History Film / Legend2015

Nothing to do with [[Film/{{Legend 1985}} the 1985 film of the same name]].

* HaveIMentionedIAmGay: Averted. While we don't see any man-on-man activity, Ron is seen spanking a sub with a carpet beater, and Mad Teddy, one of his boy toys, suggestively walks away from his caravan when Reg comes to introduce him to Frances.

* MasculineFeminineGayCouple: Ronnie is very much a manly gay man, while lover Mad Teddy has quite the camp manner, though both are no one to mess with as they're crazed [[{{Gayngster}} gangsters]]. The other men he sleeps with are also effeminate pretty boys.

* MasculineFeminineGayCouple: Ronnie is very much a manly gay man, while lover Mad Teddy has quite the camp manner, though both are no one to mess with as they're crazed [[{{Gayngster}} gangsters]].

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: This was a time when being out of the closet was a major deal, and so it's more than likely that Ronnie's aggressive nature is a defense mechanism and a means of asserting his power in a heterosexual-dominated underworld. He was actually bisexual, but the effect is the same.

%% * ManlyGay: Ronnie.

* StraightGay: Ron may be into lads, but he explicitly identifies as a [[{{Seme}} top]], is the alpha of his little faction in the firm, and of course, is a violent crazy gangster.

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 ''TheKrays'' by only concentrating on their heyday, and less on their earlier life and relationships with immediate family.

** 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 bar"]]) as a distraction to cause maximum surprise when they start fighting back.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: This was a time when being out of the closet was a major deal, and so it's more than likely that Ronnie's aggressive nature is a defence mechanism and a means of asserting his power in a hetero-dominated underworld. He may actually have been bisexual, however.
* DepravedHomosexual: Ron was known to rape pretty boys (both in and out of prison) and 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.

* DrivenToSuicide: Double subverted for Frances. For those who have seen the 1990 movie, or know the rumours 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 rumoured by way of a cellmate of Reggie's. But in the end, the film does go with the suicide by pills route.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite being more than willing to join Ron in bashing the shit out of the Richardsons' mooks with hammers and brass knuckles, Reg still cringes slightly when he sees his brother destroying kneecaps after the point where any of their enemies could fight back. He's also appalled by Ron's assault on Leslie Payne, and his impulsive slaying of George Cornell in front of a pub full of witnesses.
** To Ron's credit, [[WouldNotHitAGirl he seems to be not happy at all to see a bruise on his sister-in-law's face.]]

* GrievousBottleyHarm: During their all-out fight, Ron lobs a pair of bottles at Reg, managing to accidentally hit an innocent bystander in the crossfire. In turn, Reg drags Ron's shirt over his face and smashes another one over his head to end the fight (in the "snap him out of it" sense).

* GroinAttack: During Ron's assault with the hammers, he eye-wincingly batters one into a mook's crotch. Later, during their no-holds-barred fight, he squeezes Reggie's bollocks, causing him to stand up on a ledge in agony. Lampshaded: "Never mess with another man's jewels, mate!"
* HaveIMentionedIAmGay: Averted. While we don't see any man-on-man activity, Ron is seen spanking a sub with a carpet beater, and Mad Teddy, one of his boytoys, suggestively walks away from his caravan when Reg comes to introduce him to Frances.

* HeartbrokenBadass: Reg when he realises how badly he's hurt Fran, and even more so when she kills herself.

* OnlySaneMan: Leslie Payne, frequently. Reg's right-hand Albie at other times.

* SpeechImpediment: As one of the many distinguishing traits between Hardy's two performances, he gives Ronnie an unusual nasal tone and mumble to colour his East End accent from that of Reggie.

** 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.

* AdaptationalSexuality: Real Life Ronnie Kray actually identified as bisexual. The film portrays Ronnie as strictly gay.

* TheAlcoholic: Reg. When the marriage starts falling apart, he drinks more and starts abusing Fran. When she dies, he "drinks himself senseless". And his murder of [=McVitie=] at the end is probably heavily alcohol-fueled as well.

** Ronnie, not so much. He's more of a psychopath, albeit he too does show some fleeting charm and affection for close people in his life (which aren't many).

* BadassGay: Ron. One of the hardest, most psychopathic, bruiser gay characters in cinema.

'''Warning! Unmarked spoilers ahoy!'''

* ButtMonkey: Jack "TheHat" [=McVitie=]. He's repeatedly on the receiving end of of the cigarette punch from Reggie, fumbles the assassination attempt on Payne, and finally suffers a very gruesome death at the end of the film.

