Legend(2015)

Universal Pictures

R
Rated R for strong violence, language throughout, some sexual and drug material
2h 12m

Release Date: Nov 20, 2015 | Limited

Identical twin gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray terrorize London during the 1960s.

Releases

Original Release | Nov 20, 2015

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Box Office Results

Results

Opening Weekend US & Canada:
$86,836
Total US & Canada:
$1,872,994
Total International
$41,100,000
Total Worldwide:
$42,972,994

Current Showtimes

Your Location or

(U.S. Only)

Director & Top Cast

Brian Helgeland
Director

Don Collier
Actor

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos

Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United Kingdom,France,United States

Language: English

Summaries

Plot Summary

The movie opens with Reggie Kray coming out of an apartment in East End London and bringing a cup of tea to 2 policemen sitting in a car. A narration from a woman informs us that one of the policemen is named Nipper Read. The policemen are watching Reggie and are annoyed that he openly mocks them for tailing him. Reggie walks down the street to get one of his associates who didn't show up for work that day, his driver Frank. Another associate, Albert or Albie, is following in Reggie's car. At Frank's apartment his sister Frances, who is doing the voice-over, greets Reggie and it is obvious Reggie is attracted to her. Frances' mom comes to the door and tells him to get lost as Frank arrives downstairs. They drive down the street a ways and Reggie and Albie get out then walk thru a winding alleyway and lose the police tail. Next we see Ronnie, Reggie's moments-younger twin brother, telling Reggie and Albie a story about willing someone to give him their pudding and it working. This serves as an illustration that Ron is not a clear-minded individual. The narrator informs us that Ron was serving a prison sentence for grievous bodily harm but he has been remanded to a psychiatric facility as insane. Now Reggie wants Ron declared sane so he can leave so next we see an enforcer named Pat, nickname Big Pat, in a shrink's office making a subtle threat. Next we see that psychiatrist before the parole board saying Ron should be released. After he's released the psychiatrist tells Reggie that Ron is dangerous and gives Reg medicine for Ron to take daily or he warns there will be big trouble.Next we see Reggie picking up Frances for a date, of which her mother openly voices her disapproval. He takes her to an East End club that he owns where he explains he invites celebrities to come hang out with some of the rough characters from around town and they show up because it makes them feel edgy. At the club Reggie is pulled away to deal with Jack, a manager who's been stealing from the take on one of their drug operations. Reggie is surprisingly lenient with Jack, simply telling him to pay the money back and stop stealing, then returns to his date with Frances. Frances asks if he enjoys being a gangster and Reggie denies it, saying he's simply a club owner. Some time later Reggie takes Frances to meet Ron and he promptly informs her that he's homosexual.Next we see the beginnings of a turf war between Charlie Richardson, a South London gang leader, and the Krays. After a couple of minor dust-ups the Krays are invited to a parlay on neutral ground to settle it without more bloodshed. It turns out to be a set-up where Reggie and Ronnie are vastly outnumbered. After Ron uses a ruse to slip out, Reggie starts the fight and is holding his own until Ron shows up again with weapons and together they begin to savagely beat the men sent to hurt them. Next we are introduced to the Krays lawyer, Leslie Payne, who helps them arrange legitimate business operations to help cover for their illegal activities. Frances' narration tells us that Reggie liked Payne and considered him a useful and necessary partner but that Ron was always open in his dislike and distrust of him. Using Payne the Krays purchase interest in a casino that Reggie intends to use to become a legitimate businessman, a plan which Ron eschews because he enjoys being a rough-and-tumble gangster. Payne informs the twins that the American mafia has made inquiries in order to establish a working relationship with whomever is ruling the London underworld. Ron isn't interested in working with them but Reggie has Payne set up a meeting, which goes well and an arrangement is reached. Following scenes accompanied with Frances' voiceover tell us that the new casino is doing very well, making lots of money and accomplishing Reggie's goal of establishing him as a legitimate businessman. At the casino the same business plan as before is in place, with celebrities mixing company openly with gangsters. At the same time the brothers continue with various gangster activities like money laundering and protection rackets, among others. It's at this point that Reggie has to return to prison to finish out a sentence that had been on appeal but was now due to be finished. Reggie is viciously beaten by the guards in prison but he fights back. Ron tells Frances Reggie doesn't want visitors but she goes anyway, making Reggie angry.While Reggie is in prison Ron proceeds to ruin the business at the club because he doesn't want them to have a legitimate business, he wants to be a gangster. When Reggie gets out he proposes to Frances then he and Frances visit the club. Reggie is incensed at how Ron has ruined their money making enterprise and berates him in front of all their business associates. In response Ron ruthlessly insults Frances, causing Reggie to start a very violent fight. Later we see Reggie showing Frances a West End club that he intends to buy, again to reestablish himself as a businessman. In the meantime scenes show that Ron's homosexual lifestyle has brought him into frequent contact with at least a couple of members of the House of Parliament. This creates a difficult situation for the police who can't bust the Krays for fear that their links to the Parliament will be exposed. Frances' narration tells us that this influence helps them to get out of a more than a few legal difficulties over the years.Reggie and Frances get married but Frances' narration tells us problems arose almost immediately. Despite his legitimate business ventures, Reggie is still drawn to and receives lots of money from his and Ron's gangster pursuits like drugs, protection rackets, money laundering, etc. This keeps him away from Frances for a great deal of time. In addition Ron and Mrs Kray, their mother, make it clear to Frances that they don't think much of her. As a result Frances becomes very despondent over her situation, increasingly turning to drugs to help her cope. On the business front, Ron is increasingly volatile, acting out irrationally on multiple occasions and necessitating Reggie step in to hold things together. Complicating things is Ron's refusal to take his medicine because he enjoys feeling and acting violent. When one of Richardson's Southie thugs tries to muscle in on Kray territory, Ron commits cold-blooded murder in front of a room full of people. Nipper Read, who has been promoted to Scotland Yard, is put in charge of the investigation and commits to bringing down the Krays. Initially this case goes nowhere because all the witnesses are too intimidated by the Krays to testify. When Reggie makes it clear to Frances that he intends to continue with all his illegal activities despite her wishes that he quit, she leaves him then soon after commits suicide.For no apparent reason other than he doesn't like him, Ron hires Jack to kill Leslie Payne but Jack botches the job, sending Payne to the police. Because of Payne's tremendous involvement in all their various schemes it invigorates the investigation, resulting in the police gathering a large number of witnesses into protection. Shortly after the botched assassination attempt Reggie confronts and kills Jack at a party at Ron's house with several witnesses present. With Payne and the other witnesses, the police finally have enough evidence to prosecute the Krays and overcome their previous influence with the Parliament. A graphic at the end shows Reggie was convicted and sent to prison until he was granted compassionate release just 2 months prior to his cancer-related death in 2000. Ron was convicted, declared insane and remained committed until his death in 1995.

Storyline

The true story of London's most notorious gangsters, twins Reggie and Ronnie Kray. As the brothers rise through the criminal underworld, Ronnie advances the family business with violence and intimidation while Reggie struggles to go legitimate for local girl Frances Shea. In and out of prison, Ronnie's unpredictable tendencies and the slow disintegration of Reggie's marriage threaten to bring the brothers' empire tumbling to the ground.