Customer Reviews

The Krays [Region 2]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Why isnt this movie on dvd in the USA? Its one of the best movies about gangsters Ive ever seen.

A vastly intelligent and utterly compelling biopic of Britain's most famous gangsters. When they weren't running shady protection rackets or inflicting horrific, gangland punishment on rival mobsters, the twin brothers contrarily made life generally safe for East Enders.

Writer Phillips Ridley and director Peter Medak shrewdly focus on the brothers complex personalities, showing their devotion as brothers to one another, their fierce loyalty to their mother and the rest of their family and their manically controlling and possessive hold over their lovers.

The film begins during World War 2 showing how the young Krays adapted to life in the East End during the war and some of the unscrupulous characters they met along the way as children which inevitably had some sort of psychological influence on them when they grew up.

The film chronicles their rise as rulers of the underworld and complimenting the rich, fine dialogue are the films two leading actors - a fantastic turn from ex- Spandau ballet members and real-life brothers, Martin and Gary kemp. Both put in concentrated, naturalistic and convincing performances.

Billie Whitelaw shines as their mother (who went on to win an oscar for her performance as Best Supporting Actress). Never once does she shrink to stereotype which is always so easy the case in roles such as these.

The film evokes a tense atmosphere throughout, building on suspense as the Krays steadily build their empire with a string of nightclubs and their protection rackets.

Some of the violent occurences in the film are stomach churning such as where one of the Krays sticks a sword directly through a rival mobsters palm whilst the bloody climax is played out to perfection.

Supporting performances from the likes of Tom Bell as Jack "the hat" Mcvitie, Susan Fleetwood as Charlotte Cornwell May and Kate Hardie as Frances are all equally superb and effective, each biting into their roles with seemingly a vengenace and making the most of every scene they're in.

A must see film that is gripping from beginning through to the bitter end!

Great casting coup by having brothers Gary and Martin Kemp portray real-life English criminals Reggie and Ronald Kray. I agree that the boxing scene between the two could not have been more realistic if the actors had not been siblings. Although a "contest" between the two, it is this warning to others who may cross either of the guys' paths: WATCH OUT! WE ARE TROUBLE!

Both Kemps are excellent and are matched in performing by the always magnificent Billie Whitelaw as their overprotective but well-meaning mother. Due to the family's economic situation and her less-than-perfect marriage, Whitelaw's Violet is a most intriguing character.

Although it contains some acts of disturbing violence, the story itself keeps the viewer engrossed as it reveals a seedier side of the "proper" English. It shows that America doesn't have a monopoly on gangsters.

As a Scarface-like revelation of the reasons for the existence of a sadistic underworld, this film rates with the best. Equally interesting to me, being a twin, was the the depiction of the brotherhood of the Krays and the fierce loyalty they had to their mother and each other. This movie succeeds in making the characters human, and even the most aghast viewer has to admire the Krays'devotion to each other and their family.

I had the opportunity to see this movies a number of years a go on cable and it left a very strong impression to the point that I'm at a loss for words.
I am a big fan of ganster movies and to me, this is a "must have"!!

I just wish that the dvd format was available here in theUS. It just breaks my heart but I'll just have to be content with the vhs until......

An intelligent and compelling biopic of Britain's most famous gangsters. When they weren't running protection rackets or inflicting horrific, gangland punishments on rival mobsters, the twin brothers generally made life safe for East Enders. Writer Philip Ridley and director Peter Medak largely focus on the brothers complex personalities, showing their devotion and fierce loyalty to their famalies and their manic, controlling and possesive hold over their lovers. Complimenting the fine dialogue which captures the mood and era perfectly, is the films leading actors, real-life brothers Martin and Gary Kemp. Both put in concentrated, realistic and convincing performances helped by a superb performance from Billie Whitelaw, playing their mother. The film begins showing the young Krays growing up in the East End during World War 2, through to their eventful and violent, deadly reign of the East End underworld where they owned a string of nightclubs and began running protection rackets. The film evokes a tense atmosphere throughout, building on suspense and some of the violent occurences are stomach churning (particularly where one of the Krays sticks a sword straight through the hand of a rival mobster). Supporting performances from the likes of Tom Bell as Jack "The Hat" McVitie, Susan Fleetwood as Chalotte Cornwell May and Kate Hardie as Frances are all equally superb and effective. A must see film that is gripping from beginning through to the bitter end!

