and mother.

At a chance meeting with one of the brothers, strong feelings flare up between them.

Frances has a strong influence on Reggie, trying to put him on the right path, but if she succeeds, you can find out from the movie, plus you can see how this great love story ends!

The film conveys the atmosphere of that time. Filmed professionally. Excellent musical accompaniment. All the details of the film complement each other, the plot is quite interesting.

Not a boring movie, although there are no constant shootouts and races.

An "English style" film, so to speak.

The film is a little dark, but it does not cause negative emotions when viewing. On the contrary, the tones are exactly what this film needs.

Let's summarize!

Movie pros:

1. Actor play
2. Plot
3. Music
4. Film Atmosphere
5. Tom Hardy (nowhere without him)

1. fans of the genre (not for fans of action games and shootouts with racing)
2. slightly gloomy

The film is worth watching. Do you think it's worth watching? Yes, it's worth it.

Wish there were more films like this. It is interesting to watch, there is no vulgarity and constant obscene words. The film is good.

No wonder English films are my priority.

I hope my review is helpful!

Have a good time everyone!

You can read my review of the movie "He is a Dragon" here:

We are legends

In essence, the new film directed and written by Brian Helgeland is not so much directing, writing and the like, but a benefit performance of an outstanding actor, Tom Hardy. Even, one might say, a benefit performance of two Toms of Hardy, each of whom played one of the Kray twin brothers. In Russia, the Kray brothers are completely unknown (well, in any case, they were unknown before the release of the film Legend on domestic screens), but meanwhile in their homeland, in Foggy Albion, they are no less famous than, say, Mishka Yaponchik in Odessa or Al Capone in Chicago. In the first half of the 60s, the brothers actually ran the East End of London, despite the fact that one of the twins, Ronald, was clinically paranoid and (rather bold, by the standards of that time) an open homosexual.

Helgeland had at least two paths: either to make a grotesque extravaganza, or to create a monumental story with a bias in Greek tragedy - the rich documentary material collected in John Pearson's book The Art of Cruelty: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins equally allowed to realize and this and that. Helgeland carefully, as if by touch, tries both options, but does not dare to choose anything specific. On the one hand, Ron, with his crazy eyes and phantasmagoric bite, periodically kindles a fire of real madness on the screen. This is the recitation of aphorisms (“Never turn your back on life. She, such a creature, will immediately take advantage of this”), and the use of peculiar poetic metaphors (“You are like Agamemnon returning to Ithaca”), and the project to build a utopian city in Nigeria , and the sweetest habit of grabbing those around by the testicles, etc., etc. Alas, the director extinguishes the mentioned fire almost instantly, preventing it from really flaring up. Not to mention the fact that the film did not include a lot of extremely colorful details: starting with a fight between brothers in the royal regiment of riflemen, which turned into a fight in the guardhouse and the shameful expulsion of both from the army, and ending with the interview of the twins on British television.

On the other hand, the story of love and mutual responsibility of the two brothers, which is periodically announced and, as it were, even the main one, is sprayed into criminal details, jokes, scandals, etc., reaching genuine drama only in the scene of the final murder. In addition, the narration is generally conducted from the perspective of Reginald's wife, played by Emily Browning, who, it seems, has not woken up since the filming of Julia Lee's Sleeping Beauty. Not only is this romantic line, reduced to flirting and family quarrels, inconspicuous in itself (even the mournful denouement is presented in the form of a dull tongue twister), but it also destroys the insanely tragic “brotherly” optics, entwining it, like a cobweb, with tireless reasonable grumbling bride's dislike. Thanks to all of the above, instead of gangster battles, fireworks of psychopathy and the embodiment of the tragic canon, it turned out to be a modest, even some kind of unnaturally comfortable movie, where everything neatly fit into its cells: a little love, a little fights, a little jokes, a little family drama, a little history. endian color. Nothing really serious, in a word.

The intractable demon on the stage -

and a charming conversationalist in life.

