I attended a pre-screening of Legend. It had great production value. Tom Hardy, one of my favorite actors, portrayed the Krays with mastery. The cinematography was superb.
But, I have to say, while I can recommend some R-rated movies because they have redeeming value, this one does not. If you're on the fence about the ratings, this one is not for you. Yet, if you like gangster movies that honestly show gangsters, you'll like this. I did not.
It was too violent for my taste and I spent some of my time covering my eyes and saying "lalalalalala." Thank goodness it was predictable. You knew when the violence was going to break out because they always telegraphed it--so I missed all that action. And the only character I kind of liked was Reggie's girlfriend and then wife but it was hard to do so because of her blatant, eyes-open stupidity.
Your heart is bigger and you don't become more likable because you are able to love a bigger scoundrel.
You may respond, "but don't you know its all fake?" Yes, but it's not. Good acting and good story telling allow you to suspend belief and live that reality. That is why movies, like no other medium, are so powerful. This reality is accentuated when you are someone like me who tends to feel what you are seeing. I don't like the reality of evil and criminality and I don't like how it makes me feel, especially when it is done with an emphasis thereon instead of it being a momentary glimpse to highlight good. In the movie it is discussed how sometimes the very wealthy like hanging out with the very criminal because they are both greedy and they both have access to lots of money that wasn't honestly earned. There is some truth to that, but there is a difference between the two. Maybe it is subtle, but it is nonetheless there and it makes all the difference in the world. It is when people lose sight of that fact and it allows them to rationalize and drift over to cross that line into criminality.
Loren M. Lambert © November 25, 2015.
But, I have to say, while I can recommend some R-rated movies because they have redeeming value, this one does not. If you're on the fence about the ratings, this one is not for you. Yet, if you like gangster movies that honestly show gangsters, you'll like this. I did not.
It was too violent for my taste and I spent some of my time covering my eyes and saying "lalalalalala." Thank goodness it was predictable. You knew when the violence was going to break out because they always telegraphed it--so I missed all that action. And the only character I kind of liked was Reggie's girlfriend and then wife but it was hard to do so because of her blatant, eyes-open stupidity.
Your heart is bigger and you don't become more likable because you are able to love a bigger scoundrel.
You may respond, "but don't you know its all fake?" Yes, but it's not. Good acting and good story telling allow you to suspend belief and live that reality. That is why movies, like no other medium, are so powerful. This reality is accentuated when you are someone like me who tends to feel what you are seeing. I don't like the reality of evil and criminality and I don't like how it makes me feel, especially when it is done with an emphasis thereon instead of it being a momentary glimpse to highlight good. In the movie it is discussed how sometimes the very wealthy like hanging out with the very criminal because they are both greedy and they both have access to lots of money that wasn't honestly earned. There is some truth to that, but there is a difference between the two. Maybe it is subtle, but it is nonetheless there and it makes all the difference in the world. It is when people lose sight of that fact and it allows them to rationalize and drift over to cross that line into criminality.
Loren M. Lambert © November 25, 2015.
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