The Films of Brian Helgeland

Payback

A Knight's Tale

The Order

42

Legend (December 6/15)

Inspired by true events, Legend follows vicious gangsters (and identical twins) Ronald and Reggie Kray (Tom Hardy) as they wreak havoc in 1960s London - with complications ensuing as Reggie begins to question his commitment to the criminal lifestyle after meeting and falling for Emily Browning's Frances. It's clear immediately (and throughout) that Legend's most potent weapon is Hardy's typically electrifying performance, as the actor effectively steps into the shoes of his two vastly different characters with an ease that's never anything short of captivating. (Hardy's charismatic work as the affable Reggie is matched by a ferocious turn as the mentally-unstable Ronald.) It's just as obvious, however, that Legend suffers from a repetitive midsection that grows increasingly problematic, with the decidedly familiar nature of the movie's storyline ensuring that the narrative plateaus past a certain point - which, in turn, ultimately wreaks havoc on the film's progressively tenuous momentum. Helgeland's reliance on less-than-fresh elements plays an integral role in triggering Legend's downfall, with, especially, the ongoing emphasis on Reggie's crumbling relationship with Frances paving the way for a rather tedious second half. The anticlimactic finale only confirms Legend's place as a sporadically entertaining yet disastrously overlong misfire, which is too bad, certainly, given the always-compelling nature of Hardy's superb efforts here.