Surprisingly, the reputation of one of the most charming Hollywood actors is very controversial: on the one hand, drug and alcohol addiction in the past, they left gloomy traces in his biography, on the other hand, his acting talent has always aroused admiration among both the audience and colleagues. Fortunately, he chose the path of light, and the dark side of the personality now plays a major role only on the set. He talentedly played the role of a drug addict and a homeless man in the film "Stuart: Past life”, gay gangster Handsome Bob in Guy Ritchie’s gangster comedy Rock and Roll, gangster Freddie in the TV series Buyback and alcoholic Sam in Philip Seymour Hoffman’s play The Long Red Road, however, in real life remains true to its principles of nobility and endurance. "I am not my roles", - emphasizes Tom Hardy in almost every interview, and after talking with him, this becomes obvious.

In the Franco-British film Legend, directed by American director Brian Helgeland and based on John Pearson's book The Art of Cruelty: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins, Tom had to double up and play two villains at once. The tape tells the story of the unstable and cruel Kray twins who terrorized London in the 60s. “Brian at first suggested that I only play Reggie, but as soon as I read the script, I realized that I should also play Ronald, says 38-year-old Hardy. - But if I had to choose, I would choose Ron. Ronnie was brighter, he was unpredictable, sudden. Surprised by word and deed, and did it completely unexpectedly. And it was a very ambitious challenge for me as an actor to play two such different characters at once. I just couldn't refuse this, so I declared that both roles should belong to me..

At the British premiere of the film "Legend" with his wife Charlotte Riley (photo: FOTODOM.ru)

Of the two twins, Krey was considered the most businesslike and sane. He was a man forced to keep Ronnie's psychopathic tendencies under control, who, on top of everything else, did not hide the fact that he was gay, which did not really fit with the gangster philosophy. In preparation for the role of Hardy, he read a lot about both, studied the materials of their case and communicated with his contemporaries, trying on the roles of these dark personalities.

Tom Hardy's next project is a role in the western The Revenant by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, partly based on the life of colonist Hugh Glass, where Tom will again play a negative character who robbed and left the hero Leonardo DiCaprio to die.

Fortunately, in real life, the bright side of our hero takes over: Tom Hardy lives in London with his wife, actress Charlotte Riley, with whom they are expecting their first child, brings up their seven-year-old son Louis from his first marriage to Rachel Speed ​​and simply adores his dog Woody, plays with him in the morning like a child. The real Tom Hardy is exactly like that - charismatic, noble, frank and very sociable.

Jane Taylor: Tom, what features of your characters Reggae and Ron did you use to somehow separate these roles?

Tom Hardy: Ronnie was bigger than his brother, more muscular and broad-shouldered. To emphasize the differences, for this role I wore extra clothing and platform shoes, as well as crowns. But with Reggie I was lucky - he had crooked teeth, like me! (Laughs) As for personality differences, there were a lot of distinctive features. Reginald has a more casual, simple way of talking, while Ronnie spoke in a very deep, so hollow voice. Each of them had their own style, but Reggae was more polished, elegant.

To what extent did your conversations with the twins' contemporaries, as well as acquaintance with archival footage, help in the embodiment of the characters on the screen?

All this helped me complicate the characters. Although archival documentary chronicles often confuse the situation even more, and do not clarify the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe characters' characters. After all, the behavior on camera often did not coincide with how the guys behaved and talked in life. The Kray brothers were truly self-sufficient individuals, and this knowledge helped me a lot in my work. Cool and prudent Reggie, who is not so easy to figure out for frankness, not to mention predicting his behavior or reading thoughts. And Ronnie, who, despite his psychopathic tendencies, was more open and honest in expressing his feelings.

And what is it like to have two such different characters in your head?

It was easy for me, I always knew which brother I was playing when the camera was filming me. But it was not easy for other actors to figure it out, so during the filming, some difficulties and confusing situations periodically arose. Brian (Helgeland. - D. T. ) completed a massive task with rather modest resources, sometimes we just didn’t understand what we were doing, but we didn’t stop and continued to shoot. (Laughs.)

Photo courtesy of the Kray brothers

Which of the two brothers was harder to play, and how did you manage to switch from one character to another?

Ronnie was much easier to play - he is initially more open and emotional. Reggie, on the other hand, kept his emotions to himself, and this complicated my task: I had to embody him more cunningly, more sophisticatedly. But the more interesting for me was to play this character. All in all, it's an incredible adventure to play both, it's a challenge to yourself. I was especially amused by the moments when I had to talk to a tennis ball or Jacob (understudy Hardy. - D. T. ) in episodes of conversations between brothers. This teaches you to be more professional, "hones" your skills. By the way, once you understand the mechanism of such shooting, it becomes much easier to switch between characters, even if you have never done this before.

