Tom Hardy has continued to impress with pretty much every role he’s taken on. Now he’s taking on something he hasn’t yet tried- doing Van Dammage opposite himself as twin brothers Ronnie and Reggie Kray- and the results look pretty killer.
This biopic of the real life gangster brothers looks sharper, funnier, and more energetic than I expected. Admittedly, I forgot this was a Brian Helgeland jam; this looks more along the lines of his great directorial debut, PAYBACK, than anything he’s done in the interim (A KNIGHT’S TALE, THE ORDER, 42). Plus, he wrote L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, so you know he knows his way around a period crime yarn. But not only do you get a sense of the dynamic between the brothers in this trailer, but the bigger touches, like Ronnie’s honesty about his homosexuality and his desire to engage in a shootout, “like a western,” are striking and pretty damn funny. Strong energy on display.
From what I’ve heard about his intensity and his technique, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that Tom Hardy seems to have just as good of chemistry with himself as he’s had with any of his leading ladies/men. Watching them interact, and apparently eventually fight, would be enough to get me into the theater, but the trailer indicates that there’s quite possibly a badass gangster movie surrounding Hardy’s performance(s).
Emily Browning, Christopher Eccleston, Chazz Palminteri, David Thewlis, and Eggsy himself Taron Egerton also co-star in this. Seems like my kinda flick. Super down.
LEGEND will fold its dark arms around you on October 2nd.
