Film Review: Legend

The Twin Dilemma

When looking at lists of the greatest movies ever made, films like The Godfather, The Godfather: Part Two, and Goodfellas always seem to be strongly cemented into such, with Francis Ford Coppola's masterful crime epics particularly usually chopping and changing between who rules the cinematic world (The first one is the best one IMO). What links these movie masterpieces together? Gangsters. Lots of gangsters, a topic so undeniably infamous that it is no surprise some of the greatest films ever deal with mass murdering, foul mouthed, psychopaths for the sake of the gracious cinematic audience who seem to swoon at the sight of sharp suits and even sharper tongues. Whereas the syndicate of crime families in the US has been well and truly examined through such films like Goodfellas etc, the UK crime scene tends to be wholly seen as an afterthought in the terms of crime movies on the level of The Godfather etc. My own favourite UK gangster movie? Well, I undeniably have a huge soft spot for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' dark comic humour and twisty plot, but Gangster No.1 also stands out as a solid cornerstone of UK crime films, and it is here where Brian Helgeland's new crime biopic Legend seemingly takes solid ground from. 

Following in the footsteps of actors such as Spandau Ballet's Kemp brothers (Ha.) is Tom Hardy as the Kray Twins, the infamous crime-infused brothers who rise and fall in the 1960's East-End has already been examined through a wide range of documentaries and fiction, no more so than in ITV's Whitechapel which for me, was my introduction into the criminal enterprise of one of, if not, the, most notorious English gangsters ever. With Hardy already portraying one of the most notorious jailbirds in the form of Charles Bronson in the magnificent Bronson, Hardy's famous motif for portraying characters of a more physical demeanor suits the role of Ronnie and Reggie to a T, with the differences between the two being strongly played upon by Hardy's natural born talent whilst scenes in which we witness each brother lose their cool and unleash their violent streak undeniably terrifying, presenting the fear and hostility of the Krays' criminal reign in the 1960's. Where the film ultimately fails however is the criss-crossing between the fearfulness of the Krays' and the emotional core between their relationships with each other and other external factors, resulting in a division of views from the filmmakers in whether sympathy or hate is the main response towards the actions of these notorious criminals. 

Of these external factors is Emily Browning as Frances Shea who presents herself as the viewpoint of the audience by having a front-row seat into the world of guns and geezers that Reggie places upon her, much to her distaste, and although the film bases itself on the notoriety of the Krays, it almost feels as if Browning takes the lead with her own rise and fall at the hand of both Reggie and Ronnie Kray. Whilst more of Browning would have been more than sufficient due to her humanity and role as a walking conduit into the Krays' livelihood, at least her screen presence is more than that of Christopher Ecclestone's Leonard Nipper, whose presence as the hell-bent police detective seems overly shoe-horned in in order to examine they way in which there was an overly bad side to the workings of they Krays. Aside from Ecclestone, both Thewlis and Bettany both have roles that subside themselves with being utterly pointless on the face of it in terms of their pedigree as actors, with the only reason I can think of of their inclusion is their involvement in Gangster No.1, a film that although Legend takes a lot of solid ground from, ultimately doesn't scratch the surface of in terms of quality and culty appeal. Legend does indeed deal with the violence and terror of the Krays in the 1960's but it does it in a by-the-numbers approach with outbursts of quality which presents remorse at a version of a film which could have been much much more. 

Overall Score:7/10

   

Feature: Doctor Who - Ten Years of NuWho

Doctor Who "NuWho": Ten Years Gone

Ten years ago I remember sitting down in front of my Grandparent's TV and getting ready for the resurrection of one of, if not the, greatest TV programmes of all time. My first venture into the magical world of the Doctor and his Tardis came when my father took me to the local market and purchased a load of Classic Who serials such as "The Planet of Evil" and "Kinda" on VHS which we subsequently watched over, and over, and over again until he was forced to purchase a load more. With my knowledge of the Whoniverse already well configured at the ripe old age of 11, to see my earliest childhood show return after 16 years of being off the TV was simply magical. It was to my surprise therefore to realise how ten years this week have suddenly passed since that moment, whilst my fondness and love for such a show not being undermined in the slightest. Therefore, it is only apt for me to celebrate the brilliance I have witnessed over the course of the past decade in this special feature dedicated to the magical genius that is Doctor Who.

When the show returned in 2005, the reigns of the responsibility of being the titular character was given to Christopher Eccleston, an esteemed dramatic actor, famous for roles in Danny Boyles' Shallow Grave, the police drama, Cracker, as well as a range of stage plays such as Hamlet and A Streetcar Named Desire. Although at the time, I was young enough to not understand the quality of acting Eccleston brought with him to the show, looking back after countless re-watches of his first and only season as the Doctor, it was clear that Eccleston gave the show the firm kick up the backside it needed after it's time off-screen, relaunching it's popularity with old fans, whilst simultaneously gaining new ones who were previously unaware of the story of the time-travelling Gallifreyan. In his first season, the 9th Doctor battled classic villains such as Autons and Daleks, whilst fighting new enemies such as the Gelth, the Slitheen and the wonderful gas-masked zombies with a knack of questioning, "are you my mummy?". Aside from foes, the 9th Doctor also introduced us to Billie Piper's character Rose, whose brilliance as the Doctor's companion laid the foundation for those who would eventually follow in what it took to be the Doctor's esteemed sidekick during the 21st century. A short-lived career as the Doctor was sealed for Eccleston during the excellent two-parter, "Bad Wolf" and "Parting of the Ways," but the sheer quality of the first series allowed it to continue without him, with Eccleston forever being celebrated within the Who fanbase for solidifying the return of sci-fi's most beloved specimen. 