You play very dangerous characters in this film and the audience loves your daring roles. Do you have this dangerous nature in you?

I enjoy playing villains and I enjoy delving into such dark themes in my work. But I myself am not a dangerous or dark person. I'm an actor and I'm flattered that the public believes in my portrayal of demonic, intense personalities. If you're taking on the roles of the Kray brothers, Bane (The Dark Knight Rises) or Forrest (The Drunkest County in the World), you have to be able to express those emotions and embody the dark essence of your characters on screen. I'm happy if people think I'm a little crazy if it adds to the joy of watching a movie, but I'm just acting! It's not a secret - not everything was smooth in my life, and there are roles that I can enrich with my own impressions with personal negative experience, but for the most part I play. It's a gift I'm grateful for, truthfully depicting tension and danger, but in reality, I'm nothing like my characters.

What was the decisive factor in your self-determination and helped you make your choice?

My father. I am an only son and have always wanted my father to be proud of me. Acting is a kind of discipline that keeps me focused, keeps me focused and attentive, and enriches my understanding of life and psychology. You become an analyst, you think about a lot and at some point you realize what is important to you and what makes you happy.

Do you often talk about how fatherhood changed you so much?

With the birth of a child comes a huge responsibility. First of all, for not flushing your life down the toilet. You should be a good man- a personality, a good father who can open many opportunities for his child. My daily task is not to degrade, to move forward and be a good father to my son.

Your career is gaining momentum every year. How do you feel as a star?

The main thing is that I enjoy my work, I do it together with people with whom I enjoy communicating, and I feel that my work makes sense.

The evolution of Tom's image

Shot from the film "Legend"

While music developed from the cultural side in the 60s, thanks to the newcomers of that time The Who and The Kinks, and The Beatles were already walking along Abbey Road, it was the Kray twin brothers who ruled the streets.

According to director Brian Helgeland, every Londoner has a couple of hidden stories about the mysterious Kray brothers who rocked the city in the 60s. The director himself is of American origin, and the first acquaintance with the main characters of his new film. real story The Kray brothers remained in the headlines and somewhere deep in the back alleys of the East End. Yes, and you have to be a real specialist in cockney slang in order to make out what the inhabitants of this area are talking about.

The director was able to gather enough gossip about East End gangsters. However, John Pearson's The Art of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins was a real food for thought. But Brian Helgeland tried to find new concept storytelling and create a completely different point of view - one that would not have been known yet.

Shot from the film "Legend"

Of course, when there is already a drama about the Kray brothers in 1990 (The Kray Brothers by Peter Medak) behind British cinema. Helgeland had no choice when creating a new film about London gangsters: his film should be better than the previous one. But he wanted something different: the director dreamed of making a real American gangster film. However, here he turned up quite educated and well-dressed Englishmen. Helgeland, first of all, tried to find the main leitmotif and composition of the entire film.

All this he found in the story of Reggie Cray's wife, Frances. After careful investigations and interviews with acquaintances of the British "bandits", the director heard this name from only one person, who at one time was a member of the Kray twins. Correlating with her name a sentence “It was because of Frances that we all went to jail.”, Helgeland found his "prime for the show".

Shot from the film "Legend"

The picture tells about the mysterious and fearless twin brothers Cray, Ronnie and Reggie, and their group in the East End - they kept the whole of London at bay and even collaborated with American mafiosi. However, any "sweet life" ends with a "bitter ending."

Helgeland didn't get a "true American gangster movie" and forgot about it as he delved deeply into script development and mise-en-scenes. The director shows the "gangster" world to a minimum, devoting more time to everyday life and romance. The film, in turn, synchronizes the feminine and masculine in itself.

Shot from the film "Legend"

Helgeland does not abandon the thriller, but he does not use it for the sake of "window dressing" either. He is worried about the internal state of the Kray brothers, especially Reggie. The older brother has always been the "mastermind" in the gang, since Ronnie suffered from schizophrenia and liked to arrange orgies in his apartment, inviting various representative personalities of Great Britain. As for Reggie, he was responsible for everything related to the activities of the group. However, even such a smart guy has his "skeletons in the closet."

