Legend

Legend is the only movie in which you will see Tom Hardy at a gay party, spanking a naked twink’s posterior with a carpet beater. The “gayness” of one of the brothers is also the cause of the funniest scene in the film (the first encounter with Las Vegas mafioso Chazz Palminteri). This is a fun gangster movie, standing more on a cool double role than on a dramaturgical storyline. The relationship between the brothers and the difference Hardy has mastered so well drive the film forward. I was also pleased with the depiction of the London retro-world through the lens of American gangster movies (Scorsese). The other half of the movie could have been accelerated, but I’m still giving it the fourth star, because I enjoyed exploring the diversity of Hardy’s double creation more than I expected. (07/10/2015)

Brian Helgeland should stick to writing scripts, because when he's behind the camera, his films have no drive and the result is bland. And that is doubly unfortunate for a retro gangster movie like this, as the form is OK, there aren’t life wisdom and truths, and there’s even less Chazz Palminteri, and the film's plot structure is just there because it has to be. Otherwise, it's Tom Hardy's one-man-show, and a very brilliant one at that. If I wanted to watch an appetiser and a main course in one night, I'd go with Legend and maybe Goodfellas. (18/10/2015)

Tom Hardy is absolutely stunning in the dual role and one wonders why he didn't get an Oscar nomination for this film. 2015 was definitely his year, even though he didn't win any big awards. The films with him were great, and Legend turned out pretty well too, especially in how it escalates the self-destruction of the brothers. By the way, the film features an excellent period depiction of London. (06/03/2016)

A rhetorical question grasped at the right end of the rope, "What else is missing from a good crime thriller with Tom Hardy?" Another Tom Hardy, of course! And what else on earth could a good crime thriller with two Tom Hardys be missing? (geez I sure took on a challenge) Emily Browning. Mm mmm. Three goals before the game has even started isn't entirely fair, but times are fair to the crooked, and with the team being ruled by the steady hand of proven coach Helgeland, I'd put my money on this one anyway. A hard-edged, stylized biopic that at times throws pure gold at the audience (the mobster's people's court) and then again isn't afraid to lie to the audience about what they’re seeing. Perhaps the only detriment is the obvious fact that the director of Payback had to be kept on a leash again, because more than once he can be seen wanting to step on turf that is clearly marked with signs that read "Do Not Enter! Love, Your Producers." However, for the promise of a director's cut and the once again incredible Hardy... Well, I can't help it. (03/02/2016)

The only thing that puts this intimate gangster retro flick in the flattering company of the "must see" is Tom Hardy's flamboyantly chameleonic creation. The adage that life itself writes the best scripts doesn't apply here, because Helgeland has written a simple cinematic story flattened to the very worn out theme of "bad guys rising up", with the weight of the entire emotional and psychological aspect resting on Tom Hardy's performance – he makes the film work and not only makes it fun to watch, but also very fun to listen to, whether it's the arrogant teasing of the cops or gangsters or the irresistibly over-the-top sexual innuendo (Tom Hardy becomes the coolest gay man in movie history with this one). The imaginary tinsel of the past film year doesn’t belong to DiCaprio, Cruise or Pratt, it belongs to "Mad" Hardy. 70% (10/01/2016)