Two Lads, One Actor
Recent media speculation suggests that the Academy will be have a library of Oscar-worthy pictures to celebrate and furthermore one of the strongest selections of stars to consider for Hollywood's highest honour for the acting profession. When audiences are lost, fuelled by sheer wonder, in worlds in which they are happily guided by Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl, Johnny Depp in Black Mass, Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation, Matt Damon in The Martian, Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs and maybe, just maybe, Leonardo DiCaprio in The Reverant, to name but a few of the actors seeking to leave their emotive energy lingering upon the silver screen this year, they might hopefully also remember Legend, for allowing one of Hollywood's most versatile leading men performed a double act that highlighted why Tom Hardy, as both casual and hardcore movie-goers might jest, is in everything lately.
A gritty portrayal of the nineteen sixties London setting, a soothing narrative voice provided by Emily Browning's gracefully refined East End accent, a soundtrack moving to the ever changing beat of comedy sprinkled upon intense and bloody drama and occasionally predictable but nonetheless powerful dialogue, thanks to expert delivery from Hardy in particular, all serve to tell a story that demands an appreciation of the great, precious gift of brotherhood. Hardy's subtle differences in gait, mannerisms and vocal tones allow for two district and equally believable performances as Reggie and Ronnie Kray. Furthermore, a script that does not sugar-coat the deeds of criminals often serves as a reminder that, in spite of all their flaws, few may have demonstrated loyalty better than the Kray Twins. Emphasis on the bond of brotherhood alone keeps the morally corrupted protagonists enshrined within the light of admiration, at least to a limited extent, each time it seems to be the only non-negotiable truth to life in their otherwise totally lawless endeavours.
In taking full advantage of the roles on offer to him, albeit the characters portrayed are almost always in brutal dramas rather than comedies filled with land-mines of laughter, leaving Hardy's comic potential buried deep in the most wishful imaginations at present, Hardy is moving confidently onto the pedestals occupied by the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Such a stage is reserved for those who are unrecognisable when the camera rolls. One just knows an acting master class will be on show at the mention of their names on an advertisement. Of particular significance is the notion that, even if the film-makers steer as far as they can from didactic storytelling, like a car suddenly swerving to the side at the sight of a rather large and fearless badger, one cannot help but learn a moral lesson from the picture. For Legend, that lesson is that a brother can be one of the finest privileges or most frightening punishments slotted into life's offering of human relationships. The choice between the two experiences, on more occasions than one can ever hope to predict, is up to you.
THE VERDICT: 8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment