Tonight I watched the film Legend (2015) in which Tom Hardy gave a great performance and great acting in dual characters.
Tom Hardy, who gave life to the Kray brothers, single-handedly dragged the film with his outstanding performance and magnificently portrayed the twin brothers with opposite characters. Ronald Kray is a troubled brother who makes instant, quick decisions and almost all of his decisions are wrong. Reginald Kray is a calmer and more determined brother who knows what he wants and acts consciously. Tom Hardy, who portrayed both characters with an outstanding performance, is the star of the night for me and it seems that he will remain so for a while.
We have seen many times that the same actors play opposite roles in different films. I believe that there is a perception that it should not be difficult for actors and actresses to play the character they give life to when they immerse themselves in the role in the script. I also remember the words of some actors who talked about behind the camera in local cinema about how important it is to give yourself to your role in order to live and keep alive the character you portray.
This situation, which is valid in different times and films, does not apply to Legend because in Legend, Tom Hardy brings the Kray brothers to life in the same time and in the same film. Moreover, the fact that the Kray brothers actually lived in the past and were involved in important dark deeds in their own time and managed to get out of it every time makes the role more valuable. Although the story of the two gangster brothers is presented as a biography film, it is more in the genre of thriller and crime.
Ronald Kray is the more difficult brother to portray because he has the personality of a ticking time bomb, constantly messing things up. Things get even more complicated when he doesn't take the medication he needs to use. Reginald Kray, on the other hand, is a man of love and he is, but brother Ronald's constant screw-ups are always reflected on brother Reginald. The character of Frances (played by Emily Browning), whom Reginald falls in love with, also has important turning points throughout the film.
Living by the rules is a behaviour that is everyone's responsibility and for which they will reap the benefits. Whenever Reginald reaches the point of preferring this kind of life, he is somehow dissuaded by Ronald. This causes the axis to shift from Frances to Ronald throughout the film. Reginald is like an unclaimed ball stuck in the middle and disorientated. Whoever catches it gets it! lolol
You may have already understood from what I have written that Tom Hardy's performance giving life to the Kray brothers was more prominent than the film Legend. While the events during the rise of the gangster brothers are shown, I also watched in amazement how a person can get power poisoning. The power poisoning, which is exposed to as you possess things, quickly turns into a flow that prepares its own end after a certain stage, and you cannot break away from the film during the flow.
The evil that a man does to himself cannot be done by his enemies gathered together. This may be the most meaningful sentence to explain the last part of the film Legend. A personality or an empire always goes through periods of rise, stagnation and decline. History is full of narratives of such facts. The film Legend is a summary of these narratives.
You should definitely watch the film to know the story of the Kray brothers and to see Tom Hardy's unique performance. I think this is the first time I have used the name of an actor so much among the films I have watched and written my opinions. lol
@cute-cactus