Tom Hardy's mesmerizing performance defines "Legend"

I love gangster films. There's always a perverse fascination in watching the workings, inside and out, of an organized crime syndicate. Those rise and fall stories, the allegiances and betrayals, the family and group dynamics, the psychology of the kingpin - without necessarily having to take on the role of an investigative journalist covering these things, we can only act as an outsider looking in. More than the "action" scenes in a gangster film, I'm interested in the pathology and sociology behind a criminal syndicate. That's why I'm glad that, at the start of the year, "Legend" (2015, UK/USA), the new film from "LA Confidential" writer Brian Helgeland, was shown in our theaters. However, the viewing experience isn't entirely a satisfying one. 

Adapted by Helgeland from John Pearson's book The Profession of Violence, "Legend" is in fact far from what the title of the book might suggest - that is, grim and gritty. I found Helgeland's treatment of the subject-matter as rather soft and moderate, with a voice-over narrator whose actual presence in the film doesn't really lend much of an impact (as she was supposed to). Makes me wonder how the film would've turned out had it been handled by someone like, let's say, Martin Scorsese. There are actually hints that "Legend" might've been influenced by Scorsese's "Goodfellas", but then such a possible "influence" hasn't been utilized to good effect. The technicalities - the production design and the cinematography by frequent Mike Leigh collaborator Dick Pope - are impressive enough, but how Helgeland handled the Kray twins' (Ron and Reggie) "reign of terror" in London's East End during the 60s isn't something that would completely hook the viewers. 

The Kray twins are colorful and complex characters living in a milieu marred by lawlessness and violence. Yet, their illustration in the film doesn't quite gather enough force and power for the viewers to watch in fear and awe of such dangerous characters, as compared when we are faced with Vito Corleone or Tony Montana. Had it been that way, the film could've lived up to its ambitious title. There are compelling bits and pieces, but those parts don't add up to make an engaging whole. There are supposedly crucial figures surrounding the brothers, but they are written in a rather sketchy or muddled way that whatever impact they should have had on the story is achieved less than expected. Prominent among these is the so-called Torture Gang, said to be the main rival of the Krays. Instead of actually posing a big threat to the brothers, the screenplay makes them appear as rather peripheral figures, whose activities we aren't given that much opportunity to explore (except for what feels like an "abridged" torture scene in a mock court). Another is Reggie's young wife Frances, here played by Emily Browning. I believe the film commits a fatal error in this one. Frances serves as the voice-over narrator and is thus burdened with the task of providing the film with omniscient insight and perspective. Yet, her actual participation in the film at best lacks power and vigor. Take her out and the narrative arc would still progress without any dent. As we have seen in the under-appreciated "Sleeping Beauty", Browning can be a fearless actress, but Helgeland's script doesn't allow her to fully mine her character in such a way that her impact is strongly felt in the Kray brothers' lives and, in effect, in the film itself. The director must've been unable to decide whether to construct Frances as a strong-willed femme fatale or a subservient muse. Lady Macbeth indeed doesn't become her. Even Ron's confessed homosexuality is treated with modesty and caution, as if the director kept in mind the archetypal British uptightness. 

But I must say that "Legend" isn't an altogether disappointing viewing experience. It's still a sleek film that clearly shows the director's serious intent in making his material work and if anything, one should see it on the strength of the lead performance alone. After "Warrior", "The Drop", "Locke" and "Mad Max: Fury Road", Tom Hardy once more proves his acting mettle. In a role that should be put alongside Jeremy Irons' dual turn in David Cronenberg's "Dead Ringers" and Peter Sellers' triple treat in Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove", Hardy as both the suave Reggie and the sociopathic Ron is utterly mesmerizing, being able to flesh out the distinct personalities of each one with depth and insight - even when the two are together in a single frame! It's delightful to find out that, at the start of a new cinematic year, our big screens are immediately graced with such a best performance. 

Now, if only the entire film could equal Hardy's utmost dedication to his characters. 

Tom Hardy as the gangster twins Ron and Reggie Kray in Brian Helgeland's "Legend"