One of his "weak points" was his wife Frances. According to the description of her acquaintances personally with the Kray brothers, she appears as a quiet and modest girl. Performed by Francis Emily Browning does not deviate from the "original", and portrays her more as a victim of events. But she does not think out this state, proving that marriage with Reggie also brought happiness. With the advent of Francis on the screen, the narration is, in fact, conducted from her perspective. There is a slight distortion of space and time because Frances is known to have killed herself. After her death, the film is left without its “guide” on the screen, and no longer knows what to do.

Shot from the film "Legend"

Reggie Kray feels the same way. Tom Hardy does not let his hero stick out, he shows sorrow exclusively through anger and violence. Romantic moments: long mid-range shots in a car near a cemetery or a scene where a “lifeless” body walks along the dark streets of London remain exactly there, in those very lanes of the East End that British newspapers of the 60s were afraid to write about.

Frances's death was not in the papers, nor was it that Reggie Cray had lost his precious wife and left everything to chance: career, friends, enemies, and brother. But Brian Helgeland made a movie about it. He will not repeat Guy Ritchie, show that Britain, those people. His story is American glamorous, to match the Krays themselves, one of them who looks like Al Capone, and the other like Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Shot from the film "Legend"

And then such a foppish type as Reggie Cray fell in love with a girl from the East End, who dreamed of escaping from this dead place. He, who already had fame and money, nevertheless looked for “other” wealth, and saw it in her. Smiling slightly, he tells one of his gang that "she will drive me to the grave" - ​​and does not lose. Helgeland does not poison romantic relationships between the characters, does it in moderation and does not go in cycles, presents Cray not as a hero-lover, but as an ordinary English guy from an incomplete family (despite rumors that he sleeps with whores).

The film lacks the British spirit. Less of this American pomposity, expensive cars and revelry. Narrow world of gangster life in glamorous style. The Kray brothers liked to look like a 20th century dandy. Helgeland decided not to deprive the attention of the outside world of bandits, while creating a too beautiful picture for Great Britain during the progress of social realism.

Shot from the film "Legend"

Reggie may have more screen time, but Ron is also getting some attention. Tom Hardy wanted to play Ronnie in the first place. His frenzied nature, mixed with sincerity and naivety, left behind more horror than the rational arguments of Reggie himself. Initially introducing him to the audience as a schizophrenic, and then as a homosexual, the director thereby substantiated the fact that anything can be expected from him. The same thing - namely, anything - awaits his older brother, who can then beat him and break his nose, and then apologize and hug him. But Ron himself will be the first to shed a tear. His dependence on Reggie is shown by Helgeland not as something unhealthy, but more natural. When there is no brother, he loses control. Ronnie is identified with a storm that can roll in unexpectedly and just as suddenly calm down. He can insult and humiliate Reggie's wife, and then say that he always liked her the most. Do not follow this person.

Shot from the film "Legend"

And even Reggie himself is powerless in this. At the end of the film, after the dirty and brutal murder of one of the gang members, Ron asks: "Why did you do that?" And that snake whisper can only answer: "Because I can't kill you". Reggie finds himself in a trap into which he was driven by his own brother.

Why is the movie called? Where is she if on the screen ordinary people? Vulnerable, able to love, take responsibility, make friends and suffer. She remained in the same dark alleys of the East End, because every legend has its own weakness.

Two faces of "Legend"

