Legend

Tom Hardy is absolutely mesmerizing in a dual role and one wonders why he didn't receive an Oscar nomination for this film. 2015 was definitely his year, even though he didn't win any major awards. The films with him were fantastic and "Legend" was also quite successful, especially in how it portrays the self-destruction of the brothers. By the way, excellent depiction of London in that time period. (06/03/2016)

The only thing that puts this intimate gangster retro flick in the flattering company of the "must see" is Tom Hardy's flamboyantly chameleonic creation. The adage that life itself writes the best scripts doesn't apply here, because Helgeland has written a simple cinematic story flattened to the very worn out theme of "bad guys rising up", with the weight of the entire emotional and psychological aspect resting on Tom Hardy's performance – he makes the film work and not only makes it fun to watch, but also very fun to listen to, whether it's the arrogant teasing of the cops or gangsters or the irresistibly over-the-top sexual innuendo (Tom Hardy becomes the coolest gay man in movie history with this one). The imaginary tinsel of the past film year doesn’t belong to DiCaprio, Cruise or Pratt, it belongs to "Mad" Hardy. 70% (10/01/2016)

Tom Hardy felt like a dual role and a dual role he got. And truth be told, he did a more-or-less good job portraying the two brothers, who are both criminals and who are each a little different. It’s a pity that the movie only starts getting really interesting once their entire empire begins to crumble apart. At that point, Legend capitalized on the entire story, which was otherwise not that interesting, and the movie prepared a rather tragic unravelling of the plot. And that was good. Mainly because the story was written by life itself. I actually felt really sad at the end of the movie about the human tragedy. (03/10/2016)

Legend is the only movie in which you will see Tom Hardy at a gay party, spanking a naked twink’s posterior with a carpet beater. The “gayness” of one of the brothers is also the cause of the funniest scene in the film (the first encounter with Las Vegas mafioso Chazz Palminteri). This is a fun gangster movie, standing more on a cool double role than on a dramaturgical storyline. The relationship between the brothers and the difference Hardy has mastered so well drive the film forward. I was also pleased with the depiction of the London retro-world through the lens of American gangster movies (Scorsese). The other half of the movie could have been accelerated, but I’m still giving it the fourth star, because I enjoyed exploring the diversity of Hardy’s double creation more than I expected. (06/10/2015)

Brian Helgeland should stick to writing scripts, because when he's behind the camera, his films have no drive and the result is bland. And that is doubly unfortunate for a retro gangster movie like this, as the form is OK, there aren’t life wisdom and truths, and there’s even less Chazz Palminteri, and the film's plot structure is just there because it has to be. Otherwise, it's Tom Hardy's one-man-show, and a very brilliant one at that. If I wanted to watch an appetiser and a main course in one night, I'd go with Legend and maybe Goodfellas. (17/10/2015)