Tom Hardy is a great actor. Great may even be too broad of a word. In fact I would describe Tom Hardy as an intense actor, or even a transformative actor. The roles I have seen him in, and even the ones I haven’t, (Bronson, 2009) are depictions of characters so radically different from each other that at times I have been unaware that it was even the same actor.

2015 was a big year for Mr. Hardy. He starred in two Oscar nominated films (Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant) in which he portrays the hero in one and villain in the other. I picked up Legend, another 2015 release, from Redbox this past week with Mad Max‘s Tom Hardy still fresh in my mind from a recent rewatch. Hardy did not di

sappoint.

LEGEND-Tom-Hardy

Legend (2015) is based on the true story of Ron and Reggie Kray, gangsters in 1960’s London. Both brothers have their eccentricities, but one is certifiably crazy (literally, they have to intimidate his psychiatrist into declaring him sane) and Tom Hardy delivers on both accounts. Yes, he appears as both brothers in the film.

Logistically the film handles this problem flawlessly, making gratuitous use of wide and open-framed shots. One scene in particular stands out for its impress

ive and seemingly continuous tracking shot of Ron Kray when he takes Frances to his club. The camera follows Kray as he seats his date, is swept away to deal with a ‘problem’, and then returns to the same table. All within the span on an (apparently) seamless shot.

The film was a technical win for me. The backdrop of 60s Londo

n boasts crisp, well-lit visuals and feels vaguely noir rather than ‘gangster’ in the tradition of Goodfellas (1990), The Godfather (1972), or a Scorsese film. I found the pacing to be co

mfortably suited to the story, if a tad slow at times.There are a number of shockingly brazen moments of violence, but the film as a whole is lacking true action. So if you are looking for exciting car chases or drive-bys, you’ll be sadly disappointed.

Tom Hardy’s performances here are suitably complex and contrasting. Separately his performance(s) is stellar, but when both of his characters are in the same scene it’s distracting and the quality suffers by Hardy not being able to truly act/interact with the other character. This doesn’t necessarily hold the film back, but the brothers come in contact too often, and it often teeters dangerously to not-working. Not to mention mumbling in a cockney accent can be NIGH IMPOSSIBLE to understand at times.

Legend is written and directed by Brian Helgeland, whose last film, 42(2013) saw nearly double the foot traffic of this one. Peter McNulty, who worked with Helgeland, also worked with him on this film. I have not seen 42, but I would imagine it probably has the same clean way of storytelling that is refreshingly not bogged down by stylistic choices. Unlike 42, the story in Legend fails to live up to it’s execution.