History Film / Legend2015

* HistoricalVillainDowngrade: The real Reggie Kray was much more violent than portrayed in the film (not that he isn't violent here), with several scenes, notably the kneecapping of the Richardson {{Mooks}}, giving him a slight aversion to violence that he didn't have in RealLife. Ronnie Kray was also even worse in reality, supposedly admitting to Reggie that he killed Frances (the film version really does kill herself). For [[{{Squick}} understandable reasons]], the film also omits the claims made in the book it was based on, ''The Profession of Violence'' by John Pearson, that the brothers [[{{Twincest}} committed incest together]] well into adulthood.

''Legend'' is a 2015 {{biopic}} drama/[[BlackComedy black]] [[GenreBusting tragicomedy]] about the notorious [[The50s 50s]]/[[The60s 60s]] LondonGangster twins, Ronnie and Reggie Kray, directed by Brian Helgeland. It is most notable for having one of the most technically distinctive, impressive and physical ActingForTwo performances committed to the screen, with Creator/TomHardy [[PlayingTheirOwnTwin playing his own twin]]. Creator/TaronEgerton also stars as Ronnie's young lover.

The film is also a PeriodPiece, depicting a [[TheSwinging60s different era]] in which gangsters (fronting as legitimate business but really operating as "firms") could openly walk around with weapons and intimidate each other, but would also generally respect members of the public, offering them charity and inviting the more affluent to nightclubs and private parties. Interestingly, Ronnie is [[StraightGay openly gay]] which doesn't temper his criminal traits though. What does is his bizarrely, rarely seen sweet side. Nevertheless, the movie doesn't shy from the uglier side of their lives, and the tragic conclusion. It distinguishes itself from the earlier 1990 film ''Film/TheKrays'' by only concentrating on their heyday, and less on their earlier life and relationships with immediate family.

''Legend'' is a 2015 {{biopic}} drama/[[BlackComedy black]] [[GenreBusting tragicomedy]] about the notorious [[TheFifties 50s]]/[[TheSixties 60s]] LondonGangster twins, Ronnie and Reggie Kray, directed by Brian Helgeland. It is most notable for having one of the most technically distinctive, impressive and physical ActingForTwo performances committed to the screen, with Creator/TomHardy [[PlayingTheirOwnTwin playing his own twin]]. Creator/TaronEgerton also stars as Ronnie's young lover.

The film is also a PeriodPiece, depicting a [[TheSwingingSixties different era]] in which gangsters (fronting as legitimate business but really operating as "firms") could openly walk around with weapons and intimidate each other, but would also generally respect members of the public, offering them charity and inviting the more affluent to nightclubs and private parties. Interestingly, Ronnie is [[StraightGay openly gay]] which doesn't temper his criminal traits though. What does is his bizarrely, rarely seen sweet side. Nevertheless, the movie doesn't shy from the uglier side of their lives, and the tragic conclusion. It distinguishes itself from the earlier 1990 film ''Film/TheKrays'' by only concentrating on their heyday, and less on their earlier life and relationships with immediate family.

* ConflictingLoyalty: Reggie's central dilemma is that his loyalty is split between three characters and their needs for him. His dear brother Ronnie, who wants him to stay his twin gangster kingpin of London, and is a chaotic figure. His love interest Frances, who wants him to go completely legit. He simply can't placate either of the two when trying to balance their black and white needs. And in the middle, his business adviser Leslie, who advocates for a LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub approach where violence is used much less frequently, in line with the Mafia (or at least, the Philadelphia mob led by Angelo). Epitomised by the following exchange:

* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: The Mafia, and what Reggie aspires to turn the London firm into.

* ConflictingLoyalty: Reggie's central dilemma is that his loyalty is split between three characters and their needs for him. His dear brother Ronnie, who wants him to stay his twin gangster kingpin of London, and is a [[ChaoticEvil chaotic figure]]. His love interest Frances, [[NeutralGood who wants him to go completely legit]]. He simply can't placate either of the two when trying to balance their black and white needs. And in the middle, his business adviser Leslie, [[LawfulEvil who advocates for]] a LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub approach where violence is used much less frequently, in line with the Mafia (or at least, the Philadelphia mob led by Angelo). Epitomised by the following exchange:
->'''Reggie:''' ''My loyalty to my brother is how I measure myself.''
->'''Frances:''' ''What about your loyalty to me?''

* VillainProtagonist: The Kray twins and their firm. The PragmaticVillainy of the Reggie faction is contrasted to Ronnie and his lapdogs, who lean more towards ChaoticEvil due to his AxCrazy tendencies.

''Legend'' is a 2015 {{biopic}} {{drama}}/[[BlackComedy black]] [[GenreBusting tragicomedy]] about the notorious [[TheFifties 50s]]/[[TheSixties 60s]] LondonGangster twins, Ronnie and Reggie Kray, directed by Brian Helgeland. It is most notable for having one of the most technically distinctive, impressive and physical ActingForTwo performances committed to the screen, with Creator/TomHardy [[PlayingTheirOwnTwin playing his own twin]]. Creator/TaronEgerton also stars as Ronnie's young lover.

* WouldNotHitAGirl: Ron, surprisingly enough. "It ain't how we were raised" is his reaction on seeing Frances after being roughed up by Reg.

* DepravedHomosexual: Ron was known to rape pretty boys (both in and out of prison) and also keep a cabal of male concubines as part of his criminal entourage. The former aspect is downplayed, but the latter is clearly in play. He even has scandalous affairs with politicians of the day, and it's partly this which helps prevent them from being prosecuted at first (because an election is coming and the government have to do damage limitation). Also, of course, he's a violent, crazy bastard. Likewise his boyfriend "Mad" Teddy.

