Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Legend Blu-ray Movie Review

Great performance, not much else.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 17, 2016

Legend's main draw is the opportunity to bask in the glory that is Tom Hardy's dual performance as twin, yet otherwise disparate, 1960s London gangsters, the infamous Kray Brothers. There's certainly not a plethora of other reasons to watch. Director Brian Helgeland (42), who also wrote the movie's screenplay based on John Pearson's novel The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins, has crafted a disappointingly vacuous picture, a cliché riddled period Mob film that struggles to find an identity beyond its leading man and the men he plays. Packed with unimaginative narrative arcs, shallow character depth outside the leads, and even a soundtrack that only recycles all the songs that play over every other 60s-retro movie, Legend ambles on through the narrative and only rises above the all-style, no-substance death knell thanks to that wonderful performance from Tom Hardy. He brings enough interesting character clout to keep him, and the audience, absorbed in every last little morsel of juxtaposing kindred goodness, but even his doubly impressive screen presence can't make Legend more than a mediocre movie at its core.

Brothers.

Reggie Kray (Tom Hardy) is a hard-edge London gangster with a nose for the deal and a willingness to get tangled up in trouble. His twin brother Ronnie (also Tom Hardy) is locked away at a mental institution and has been diagnosed a "paranoid schizophrenic." Reggie underhandedly secures his brother's early release and, together, the two dominate London's underground criminal scene, even considering Ronnie's mental shortcomings. With business booming, Reggie enters into a relationship with Frances (Emily Browning), whom he knows by way of his driver. The film follows that romance and the brothers' criminal exploits, together and individually when Reggie is imprisoned and Ronnie is left to his own uneven and unstable devices.

It's hard to thoroughly, or too harshly, criticize Legend because Tom Hardy is so great in it, even as all of the movie's good and bad points -- all the richness he brings to his parts and all of the generic contrivances the story throws at him -- flow directly through him. He certainly elevates the material into something that is, if nothing else, a fair watch thanks to his ability to sort out two very different characters and hold it all together under the pressures of double duty. He's able to starkly differentiate, but at the same time explore the similarities that drive, both of his characters. It's nothing short of a revelation, particularly considering how disparate those characters are. Reggie is the more grounded of the two, capable of violent acts to be sure but more willing, and able, to tread that line between good and evil. Reggie is the homosexual paranoid schizophrenic who lacks the mental acumen and sharpness his brother demonstrates, and he's much more volatile and incapable of working the nuance of the negotiation or the business. He also disapproves of his brother's romantic relationship with Frances. In crafting both parts, Hardy does more than take on a slightly different physical appearance and change his speech. He finds the deepest, most telling character depth available to him, managing the blend of overarching physical, mental, and emotional qualities with a nuanced finesse and command of the characters' very souls, elevating the material from forgettably uncreative to, at least where his parts are concerned, classic example of how command of character, or in this case, two characters, can see a movie rise from forgettable obscurity.

Both Hardy and history make the Kray brothers complex and interesting characters, but the world in which they live is not. Legend is never able to support Hardy with a more dense, or in any way creatively alive, world. The movie works through generic machinations that may reflect a core legacy, but the film itself cannot adequately differentiate itself from most others of its kind. It's rather remarkable in its conformity to basic genre standards, resulting in a movie that, beyond Hardy's work, is one of the more forgettable of its kind. Whether the Reggie-Frances love story and all of its permutations, the core of the sibling rivalry motif, the business side of the ledger, the violence, or all of the other, broader, story drivers, the movie continuously fails to generate any kind of dramatic excitement. On the plus side, Helgeland and team have created a richly detailed and aesthetically pleasing backdrop for the movie. Its period attire, locations, set pieces, and support infrastructure look terrific, and Dick Pope, who shot the masterful Mr. Turner (for which he earned an Oscar nomination), soaks up the environment with not only a pleasing aesthetic but a sense of intimacy and audience envelopment that does all it can to blend the movie's shortcomings into its terrific visual atmosphere.

Legend Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Legend looks fantastic on Blu-ray. Even as there's a defining flatness and smooth sheen to the digital source, Universal's transfer is sharp and richly colored. Fine details are ever striking. Period attire is particularly robust, revealing extremely fine, very intimate fabric textures, particularly on suit jackets but also heavy woven sweaters and finer dresses. Even small fabric frays appear perfectly visible and tangible. Facial details are equally revealing. The finest pores, stubble, moles, makeup, and other intimate elements reveal more than the actors would probably prefer. The movie's very smooth veneer does seem a little off-putting when it comes to more naturally rough textures. There's no shortage of brickwork to be seen throughout the movie, for example, and the image is so digital-smooth that they lose that tactile look about them, even as raw detailing remains high. Colors are bold and well saturated. There's plenty of natural pop on everything from candy to signs, from clothes to cars. Black levels sometimes push a little too heavy and devour some finer details on darker clothes, particularly in lower light environments. Flesh tones always appear natural. The image sees very light noise but is otherwise free of unwanted blemishes. This is a fantastic transfer from Universal and practically a reference-quality presentation.

Legend Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Legend features a superb DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. Carter Burwell's score greatly benefits from the track's pinpoint clarity, instrumental definition, enveloping width across the front, rich and balanced surround support (including a greater sense of envelopment with the extra back channels in play), and a healthy low end support. Night club beats are just as elegantly detailed, particularly near the bottom end, putting the listener in the middle of the environment. The track features plenty of enveloping atmospherics, whether background ambience at a club or little odds and ends that spring exterior locations to tangible, realistic life. Punches, crashes, and other action effects are solidly deep and well pronounced. Dialogue is always center focused, but clarity and prioritization occasionally struggle. The spoken word can come across as somewhat muffled and mixed in with, rather than standing apart from, surrounding din. A chat Reggie has with Frances in the club around the 17-miunte mark is a good example. Otherwise, Universal's track is good to go.

Legend Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Legend contains a commentary and a featurette. A UV/iTunes digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Creating the Legend (1080p, 11:03): A look at the contrasting leads, casting and performances, the logistics of Hardy playing two characters, Frances' role in the movie, production design and shooting locales, Brian Helgeland's work as director, and more.
• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Brian Helgeland opens with a discussion of the movie's title and continues to discuss score, structure, his research into the characters, anecdotes from the shoot, dramatic arcs, characterization, technical details, and much more. Helgeland does a great job of both dissecting the movie and spelling out its finer qualities. Fans will certainly enjoy.

Legend Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Legend may describe the story of Reggie and Ronnie Kray and Tom Hardy's embodiment of them, but the rest of the film hardly lives up to its title. The movie offers otherwise passable entertainment value but cannot escape its total inability to work even a hint of creativity into its reproduction of a long-established genre. The movie does look good, but its best qualities are superficial; there's nothing complimentary underneath. Universal's Blu-ray does offer standout video and audio. Supplements are limited to a featurette and a commentary track. Rent it.