Film review: Legend

Legend is based on the rises and falls of the Kray twins, London's most notorious gangsters from the 1960's. Their ownership and power over the police, clubs and London's aristocracy are shown along with the softer sides to them; relationships and their loyalty to each other.

The one thing that makes Legend so different to other gangster films is the outstanding performance by Tom Hardy. Playing both Ronnie and Reggie Kray, Hardy differentiates between both of the twins to create completely different characters with such ease. However, the similarities between the twins are evident and Hardy plays on the humour of the script to show this.
The editing and camera work are also brilliant, especially those scenes that feature both Kray twins.

Obviously in a film like this we expect, and want, to see a lot of crime and fighting. And there is a lot of this. The scenes are directed to be hideous but the way in which they are shown also makes them easy to watch and interesting. After all, we want to see how the Kray twins behaved and how they fought to gain the power that they had.
However, we also see a lot of more emotional scenes that work to give us information on both Ronnie and Reggie's personal lives. The open honesty from Ronnie about his sexuality and his mental illness show him as a sensitive character, who looks up to and depends on his brother. And Reggie's relationship; the passion between him and Frances in the build up to their marriage and the break-down of their relationship and the difficulties she faces being married to a gangster.

Legend is brilliant throughout. The clever scripting not only gives the audience a sense of reality and an honest view on what life was like for the Kray twins, but adds humour and class to the film, making it a joy to watch. Along with fantastic music, costume and iconic shots, this 60's gangster film is a must see!

Film review: The Man From U.N.C.L.E

The Man from U.N.C.L.E cleverly captures the elements that made the 1960's series such a huge hit. Guy Richie combines the use of modern technology with retro 60's flair, adding a lot of humour and sexual themes, to create this extremely entertaining spy thriller.

In 1963, C.I.A agent Napoleon Solo and K.G.B operative Illya Kuryakin unite, along with Gaby Teller to prevent the completion of a nuclear bomb which is being built by wealthy Italian couple, Alexander and Victoria Vinciguerra. Their plan is to use Teller's father's intelligence to help them built the bomb.
Solo and Kuryakin team up in a bid to stop the couple from succeeding, with both ben secretly assigned to steal the weapon's systematics for their separate Governments.

The retro look to the film excellently portrays the 60's theme, from the highly-saturated editing to the brilliant makeup and costume, everything reflects the era that shone with style. The music used throughout the film and for the theme tune add more of a 60's vibe, but also with a modern edge to it.

The acting in the film was fantastic, with fun-loving but believable characters, and great scripting. Along with the fast-paced editing, the action scenes were not only gripping but also, absolutely hilarious. The script along with the direction added humour to the film, which made the action scenes a lot easier to watch.

It slightly resembles a James Bond style but this film is completely different; portraying the frailties of the Cold War brilliantly. This film will really take you in, the gripping story line and hilarious scripting combine excellently with the use of music, costume and breathtaking locations.
Guy Richie has definitely done himself proud with this one.