Legend (2015)

Review:

Two for the price of one: Tom Hardy gives standout performances fighting and frolicking in this fun, but flawed, film.

Legend, directed by Brian Helgeland (most notably the screenwriter of the sensational L.A. Confidential), stars Tom Hardy in a double-act performance as both Ronnie and Reggie Kray – the infamous East End gangsters. Their story has frequently been told, showing them to be vilified, glamourised, or even a bit of both… so can Legend’s re-telling pack a punch?

I was relieved that the film certainly does take a different stance on the Kray twins’ story, and I can say assuredly that Legend is much more enjoyable than 1990’s The Krays, which starred the rather non-twin-looking Kemp brothers. Whilst Legend’s narrative prefers to focus on “epic” fight scenes and the Krays at their darkest, instead of exploring how they became that way, it was superb to see a version that is finally steering away from the usual story of them simply being psychopathic mummy’s boys – I’ve always found it aggravating that people underestimate and deny the Krays’ personal accountability for their own actions. In a culture where blame (especially on mothers for their child’s behaviour) is still so commonplace, it’s refreshing to witness an alternative in this film. 

I also applaud how the film managed the illusion of Tom Hardy playing both brothers, and, of course, Hardy’s two very strong performances in recreating these two completely different people onscreen. Hardy masterfully moves from true brotherly tenderness and love to bursting with ferocity and frustration within a single frame, and it’s extraordinary to witness. Apart from some slightly fumbled and awkward fight scenes between the two characters, which, understandably, must have been extremely difficult to film, there wasn’t a minute where you would doubt that you were watching two identical twins onscreen. Another great aspect of Legend is how both Hardy and the script don’t shy away from Ronnie’s homosexuality and mental health problems – there is one particular piece of dialogue that might have you rolling in the aisle! However, the film ultimately belongs to saner of the two: Reggie.

Emily Browning, likewise, gives a solid performance as Reggie’s wife Frances. Browning skilfully demonstrates that just because Frances was “mentally fragile”, it doesn’t mean she wasn’t also a fiery and plucky force. Both Hardy and Browning give sterling individual performances, but when it came to Reggie and Frances’s relationship, I personally felt it was portrayed as quite shallow and unconvincing. Additionally, the movie’s narrative was guided using Frances’s viewpoint as a voiceover, but it really didn’t require it. The narrative basically wasn’t consistent throughout the film, which is one thing it should be in this sort of film; it simply distracted from the flow of the plot, jarring when it did pop up again suddenly here and there.

Nevertheless, Legend is a visual treat. The graphics and production design create a dramatic 60s London landscape, and I’ve always been a sucker for 60s costumes! Whilst the movie may not be a momentous piece of filmmaking, I feel it successfully captivates its audience enough to warrant multiple watches in the future - if only for a double dose of Tom Hardy.

Straight Outta Compton (2015)

Review:

Rap Appreciation 101: A lesson in how to love a very misunderstood music genre.

Straight Outta Compton is everything We Are Your Friends (see my review here) wanted to be but wasn’t. Being far from a rap fan myself, I must admit that I was initially hesitant about seeing this film, but ultimately I found myself realising I was one of the prime audience demographics targeted in order for the film to get its message across, and any initial dread was soon punched out of me by one knockout film.

Directed by F. Gary Gray (whose name turned out to be a bit of a tongue twister for me when I was reviewing this gem on the radio), Straight Outta Compton documents the rise of N.W.A in the late 80s to early 90s; a group generally credited with creating the influential ‘Gangsta Rap’ movement. We are expertly guided through some of their most defining moments, including Dr. Dre and Ice Cube’s turbulent rise to fame: two huge entities in contemporary culture that, even if you’ve been living under a rock all your life, you will have heard of these men.

 A striking aspect of Straight Outta Compton is the relevance it still holds in today’s social climate – during the film we are persistently inundated with distressing scenes of the ongoing race rows in America, where black people are intimidated and thrown to the ground by police, made more profound with all the events happening in Ferguson and elsewhere in America right now. This cleverly enables audiences outside this particular social context to tap into the fascinating story of how and why a band like N.W.A formed when and where they did. These were young men who were sick, tired, and damn angry at the injustice and oppression they were continuously subjected to. Skilfully portraying this anger were the young lead actors Corey Hawkins, O’Shea Jackson Jr. (the freakishly spitting image of his father Ice Cube) and Jason Mitchell, whose gutsy and exuberant performances make this film a compelling piece of storytelling. Stylish and powerful shots of stadium performances of tracks, such as, “Fuck Tha Police” were superb, and it was visibly tough for us cinema-goers to stop ourselves from fist punching the air when those first beats pump into play, defying the cops stalking through the concert crowd. These scenes perfectly juxtapose the gritty handheld shots of some rather harrowing events, giving a stark reminder of the costs of N.W.A’s journey to fame.

A difficult aspect of Straight Outta Compton is the outright misogyny depicted - often with graphic close-ups of how the women in these circles were treated like meat and entertainment for the young, up-and-coming men of the moment. Whilst this most certainly unacceptable behaviour is a challenging watch for any audience member, it must be understood that the film is documenting what happened at a specific time, and presents how these young men learnt how to handle the life they were dealt in 1980s Los Angeles. Omission of Dr. Dre’s violence towards women has been widely reported, and, although this is certainly understandable, one reason for this could be that the film ultimately belongs to Eazy-E; the film’s narrative arc begins and ends with him. One beneficial thing, nevertheless: Straight Outta Compton‘s smart audience members have brought this discussion of violence against women back into mainstream news, despite it not actually being shown on screen.

Conclusively, Straight Outta Compton succeeds in going beyond any previous assumptions you are likely to hold when you enter the cinema. This movie is a slice of cultural history that will educate and hopefully inspire a new generation. Straight Outta Compton - Parental advisory: explicit (but fucking awesome) content.