Legend (18) ****
Based on a true story, Legend chronicles the life of the Kray twins, Reggie and Ronnie, gangsters who ruled East London in the 1960s. The film is told through the eyes of, the very innocent and vulnerable, Frances (Reggie’s wife).
What makes this film stand out is its leads – Tom Hardy and Tom Hardy! He is phenomenal as the twins. The brothers couldn’t be any more different to each other – as is Hardy’s portrayal of them. In any other actor’s hands, these two could have become mere caricatures – but not with Hardy. I got lost in his performances, marvelling that he was in fact carrying this off so successfully! At Oscar time, the question is not going to be, will he be nominated; instead it will be, will he be nominated twice? Once for each performance?
That said, the supporting cast also holds its own, especially Emily Browning, who plays Reggie’s naive and ever tortured wife Frances. She brings the softness and heart to this film.
But it’s not all rainbows and happiness, it is a gangster film after all, and in true gangster style, it doesn’t hold back when it comes to violence. There are many gruesome scenes that give the likes of Scarface and The Godfather a run for their money. That said, this film is not in the same league as the aforementioned ones.
Legend is a good gangster film, but, excluding Hardy’s performance, there is nothing legendary about it.
Ricki and The Flash (12A) ****
Meryl Streep is Ricki, an aging rocker who is estranged from her family after leaving them all behind to chase her dreams of being a rock star in Hollywood. Fast forward many decades later and Ricki’s life has not turned out how she expected and her kids want nothing to do with her. However, finally the time has come for her to possibly make things right with her family. Can she right the wrongs, or is it too late?
Is there anything Meryl Streep can’t do? We believe her when she is a nun in Doubt, Margaret Thatcher in Iron Lady and even a magazine editor in The Devil Wears Prada. So when she turns up as a rocker in Ricki and The Flash, she has us totally buying that she is a rock star!
Streep can not only act, but she can carry a tune and rock a guitar! There are many scenes in the film which are a testament to that. That said, there are times when Jonathan Demme, the director, should have called cut. It felt like he was still going, not because the scene added something to the film, but the cameras were still rolling to show us how well Streep can sing and play that guitar!
Streep’s estranged daughter, Julie, is played by her real-life daughter Mamie Gummer. The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. Gummer is as mesmerizing as her mother is on screen, and gives her all to her performance (even if she doesn’t always have great lines to deliver).
Given that Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) wrote the script, I am surprised the film wasn’t edgier and more enthralling. It isn’t hilarious nor is it overly dramatic. Do we really care what happens to the characters? Eh, a little. So why are we all watching it?
Well, that’s easy. It’s because of the Queen of the big screen, and possibly our new Rock Goddess, Meryl Streep!