* TheAlcoholic: Reg. When the marriage starts falling apart, he drinks more and starts abusing Fran. When she dies, he "drinks himself senseless". And his murder of [=McVitie=] at the end is probably heavily alcohol fueled as well.

** Downplayed for Ron. While its clear that he's quite drunk in a few scenes, the overriding factor is his insanity, and alcohol likely had little or no part in how that turned out.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Frances for Reggie. As is typical for this sort of film, she wants him to reform, gives him several chances but sadly it doesn't work out for either of them.

* BlackComedy: The dominant tone of the first two acts, particularly with regard to Ron's brutality and bad-for-business outbursts. Also with the [[ComedicSociopathy shocking, but scarily hilarious]] LondonGangster violence in general. Gradually replaced by a more serious mood as the cops start to close in on them, Frances leaves Reggie and the firm falls apart.
* BloodKnight: Ron. He cares more about getting into fights and gang wars and throwing his weight around than actually making money. When Leslie Payne suggests to the Krays that their name is becoming a brand that people fear which means they don't have to use as much violence to keep people in line, Ron replies that he'd still like to use violence anyway.

* CampGay: To contrast Ronnie, his boytoy Edward "Mad Teddy" Smith is fey and limp wristed. He's also crazy himself, though.

** 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.

** During their big fight, Ron proves open to using moves that Reggie considers inappropriate: on two separate occasions, he goes for GrievousBottleyHarm and has to be hastily talked out of using it the first time; then he grabs him by the balls; finally, when Reggie tries to force him away, Ron ends up biting his hands. It's this last one that spurs Reggie into no longer holding back - and can actually be heard screaming "biting cunt!" as he breaks Ron's nose.

* CurbstompBattle: The Richardson gang should have known better than to go up against the champion amateur boxers Krays (and deranged paranoid schizophrenic Ron), even with a 6:1 superiority in numbers.
* DeathGlare: Ronnie towards the barmaid witness who's been asked to point out the killer at a police lineup. Not surprisingly, she pretends the culprit isn't there.

* DestroyTheEvidence: Part of the cover up ordered by Reg after his brother shoots Cornell.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite being more than willing to join Ron in bashing the shit out of the Richardson's mooks with hammers and brass knuckles, Reg still cringes slightly when he sees his brother destroying kneecaps after the point where any of their enemies could fight back. He's also appalled by Ron's assault on Leslie Payne, and his impulsive slaying of George Cornell in front of a pub full of witnesses.

* EvilIsPetty: It's heavily implied Ronnie orders Leslie Payne's assassination because it upsets him that Payne doesn't fear or respect him like other people do.
* {{Gayngster}}: Ronnie is the real life hardman progenitor of this trope, after all. Also, he has two lapdogs who lean more towards CampGay.
* GrandRomanticGesture: Along with his WackyMarriageProposal, Reg gives Fran a flash convertible as a birthday present. However, its undermined by the fact that he won't teach her to drive then and there, because of course he has his business to get back to. He also later offers to take her to Ibiza, but in the end it isn't enough to change her mind.

* HeroAntagonist: The police task force working against the Kray firm, lead by the SympatheticInspectorAntagonist Nipper, who at one point suffers from being implicated by a frame-up photograph with the twins right there in their main nightclub.

** Ronnie doesn't see the irony in asking why Reggie killed [=McVitie=]. He responds with bemusement to the act, as if its only him who should have the power to kill useless people.

* INeedAFreakingDrink: After getting his nose broken by Reggie, Ron's first move - once he's finished screaming like an upset toddler - is to steal a glass of whiskey from a customer at the bar and down the whole thing.

* KangarooCourt: Disturbingly implemented by the Krays' enemies, the Richardson brothers (aka [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Torture Gang]]), complete with a jury, a judge and a [[ComedicSociopathy solicitor who barely sticks up for his "client"]]. They [[UnwillingSuspension hang the poor bloke upside-down]] and the "prosecution" decks him several times in the face to find out about the Krays' operations in their own turf.

* MaskOfSanity: Early on, an enforcer coerces Ron's therapist to have him declared sane and therefore released from the asylum. The only people fooled are the board; apparently this was before oversight and multiple psychiatric assessments were the norm. His therapist is furious with this turn of events and tries to minimise damage by telling Reg to make sure he takes medication regularly. This doesn't really take.

* MyBelovedSmother: Elsie to Frances, arguably for her own good as it turns out. Violet seems less smothering, but still very doting towards the Kray boys.
* NasalTrauma: A fistfight between the twins results in Ron getting his nose broken with a SickeningCrunch. Ron immediately staggers away, covered in blood and screaming at the top of his lungs, and needs to steal a stiff drink from one of the club patrons before he can calm down... and then start fighting all over again.