Crime stories have always been popular with viewers of all countries. Probably, the reason for this is the subconscious desire of people for freedom from conventions. The criminal culture itself is built on the idea that any offender is better than others simply because he had the courage to go against society and live by the rules set by it. The layman is especially fascinated by the stories of successful bandits, because they can afford everything that they have. ordinary person is prohibited. The life ups and downs of mafia figures are always full of bright events, their personalities are not insipid and ambiguous. And, of course, such stories pleasantly tickle the nerves of film fans. AT different countries films on the described topics are approached differently - cultural specificity affects. In the United States in the 30s of the XX century, a separate film genre, gangster cinema, was born, which eventually became popular far beyond the borders of the country ... Brian Helgeland, film director Legend”, was well aware that it would be difficult for him to compete with such mastodons of the genre as Francis Ford Coppola, Brian de Palma and Martin Scorsese, to put it mildly. The director coped with the problem gracefully - he transferred the typical gangster film to the streets of London. To appreciate this decision, it should be remembered that the British tradition of crime films is different from the American one. In addition to purely artistic techniques, the difference lies in the most dramatic presentation. It is not very common for English cinema to delve into the motivations of criminals. They are brilliant, cool, bright, do not justify. It is also not hidden that the main reason for their life choice is easy money, the ability not to deny themselves anything, and natural depravity. Americans, on the other hand, plunge headlong into the inner world of the characters. Gangster cinema across the ocean is a constant contrast. The poverty and cruelty of the surrounding world, which push the heroes down a slippery slope, side by side with boundless luxury, follies, the desire for friendship with the mighty of the world this. And devotion to the family, fidelity to friends, the ability to love passionately, patronage of the weak coexist with bestial cruelty, unscrupulousness and lack of moral restrictions. So, " Legend turned out to be a gangster film in American tradition. So much so that sometimes you have to remind yourself: the action does not take place in New York. It looks quite fresh and unusual. The second feature of the picture lies in the central figures played by one person, namely Tom Hardy. There is a hypothesis that the embodiment of the images of twins is one of better ways for an actor to show his talent. Indeed, in this case, the audience sees two radically different personalities that exist simultaneously. It's safe to say that Volume flawlessly coped with the task, and his gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie Cray, which, in fact, is discussed in the tape, is the real highlight of the program. The film is based on the book by John Pearson. "The Art of Cruelty: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins". This is a biographical work dedicated to the brothers who controlled the East End of London in the 50s and 60s of the previous century. Their strong, established business was destroyed by purely family problems. Wife Reggie committed suicide, as a result of which he practically left business, and his brother Ron finally went off the rails. Although the plot does not tire us with a long backstory, it can still be thought out. The East End in those days was a poor, mostly working-class area, and the young and ambitious people who inhabited it had little opportunity to break out into the people. Meanwhile, the life of those in power, full of luxury and permissiveness, flashed before their eyes. Here are the brothers cray and decided to change their own destinies in the only way available to them - to become gangsters. The sharpness of their image is added by the fact that they were completely different in character twins. Reginald Cray, elegant, similar to Hollywood actors of that period, charismatic and charming, is definitely a more likeable character. Nevertheless, the image of the repulsive and frightening Ronnie for all its specificity, it turns out to be much more interesting. It's curious that Hardy originally wanted to play Ronald, although the director saw him primarily in the role Reggie. As a result, while maintaining confidence in both images, the actor invested most of his strength and energy in Rhone. The make-up that changes the performer's face, his demeanor, movements and, most importantly, his speech emphasize the existence of an abyss between the brothers. The manner of expressing Reggie more correct and clear. Obviously, he is trying to talk like a member of the upper stratum of society. But, transforming into Ronnie, Volume completely changes the voice, timbre, tonality. His speech becomes saturated with working slang, and in an almost mechanical monotony and sharp drops loudness of voice appears insatiable fury. With this crazy look Rhone really scary. And you experience real pleasure when something human suddenly awakens in him, in particular, boundless love for his brother. In general, the relationship of brothers is the main story line pictures, towering even above the criminal history. Twins are said to have a special bond, and here it is visible. Ron completely accepts himself, being a clot of chaos, the only spark of light in which is attachment to his brother. Senior cray sensible and mostly reserved, but he oscillates between security with legal business and loving wife and the temptations of the adrenaline-filled gangster life. By the way, wife Reginald, Francis, is the final corner in this bizarre love triangle. The director admitted that it was extremely difficult to find information about her, and this, unfortunately, did not affect the image in the best way. Emily Browning is certainly a great actress, but the character itself is not well-written in the film. In fact, until the finale, it remains a function necessary for the development of the plot. Having a great importance in history, helping to reveal the characters of both brothers, the girl herself seems to be devoid of individuality and depth. The rest of the characters, although they do not look cardboard, still mostly serve as extras. Even a partner Kraev Leslie Payne performed by David Thewlis and the main opponent of gangsters, detective reed(Christopher Eccleston), are perceived only by applications to sparkling Hardy. The whole plot revolves around the brothers, and, perhaps, this is seen as excessive intimacy. For the gangster movie legend"Lacks scope. But in general, it is difficult to find fault with the picture. Even the work of the operator, decorators and costume designers is on top here. You feel the breath of the era with your skin. So fans of the genre and talent Tom Hardy You won't leave the theater disappointed.