Gangsters Aren't Just American Made.."Legend"

Legend (2015)

Rated R

Starring Tom Hardy

Written and Directed by Brian Helgeland

The Story:

The rise and fall of Reggie (Hardy) and Ronnie (Hardy) Kray, possibly the most notorious gangsters ever to rule the streets of London in the 1960s.

Based on the true story of twin brothers Reggie and Ronnie Kray who ruled the London underworld with an iron fist through the 60s.

While there are indeed other actors in the film, the film basically is an acting tour de force for Tom Hardy to play both roles.

Each has mannerisms and behaviors that are unique to the character, and Hardy effortlessly portrays both with ease.

You can easily forget the stunt casting of it all, even during the fight scene when he beats himself up. :)

The story might be more riveting for those that grew up hearing about the Krays, I would think they might be similar to our Old West robbers or the Mafia.

Otherwise, a bit slow as the story tries to balance their life together as well as their life apart from one another.

However, at the end of the day, it's hard to walk away from family and the good life.

There are several stellar moments in the movie where you realize that Hardy could indeed be a contender to be the next James Bond as well.

Time will tell...

Final Grade: C

The Proverbial Blast From The Past... "A Knight's Tale"

A Knight's Tale (2001)

Rated PG-13 for language, violence and partial nudity

Starring Heath Ledger,  Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany, Mark Addy, Alan Tudyk, James Purefoy

Directed by Brian Helgeland

The Story:

William Thatcher is a squire whose master dies.  He assumes the identity of the knight to compete and feed himself and his partners Roland (Addy and Wat (Tudyk).  On their journey to tournaments, they meet a young man named Chaucer (Bettany) who forges paper for William that allows him access to bigger and better tournaments.  Then William  sees the lovely Jocelyn (Sossamon) and is in love, and this brings him into direct conflict with Count Adhemar (Sewell).  Will the charade work, or will everything come undone?

I have heard people moan and groan about how much they don't care for this movie...

I am in the other camp.

The happy camp, that enjoys this movie and revels in how much fun the movie is having.

Yes, that includes the usage of rock music in a medieval setting.

A lot of people hated it.

For me, it works.

I don't come to this one hoping for a fairly historical drama.

I want fun.

And that's exactly what we are given from start to finish.

The entire cast is pitch perfect... Sewell as Count Adhemar is a particularly perfect evil foil to Ledger's hero.

I am still torn over which Heath Ledger performance is my favorite, this one or 10 Things I Hate About You. 

You can take his turn as The Joker.  I'll enjoy these films instead.  Way more fun...

Paul Bettany seems to be having a blast as Chaucer, and his introductions at the fight are nothing short of legendary.

A small, but pivotal role is James Purefoy as Sir William Colville... who also isn't exactly what he seems either.

: )

This movie gets a lot of airplay in our house.

A lot.

No complaints.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Own it. It gets watched at least once a year.  When it wears out, Blu Ray upgrade. ;)

The Only Number That Matters in Baseball: "42"

Big changes often come with small steps.

The Story:

This is the story of Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) and his pursuit of adding a black baseball player named Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945.

How's that for a plot summary?

Simple, yet effective.

But it doesn't even begin to summarize what you'll watch on the screen.

Sure,  it's a lot of history condensed into a 2 1/2 hour movie, but it flies by and doesn't feel like that long of a movie.

The director/writer Brian Helgeland isn't very prolific, but I've enjoyed his output before (Payback and A Knight's Tale)

The performances are great.  Boseman carries the majority of the movie on his back.  Dealing with racism with quiet dignity.  All Robinson wants is a chance to play ball, and eventually even his critics come around.

Harrison Ford plays gruff in his sleep, and he does a fine job as Branch Rickey.

The tale is an interesting one, as it parallels both Rickey's insistence to put Robinson in the game, and Robinson's efforts to succeed.

Thankfully, as history tells us, he will.

It's amazing, that as much as I don't really care for baseball, I sure love baseball movies.

: )

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could see adding this to the baseball wing of the DVD library.  Good stuff.