The Krays joins a long line of distinguished films in which ruthlessly ambitious gangsters are depicted as sons, brothers, and husbands as well as murderous felons. The tradition goes back at least as far as James Cagney's unforgettable Tom Powers in William Wellmann's The Public Enemy (1931); for my money the best of the gangster pictures of the early 30s. It extends through the double portrayal of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando and the even better Robert DeNiro) and Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in Coppola's trilogy, and finds its most recent incarnation in James Gandolfini's brilliant embodiment of Tony Soprano, a role that makes even the actor himself uncomfortable. In each case - and many others - we find ourselves feeling sympathetic towards characters who should (and do, in real life) frighten and repel us. In The Krays, during a flashback scene, there is a confrontation between the boys' mother (brilliantly played by Billie Whitelaw) and their father (equally well done by Alfred Lynch) which suggests that the mom is possibly the scariest character in a film full of scary characters. Every scene in The Krays is perfect in and of itself and also contributes to the overall effect. The acting is exemplary down to the smallest part: in addition to the much-deserved praise for Billie Whitelaw and the Kemp brothers, I'd like to pay homage to the great work of Susan Fleetwood (Aunt Rose) and Kate Hardie (Frances). A frightening and horrifying film, not an easy watch. But I appreciate the moral ambivalence: it forces us to make our own choices and confront our own principles, which is never a bad thing.

The real crime is that this film is not available on DVD in the US. Peter Medak's brutally violent gangster film based on the lives of Ronald and Reggie Kray who were played brilliantly by the Kemp brothers who fronted the 80s pop band, Spandau Ballet. Guy Ritchie's films don't cut it when it comes to British gangster films trust me. This is the real deal.

This is an intelligent biopic of Britain's most infamous gangsters, the twins who made life safe for East Enders when they weren't running protection rackets or inflicting gangland punishments on rival mobsters. To be fair, writer Philip Ridley and director Peter Medak largely avoid glamorizing the violent world of Reggie and Ronnie, and are more interested in unraveling the complex personalities of the two brothers. They are helped by surprisingly convincing lead performances from Martin and Gary Kemp, then better known from their kilt-wearing days with rock group Spandau Ballet, although Billie Whitelaw effortlessly rises above everybody else in the star-studded cast as the boys' best friend, their mom.

This is a hell of a feature film/documentary. tru to life account of what happened during the reign of the Kray twins and gang war with the Richardson's, including jack the hat etc.

This is an as-near-to-flawless film that out shines most others in the true crime genre. This chronicle of the twin brothers, Ron and Reg Kray, in their rise from the obscure backstreets of London to the top of the world of English crime in the 1950's and early 1960's, gives us first rate performances by all of the players.

Perhaps most memorable of all of the fine performances is Billie Whitelaw as Violet Kray. Violet is possibly the most terrifying mother in all of crime history, a woman who moulds her twin sons into sadistic, hollow killers with a surfeit of motherly love rather than the usual neglect and abandonment. Violet makes no bones about the fact that the Kray twins are her raison d'etre. She does so frequently in the presence of the rest of her family and nobody takes her to task for the inequity of her favours. So, in essence, Violet has forged the twin gangsters and killers out of the same strength and unassailability that has allowed her to survive poverty and the demoralizing war years of London. To this role, Billie Whitelaw brings her characteristic accuracy and toughness in portraying the kind of English woman that we rarely see in films. She is brilliant in revealing Violet as she indulges her heroic vision of herself in a melodramatic fashion, sells it one hundred percent to her impressionable sons, and intimidates the rest of her family to continue to support her ongoing self-aggrandizement. Yes, indeed, the Kray boys are their mother's sons. Living with disrespect for the law has long been an closely held family value. When added to the early inculcation of the "us against the world" ethic and the importance of expensive material possessions while remaining in the same real estate that spawned one, you have the most desirable conditions for the creation of a couple of pathological criminals.

The Kemp brothers were thoroughly convincing as Ronnie and Reggie, and I thought the portrayl of Jack the Hat was excellent. I felt that more film time could have been given to their extortion in London's East End, and more time given to their show business connections and the possible link with the Mafia. Further to the other comment made by another critic pertaining to the sword incident. Yes this was true to life, as I personally vouch for it. On the whole, a first class film about two people living in the wrong country forty years too late!