Synopsis
Suave, charming and volatile, Reggie Kray and his unstable twin brother Ronnie start to leave their mark on the London underworld in the 1960s. Using violence to get what they want, the siblings orchestrate robberies and murders while running nightclubs and protection rackets. With police Detective Leonard "Nipper" Read hot on their heels, the brothers continue their rapid rise to power and achieve tabloid notoriety.
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Cast
- Tom HardyRonald Kray / Reginald Kray
- Emily BrowningFrances Shea
- Christopher EcclestonLeonard 'Nipper' Read
- David ThewlisLeslie Payne
- Taron EgertonMad Teddy Smith
- Chazz PalminteriAngelo Bruno
- Colin MorganFrank Shea
- Paul BettanyCharlie Richardson
- Tara FitzgeraldElsie Shea
- Aneurin BarnardDavid Bailey
Recommendations
- 80
Time Out London
In what is surely his finest hour, Tom Hardy plays both brothers. Much more than a gimmick, it’s like watching one side of a mind wrestle with the other – literally, in one explosive, fun-to-unpick fight scene. - 80
Empire
Helgeland’s savvy new take on this well-known story proves that crime can pay, while Hardy is astonishing and magnetic in two truly towering performances. - 80
Total Film
It’s flawed, yes – Frances is frustratingly underwritten, her psychological fault lines spoken of but never shown – but it’s also swaggeringly cinematic. And it has Tom Hardy vs Tom Hardy. - 70
Variety
For all Hardy’s expressive detail and physical creativity, Helgeland’s chewy, incident-packed script offers little insight into what made either of these contrasting psychopaths tick, or finally explode. - 60
Screen Daily
It’s easy to buy Hardy’s dual performance, and it doesn’t get in the way of the film – although some actor-ly exuberance in the delivery of Ronnie can sound an off-note, with Hardy using some facial prosthetics around the jaw line which aren’t particularly subtle. - 60
The Telegraph
While he arguably fails to rein in his leading man (or half of him), screenwriter-turned-director Helgeland has a light touch, leavening the ultra-violence – and there are gory scenes – with a flair for absurdity. - 60
CineVue
Legend crucially lacks almost any sense of gravitas, although the bold and brash approach does keep you entertained. - 58
The Playlist
It’s worth the price of admission just to see Hardy’s Reggie performance, which is up among his best work. Still, the story could have perhaps used a more inspired hand at the helm.