** It doesn't get much worse than Ron Kray as a brother-in-law, who's both intimidating and insulting to the lovely Frances. And that's putting aside his criminality and mental health issues. He does have a softer side for her, though. They mutually see each other as someone who is trying to take Reg away from their idealised version of himself; Reg the twin gangland don, and Reggie the doting, gone-straight husband. While the brothers' mother isn't rude, she doesn't seem to think very much of Frances either.
** Both brothers are frustrated by her mother, Elsie Shea. [[LoveObstructingParents She tries to prevent her from dating and marrying Reg]]. And she [[TakeThat wears black to the wedding]], as if it were a funeral, and refuses to sing, much to Ron's fury. Of course, she blames Reg for [[DrivenToSuicide causing Frances' death]], quite understandably.

* PragmaticVillainy: Reggie, Albie, Leslie and other sane members of the firm, plus the Mafia. At first, Reg will only resort to violence when dealing with his enemies, punishing underlings, trying to keep Ronnie in line or in self defence. At the end however, he sadistically murders one of his gang with a partial throat cut and many stabs, showing that he's lost the plot.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: In a similar fashion to Bruce Wayne's speech to get rid of the birthday guests in ''Film/BatmanBegins'', Ronnie crassly rips into the club audience and tells them exactly how superficial and offensive he finds them. Unlike Wayne's speech though, it isn't an ObfuscatingStupidity performance or to help save them from a hidden threat. Its because he genuinely views them with contempt, and doesn't care if he loses business as a result, so long as he gets to call the shots his way.
* RefugeInAudacity: Ron doesn't hesitate to correct Angelo, telling him about exactly what ethnicity of boys he's into. The mafioso is impressed by the sheer testicular fortitude and offers a toast, failing to amuse Ron back though.

* StraightGay: Ron may be into lads, but he explicitly identifies as a [[{{Seme}} top]], is the alpha of his little faction in the firm and of course is a violent crazy gangster.

* ThickerThanWater: The only reason Reggie doesn't kill Ron,despite all the problems the latter causes their firm. Explicitly stated at the end after Reggie kills Jack the Hat.

* WackyMarriageProposal: Fresh back out on the streets, with a bouquet of flowers and wishing to avoid the hassle of going through her mother, Reg gets Frances' attention by throwing lemon sherbets at her window. He climbs up the pipe of their flat to the window and offers her a ring. She says yes, and during their proposal kiss they trade the sherbets between their mouths. All in all its quite a sweet scene.

* PsychopathicManchild: Ron, to put it mildly. On top of the violent temper tantrums, the petulant grumbling, the impulsive acting-out, the bewildering fantasies, his longing for a proper shootout "like a Western," and his inability to manage his life without babysitting from Reggie, he can also be heard screaming like an upset child after having his nose broken in a fight. Plus, his first move after gunning down George Cornell is to seek refuse at his mother's house.

->** '''Reggie:''' ''My loyalty to my brother is how I measure myself.''

** '''Reggie:''' ''My loyalty to my brother is how I measure myself.'' '''Frances:''' ''What about your loyalty to me?''

* GroinAttack: During Ron's assault with the hammers, he eye-wincingly batters one into a mook's crotch. Later, during their no-holds-barred fight, he squeezes Reggie's bollocks, causing him to stand up on a ledge in agony. Lampshaded: "You don't go for another man's crown jewels!"

** It doesn't get much worse than Ron Kray as a brother-in-law, who's both intimidating and insulting to the lovely Frances. And that's putting aside his criminality and mental health issues. He does have a softer side for her, though. They mutually see each other as someone who is trying to take Reg away from their idealised version of himself; Reg the twin gangland don, and Reggie the doting, gone-straight husband.

* StupidEvil: Ron in spades. He repeatedly causes problems for his brother and the firm thanks to his bloodlust.

* ButtMonkey: Jack "TheHat" [=McVitie=]. Every time he's onscreen something bad happens to him, culminating in his gruesome death at Reggie's hands.

* ThickerThanWater: The only reason Reggie doesn't kill Ron,despite all the problems the latter causes their firm.

* WackyMarriageProposal: Fresh back out on the streets, with a bouquet of flowers and wishing to avoid the hassle of going through her mother, Reg gets Frances' attention by throwing lemon sherbets at her window. He climbs up the pipe of their flat to the window and offers her a ring. She says yes, and during their proposal kiss they trade the sherbets between their mouths. [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments All in all its quite a sweet scene.]]

%%* AdaptationalSexuality: Real Life Ronnie Kray actually identified as bisexual. The film portrays Ronnie as strictly gay.