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| Tom Hardy playing both the twins, Reggie and Ronnie in Legend |
Legend (18, 140mins) Director: Brian Helgeland Stars: Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston
We all know they were diamond geezers who loved their mother and kept the East End safe as houses. Well, when you have Tom Hardy playing both the twins, Reggie and Ronnie, and writer/director Brian Helgeland behind the camera (whose screenplays include LA Confidential and Mystic River) the answer is an emphatic yes.
Legend is a riveting, funny and beautifully-made portrait of a pair of “gangster princes” who tried, and almost succeeded, in remaking the world in their own image: a glamorous, amoral, anything goes universe where the laws of the land, the laws of common decency and the laws of nature (Ron was a paranoid schizophrenic) could be merrily disregarded. As the twins Hardy is simply sensational both as Reggie, the smooth “normal” one, and Ron, the unhinged one with an appetite for young men.
Their blood bond proved both the making of them and their downfall. Hardy is instantly recognisable in both roles yet strikingly different in appearance, gait and personality. It is a remarkable achievement artistically and technically; seeing an actor play more than one character on screen at the same time is nothing new (Jeremy Irons pulled it off memorably in David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers in 1988) but it’s still mightily impressive.
It is Reggie who is the protagonist here (Ron the doolally sidekick) and his story follows a classic arc as all his dreams come true (riches, fame and a certain kind of respectability) but are undone by loyalty to his brother and his own inescapably brutal nature. Nasty lads for sure but, heck, if you don’t quite warm to them, though not in a way that glamourises crime (the violence is foul, the price paid enormous) but in a way that earns your sneaking admiration and, well, respect.
The striking thing about them is that they did everything on their own terms and remained true to their roots and themselves in ways that were ahead of their time. Ron was an out and proud “poofter” (in one witty scene he startles an American mafiosi with his honesty) while Reggie is fiercely loyal to his East End roots. In the film’s stab at poeticism Reggie believes “the centre of the world can be anywhere you like,” a sentiment repeated motif-like.
So why not make it the land of pies and eels and Pearly Kings? Refreshingly, Reggie is not interested in going “legit”.
As his devoted but fragile girlfriend and subsequent wife Frances Shea (Emily Browning) keeps reminding him, he just loves being a gangster. Fair dos, in a way, especially when the establishment are so clearly crooked.
The picture explores to amusing effect Ron’s relationship with homosexual peer Lord Boothby (John Sessions) and the government’s own tacit condoning of the pair’s activities in order to hush up potential political scandal; Kevin McNally plays a droll, pragmatic PM Harold Wilson.
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| Irrational Man: A dark comedy that is superbly acted but slight |
Later he tells Reggie to make sure his brother takes his medication, saying: “He’s no real idea of who or what he is.” All this is told through the eyes of Frances, played with fetching sweetness and vulnerability by Browning, who narrates the story. She’s the naive sister of a Kray associate who wants to make something of her life and admires Reggie’s pizzazz, charm and ambition, much to the despair of her poor mother (a very good Tara Fitzgerald).
The picture is superbly cast all round with fine performances from David Thewlis as the brother’s canny and opportunistic accountant (“Kray is a brand”) and lesser known faces like Sam Spruell who plays the creepy Jack “The Hat” McVite whose murder proved Reggie’s downfall. Fast-paced and elegantly scripted and directed by Helgeland, Legend is an unexpected thrill. You won’t be weeping for the Krays exactly but you may have a sneaking sympathy for these very British, and ultimately very stupid, gangsters.
Irrational Man (12A, 95mins) Director: Woody Allen Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone
Two of Woody Allen’s preoccupations (younger women and murder) coalesce in Irrational Man, a dark comedy that is superbly acted but slight. Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant as a philosophy professor, Abe Lucas, tortured by his own meaningless existence and inability to make a difference.
He takes up a new post at a picturesque college but not even the attentions of a lonely colleague, Rita (Parker Posey), or the adulation of sparky student Jill (Emma Stone) can perk him up. A crackpot spur-of-the-moment scheme to murder an apparently malicious judge gives him a rebirth.
“I suddenly found a will to live,” he tells us. Oh, the irony! After years of philosophising and observing he is finally taking action to make the world a better place. It is a cute idea and quite amusing as Abe rediscovers his mojo, finally getting it on with the adoring Jill.
However, the tone is a little flat and there are no laugh-out-loud moments. As the story progresses it is clear it does not amount to a great deal, lacking the resonance and drama of Allen’s recent classic Blue Jasmine. Still, Stone is terrific alongside Phoenix and it is never dull.
VERDICT: 3/5
The Maze Runner: THE Scorch Trials (12A, 130mins) Director: Wes Ball Stars: Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie, Kaya Scodelario
The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials substitutes the claustrophobic intensity and mystery of the first film, released last year, for a more generic chase movie set in a blasted wasteland.
Once again directed by Wes Ball, it takes the story of determined Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow teens, none of whom can recall their earlier lives, out of the labyrinth holding them captive into what remains of civilization.
The action is strong but it lacks narrative and character intrigue although fans of the books by James Dashner should be happy. The final instalment arrives in 2017.
VERDICT: 3/5
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