** The Krays are willing to use any form of melee weapons to even the odds against their rivals. However, being teenage boxers, they're equally as prone to rely on their mitts. And during the bar brawl, Ron fools the mooks into thinking he's left Reg to fend for himself. He actually sneaks back in quietly while Reg [[DramaticIrony describes him doing just that]] ([[StockShticks "A paranoid schizophrenic walks into a pub…"]]) as a distraction to cause maximum surprise when they start fighting back.

** The real nail in the coffin comes when [[spoiler: Ron tries to have Leslie Payne murdered. While Ron never trusted Payne because he knew too much about their operation, he only goes to the police after Ron tries to kill him. If Ron had just left it alone, it's likely Payne would've never been a problem.]]

* DrivenToSuicide: Double subverted for Frances. For those who have seen the 1990 movie, or know the rumors regarding her death, it seems that the {{foreshadowing}} with sleeping pills and other medication is designed to set up her eventual suicide as a RedHerring. So this portion of the audience expects her to actually die by Ronnie's hand, as rumored by way of a cellmate of Reggie's. But in the end, the film does go with the suicide by pills route.

* ManlyGay: Ronnie is a tall, burly, very masculine {{gayngster}} who's explicit that he always "tops" with his lovers. He's a terrifying man known for killing his enemies with his bare hands, but is shown as quite skilled using blunt objects and guns too.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: One of Ron's many flaws (possibly stemming from his mental illness) is that he does things without thinking about them first, often with disastrous consequences. After someone pays him to [[spoiler: kill George Cornell, rather than wait for an opportunity to kill him without any witnesses, Ron instead walks into a pub and shoots him point-blank in front of everyone.]] This is the first link in a chain of events that leads to his and Reggie's downfall.

** One has to also wonder what Ron could possibly have been thinking when he hired [[spoiler: Jack [=McVitie=], someone who has been established as a total fuck up, to assassinate Payne. Jack completely botches the job and is almost killed when Payne gets hold of his gun.]]

** The real nail in the coffin comes when [[spoiler: Ron tries to have Leslie Payne murdered. While Ron never trusted Payne because he knew too much about their operation, he only goes to the police after Ron tries to kill him. If he'd just left it alone, it's likely Payne would've never been a problem.]]

** The real nail in the coffin comes when [[spoiler: Ron tries to have Leslie Payne murdered. While Ron never trusted Payne because he knew too much about their operation, Payne only goes to the police and snitches after Ron tries to kill him. If he'd just left him alone, Payne likely would've never been a problem.]]

** The real nail in the coffin comes when [[spoiler: Ron tries to have Leslie Payne murdered. While Ron never trusted Payne because he knew too much about the Krays' operation, Payne only goes to the police and snitches after Ron tries to kill him. If he'd just left him alone, Payne likely would've never been a problem.]]

** One has to also wonder what Ron could possibly have been thinking when he hired [[spoiler: Jack McVitie, someone who has been established as a total fuck up, to assassinate Payne. He completely botches the job and is almost killed when Payne gets hold of his gun.]]

* PosthumousNarration: Frances is the narrator of most of the movie.

* DepravedHomosexual: Ron was known to rape pretty boys (both in and out of prison) and also keep a cabal of male concubines as part of his criminal entourage. The former aspect is downplayed, but the latter is clearly in play. He even has scandalous affairs with politicians of the day, and it's partly this which helps prevent them from being prosecuted at first (because an election is coming and the government have to do damage limitation). Also, of course, he's a violent, crazy bastard.

* NotSoDifferentRemark: Played with. Detective Leonard "Nipper" Read says this of himself and Reggie, reminding him that they both came from poor backgrounds and started off in amateur youth boxing. However, he emphasises that these things didn't turn ''him'' into a thief. Reg shoots back by reminding him that the real difference is that he works for the cops, and therefore has rules. Then the twins drive the point home by forcing Nipper into a photo with them, which ruins his standing in the force and takes him off the case for a time.

-->-- '''Frances'''

* NotSoDifferent: Played with. Detective Leonard "Nipper" Read says this of himself and Reggie, reminding him that they both came from poor backgrounds and started off in amateur youth boxing. However, he emphasises that these things didn't turn ''him'' into a thief. Reg shoots back by reminding him that the real difference is that he works for the cops, and therefore has rules. Then the twins drive the point home by forcing Nipper into a photo with them, which ruins his standing in the force and takes him off the case for a time.

Narrated by Reggie's wife Frances Shea (played by Emily Browning), the film covers the golden years of their criminal reign, and the subsequent decline. Frances retrospectively describes Reggie as "[[AffablyEvil the gangster prince of the east end]]", and Ronnie as "[[OneManArmy a one man]] [[AxCrazy mob]]". It includes the meeting, courtship and marriage of the couple, the brothers' efforts to shut down their competition, deals with [[TheMafia the American Mafia]], their police investigation and eventual VillainousBreakdown which leads to their downfall. Focusing primarily on Reggie's attempts to keep his unhinged brother's [[TheDreaded psychopathic tendencies]] at bay, and placate Frances as she struggles to [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys reconcile her feelings for him]] with her understanding of their line of work.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: RealLife Ronnie Kray actually identified as bisexual (he was in relationships with women, too, including two marriages). The film portrays Ronnie [[NoBisexuals as strictly gay]].