Legend (2015) is a British crime biographical drama that delves into the notorious underworld of 1960s London, telling the incredible true story of the Kray twins, Ronald and Reginald — both portrayed by a stunning performance by Tom Hardy. The gangster brothers ruled the East End with fear, charm and ruthless ambition, creating one of the most iconic chapters in British crime history.
Directed by Academy Award winner Brian Helgeland, the film explores the rise and fall of the Kray brothers as they built a criminal empire amid glitz, glamour and horrific brutality.
Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, David Thewlis and Christopher Eccleston star with Colin Morgan, Chazz Palminteri, Paul Bettany, Tara Fitzgerald, Taron Egerton and singer Duffy in supporting roles.
In the 1960s, Reggie Kray is a former boxer who has become a major part of London’s criminal underworld. His twin brother Ron is locked up in a mental hospital and is being treated for paranoid schizophrenia. Reggie uses threats to get his brother released early. The twins join forces to control a large part of London’s criminal underworld, which is made easier when the leader of the South London Richardson gang (aka the Torture Gang) is imprisoned. One of their first attempts is to take control of a local nightclub, through blackmail and brutal violence. Reg begins a relationship with Frances, the sister of his chauffeur, whom he eventually marries.
When he is imprisoned for a previous criminal conviction, which he cannot escape, she makes him swear that he will give up his life of crime. He never follows through with this oath due to the lure of crime. While Reg was in prison, Ron’s mental instability and violent temper caused the nightclub to suffer financial hardship. It was almost forced to close after Ron scared away most of the customers.
On Reg’s first night out of prison, the brothers got into a full-blown brawl, but they managed to at least partially patch things up. The brothers’ reputation had spread to the United States. They were approached by Angelo Bruno of the Philadelphia crime family, who wanted to strike a criminal deal with them on behalf of Meyer Lansky and the American Mafia. Bruno agreed to a fifty-fifty deal with Reg to split London’s underground gambling profits in exchange for the brothers’ protection locally. Initially, the system worked well for the Krays; however, Ron’s paranoia and violent tendencies caused problems for Reg’s efforts to maintain control. Ron’s barely concealed instability leads to his public murder of George Cornell, an associate of the Torture Gang. As a result, Scotland Yard launches a full-scale investigation into the Kray brothers.
Reg’s marriage to Frances falls apart due to his addiction to crime. Unable to bear Reg’s false promises of rehabilitation, Frances begins using illegal prescription drugs. After he beats and rapes her in a fit of rage, she leaves him. When Reg approaches her to reconcile, Frances seems to agree and they plan to visit Ibiza, but she commits suicide by overdose. Reg is consumed with guilt.
The twins continue their criminal activities. Ron pays petty criminal Jack “the Hat” McVitie to kill Leslie Payne, Reg’s partner who controls the legal side of the Krays’ operations, because he does not trust Payne. Jack only wounded Payne, who betrayed the brothers to Inspector Leonard “Nipper” Read, who was leading the investigation.
When Reg found out, he brutally stabbed McVitie to death with a knife at a party hosted by Ron. Payne’s testimony led to Ron’s arrest and conviction for Cornell’s murder. A police squad broke down Reg’s apartment door to arrest him for McVitie’s murder.
Both brothers were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. They died five years apart, Ron of a heart attack in 1995, and Reggie of bladder cancer in 2000.