So what was needed after the heartbreak of losing our much loved, leather wearing, proper northern, 9th Doctor? That's right, David Tennant, whose first 40 or so minutes as the Doctor saw him in his pyjamas, comatose from his sudden regeneration, whilst the Tyler's and Co. battled the hideous Sycorax on Christmas Day. Nice way to spoil the turkey. As soon as Tennant appeared however, the Whoniverse was sold. His quick quips and cheeky demeanor presented a Doctor that was much more user-friendly than maybe Eccleston's, whilst the relationship between himself and Rose was explored upon much deeper than the series previously, resulting in cry of the decade when the two were forced to part ways during the series two closer "Doomsday". Aside from his ability to be simply brilliant, Tennant's take on the Doctor was enhanced by the ability of the writers around him, with show-runner Russel T Davies, Steven Moffat, and Paul Cornell creating classics such as "Midnight", "Blink" and "The Family of Blood/Human Nature", all of which seemed to result in producing the strongest levels of acting from all involved. 

Another success during the 10th Doctor's reign was the decision to bring back arch-enemy, the Master, first played by the wonderful Derek Jacobi and then John Simm, whose erratic, yet creepy take on the Moriarty to the Doctor's Sherlock, was a sheer triumph. With the Master returning, it was only inevitable for the return of the Time Lords, who along with the Master brought about the end of the 10th Doctor when he courageously inhaled the radiation that was about to kill Bernard Cribbins' Wilfred Mott during "The End of Time". With a cry of, "I don't want to go", the Tenth Doctor was history. Where Eccleston had established a return of Doctor Who, Tennant had enhanced it to levels of preposterous popularity and will forever be remembered as one of, if not the, best Doctor of all time. Allons-y.   

Replacing Tennant and show-runner Russel T Davies, was the youthful Matt Smith, and the not-so-youthful yet renowned, Steven Moffat, famous for writing previous freaky-filled Who episodes such as "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances", "Blink" and "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead". Where Moffat was rather popular and highly regarded in the world of Who, Smith was an more of an unknown, although he had previously appeared in Secret Diary of a Call Girl with ex-companion Billie Piper. The Eleventh Doctor's era therefore began with a strange sense of regeneration (pun intended) with a new writer, new Doctor, and even a new companion in the form of Karen Gillan's Amelia Pond appearing on our screens. Any doubts were suddenly erased soon after however with Smith solidifying his role as the Doctor in classic series five episodes such as "The Eleventh Hour", "Vincent and the Doctor" and the series closer "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang". Smith's childish attitude and sometimes OTT performances made this era of Doctor Who much more accessible to the younger generation than ever before, although the introduction of the hideous Silence reinforced the fearful nature of Moffat's ability to make absolutely anything simply terrifying. It was also within this era that Doctor Who celebrated a whopping 50 years since it first appeared on the black and white screens of 1963 by treating the fans to the glorious "Day of the Doctor", featuring Smith, Tennant, Piper, new companion Jenna Coleman, and even acting legend John Hurt as the 8.5th "War" Doctor. It was within this particular serial that Doctor Who celebrated all things that made Doctor Who, well, Doctor Who and was a real triumph of British television, much to the relief of writer, Steven Moffat. Smith's era as the Doctor was soon to be concluded however in the following episode "The Time of the Doctor" where he let the bow tie loose and began the next phase of regeneration, leaving an era of Doctor Who behind that continued to breed strong viewers and brilliant tales of the time-travelling madman. 

If Smith's era of Doctor Who was suspect of being childish at times, then Peter Capaldi's first season as the 12th incarnation of the time lord was a drastic change of tone, evident from the offset with cult-director Ben Wheatley being at the helm for the first two episodes of the eighth NuWho series which dealt with murderous clockwork droids, a psychotic dalek, and the new Doctor seemingly not having a care in the world when witnessing the death of a helpless soldier. And I loved it. Capaldi's take on the Doctor has been very reminiscent of classic Doctors, such as my all-time favourite Jon Pertwee, the jelly-bean loving, Tom Baker, and even the very first, William Hartnell, but also had enough differences to make the role his own. Although we have only had one series with Mr. Capaldi, the signs so far are is that Doctor Who is better than ever, even after ten years of continued airtime on the BBC. In a nutshell, it is simply marvelous to witness a much loved programme continue to prosper across the world, and may it continue to do so. Happy 10th Birthday NuWho.