--- title: "Legend: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/legend-2015/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/legend-2015" critics_score: 59 critics_reviews: 21 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Legend (2015): what the critics said Critics' score 59 from 21 reviews: 7 positive, 9 mixed, 5 negative. The reviews lean mixed rather than hostile, and almost all of them agree on one thing: Tom Hardy’s performance as both Kray twins is the reason to watch. Critics describe his Reggie and Ronnie as sharply differentiated, intimidating and often funny, and several say he carries a film that would otherwise sag. The effects that let him play both brothers in one frame draw approval too, as does the period look. Where they part is on everything around him. The most common complaints are a thin script, an underwritten Frances whose narration grates, a tone that swings between comedy and violence without settling, and a romanticised view of the Krays that some find troubling. The spread is wide. British critics are mostly warm, with several four-star notices, while the American trades and the later American reviews are far cooler. The Hollywood Reporter goes furthest, finding the set dressing more engaging than the performances, and Slant is the rare voice unconvinced by Hardy himself. ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 2 September 2015. The review presents the film as a slick, melancholy crime drama. It praises Tom Hardy’s performance as the Kray twins. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/legend-1) ## Total Film — Jamie Graham Rating 4/5. 7 September 2015. The review finds the film flawed but swaggeringly cinematic, and says Tom Hardy excels, especially as Reggie. It praises Hardy’s charismatic, dazzling performance while noting that Frances is frustratingly underwritten. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/legend-review/) ## Empire — Dan Jolin Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2015. Jolin gives the film a clearly positive verdict, while noting that Frances’s voiceover can grate. He particularly praises Tom Hardy’s magnetic, sharply differentiated performances as both Kray twins. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/legend-4-review/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 September 2015. O'Sullivan finds the film an ambitious but uneven hotchpotch, with a muddled use of Frances as narrator. She praises Tom Hardy as outstanding and gripping in both roles. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/legend-film-review-tom-hardy-is-terrific-at-double-trouble-a2945201.html) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 September 2015. Kermode finds the film cartoonish but entertaining, with its affection for the Krays’ image left intriguingly ambiguous. He singles out Tom Hardy’s committed dual performance as the film’s central strength. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/13/legend-review-tom-hardy-conquers-the-krays-kermode) ## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2015. Macnab finds the film lavish and entertaining, though its romanticized treatment of the Krays is troubling. He particularly praises Tom Hardy’s flamboyant, compelling dual performance. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/legend-movie-review-tom-hardy-is-brilliant-in-this-weird-love-story-about-the-kray-twins-10493113.html) ## Film Comment — Graham Fuller Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The visible standfirst presents the film as emphasizing substance over style. No fuller critical verdict or specific praise is available in the accessible text. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/review-legend-tom-hardy/) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2015. Festival review. Lodge finds the biopic compelling but structurally compromised and psychologically thin. He singles out Tom Hardy’s remarkable dual performance as the film’s most dazzling achievement. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/legend-review-tom-hardy-1201554085/) ## Little White Lies — Clarisse Loughrey Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page presents a video review of Brian Helgeland’s gangster biopic but gives no readable verdict. Loughrey raises whether tea can fix everything, though the page text does not reveal her answer or a specific praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/that-darn-movie-show/legend-video-review) ## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2015. The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It also does not show what the critic praises or complains about. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/legend-review/5092258.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page returned an access error, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint from the review is available to report. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/movies/review-legend-starring-tom-hardy-as-the-gangster-twins-ronnie-and-reggie-kray.html) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2015. Ebiri finds the film unable to match the energy of Tom Hardy’s dual performance. He praises Hardy’s distinct characterizations and singles out the brothers’ tense confrontation at their mother’s house, while faulting the supporting world for feeling underdeveloped. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/11/movie-review-legend.html) ## Slant Magazine — Kenji Fujishima Rating 1.5/4. 18 November 2015. Fujishima finds the film shallow and unsympathetic, with Hardy unable to bring depth to his twin roles. He particularly faults the script’s thin characterization of Frances and its reliance on recycled gangster-film style. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/legend-2015/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2015. Felperin pans the film as tonally incoherent, vacuous, and structurally messy. She praises its period visuals and production design, but says the performances are less engaging than the set dressing. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/legend-film-review-817441/) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 4/5. 4 September 2015. The critic finds Legend particularly absorbing, with Tom Hardy’s dual performance giving the gangster story its tension and magnetism. He praises Hardy’s intimidating, often funny portrayal of the twins, while noting that some digital backgrounds look processed and stagey. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/legend-review/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Rating 3/5. 8 September 2015. Pape finds the film unfocused and tonally inconsistent, despite its intriguing subject. He praises Tom Hardy’s distinctive dual performance and the seamless effects that let him play both twins together. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/legend-review/) ## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2015. The review finds the film morbidly fascinating but uneven, criticizing its romanticized view of the Krays. It praises the tense dialogue and Hardy’s performance as both brothers. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a666818/legend-review-tom-hardy-is-savage-and-stylish-as-the-kray-twins/) ## Eye for Film — Owen Van Spall Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2015. The critic finds the film entertaining and watchable, but says it never develops the deeper meaning its title promises. Hardy’s showy dual performance is a standout, though its oversized portrayal of Ronnie ultimately unbalances the film. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/legend-2015-film-review-by-owen-van-spall) ## Collider — Adam Chitwood Rating C-. 12 September 2015. Festival review. Chitwood finds the film a derivative, overlong slog that fails to make its promising subject compelling. He praises Hardy’s characterization of the twin brothers, especially Ronnie, but says the script gives him too little to work with. [Read the review](https://collider.com/legend-review-tom-hardy-tiff-2015/) ## Consequence — Dominick Suzanne-Mayer Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 25 November 2015. The critic finds the film uneven and ultimately incomplete, despite Hardy’s impressive work. They single out Hardy’s dual performances as its chief strength, while faulting the film’s inconsistent tone and lack of meaningful critique. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2015/11/film-review-legend/) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2015. The critic finds the film stylish but shallow, with Hardy’s performance doing most of the work. Hardy’s vivid portrayal of both twins is singled out for praise, while the schematic story and polished look draw criticism. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/legend-review-tom-hardy-emily-browning-christopher-eccleston-krays/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/legend-2015.md