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

Brad Pitt "Killing Them Softly" Will Make You Die of Boredom

They don't actually use the song in the movie.

How disappointing.

The Story:

Markie (Ray Liotta) runs a local gambling establishment for the mob.  One time he robs his own place to get some money, no harm, no foul.  Except when he admits it months later.  So when he is robbed by three locals later, Markie is the prime suspect.  The mob calls in a hired gun, Jackie (Brad Pitt) to take care of Markie.  When he tells his go-between (Richard Jenkins) that Markie is innocent, the mob really doesn't care, they want to make an example.  Before too long, Jackie is going to have a lot of blood on his hands to get things in order.

Meh.

That's my overall reaction to this movie.

It's not bad.  It's not great.

It's a low-budget gangster film, and Ray Liotta does his part as a small time hood.

It was sad to see James Gandolfini for a brief and thankless role in this movie that made no sense whatsoever, and was really a waste of time, and his talents.

Heck, Richard Jenkins as the Driver was probably the best character in the movie, and he was seen all too briefly as well.

But really, the information flows too easily, too often for this heist to make any sense as Jackie mops up all of the loose ends.

They try and tie how the mob works alongside how politics works as this movie takes place during the end of Bush's tenure in office and the rise of Obama.

Well, that's a nifty card to play, but it doesn't help make the movie any better.

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: There was absolutely nothing of interest to make me want or need to see this again.