There is no crime story in British history that has been glamorised as much as the Kray brothers. The East End twins, born 45 minutes apart, were notorious for their long spell of organised crime during the swinging sixties. Carrying out their fearsome spree of criminal offences, they orchestrated many instances of armed robberies, arson, assault and their personal favourite – protection rackets.
The Kray brothers never ceased to shy away from the spotlight and took pride in presenting their Bogart-inspired trademark image as shot by photographer David Bailey. Their fame skyrocketed even further during post-war Britain thanks to the transformation of their shoddy snooker hall into an exuberant nightspot.
Apart from witnesses of their protection racket antics, they gained celebrity-like popularity by meeting the likes of Frank Sinatra, Barbara Windsor and Winifred Atwell and an eventual interview on television.
Subjected to numerous book, documentary and film adaptations – the director of critically acclaimed L.A. Confidential, Brian Helgeland presents his upcoming blockbuster Legend to tell the narrative behind the upbringing and lives of the London gangsters.
After his superb performance in Mad Max: Fury Road, friend-of-Esquire Tom Hardy had the rather sizable task of not only playing Reggie Kray but his brother Ronnie too. Narrated by Reggie’s wife, Frances Shea (Emily Browning) tells a story filled with every possible human emotion and the unrelenting battle between her husband and the detective superintendent, Leonard Read (Christopher Eccleston).