The Krays (1990) User Reviews (67)

It's aged well but should be better known.

[tim-764-291856 · 8/10 · 10 November 2010]

I saw this British crime biography in the cinema 20 years ago, on its release. I'd not seen it since, until getting it on DVD.

It was striking then how perfectly cast the Kemp brothers were, as the violent twins. Core members of the 1980's pop group Spandau Ballet, it was an eye-opener that they had another string to their bow and in contrast to their fresh pop image.

The film's aged well. Martin Kemp (Reggie Kray) kept up his acting career with popular soap operas (Eastenders) though I'm not sure what Gary (Ronnie Kray) has done since. They both have a slimy sort of adhesion as blood brothers and as the gangsters they both compel - and appal.

Billie Whitelaw's performance as their strong, iron-lady of a mother, Violet, who held the family together through the blitz and rationing, was always held in high esteem. The Kray men of that era come across as weak, ducking active war service and work, which embittered Violet, her mother and her sisters.

Thus, she had such high hopes for her twin boys. Bearing comparison to Margaret Wycherly's 'Ma' in the 1949 James Cagney crime thriller, 'White Heat' the bond becomes above all else. The apron strings are bullet proof, it would seem. Having somewhat grown up myself in the interim between viewings, I saw more into Kate Hardie's character who played Reggie's wife, Frances. Cast under a long shadow, below the 'Firm', Reggie's brother and certainly far below Violet, poor Frances, who annoyed me twenty years ago with her frightened whimpering excels at going from pretty girl-next-door, to trophy wife and then to tragic doormat.

Ronnie Kray's homosexuality, understandably back in the early-mid 1960's (and illegal) was cause of much of the ridicule and angst they endured from their enemies. Even back in 1990, it seemed daringly fresh to have this as part of the storyline, with scenes to match.

The film's direction and look cannot fail to be compared these days to Martin Scorsese, or, how he would have done it. This looks British; that grey-brown that these days would be digitally sourced. The acres of dull patterned wallpaper in front living rooms. The big Jaguar cars. The sun never shines in the East London street scenes, those streets seemingly familiar to Brits everywhere.

The dialogue at times seems naff and obvious, other times spot-on. Violence, when it comes is near-graphic, but maybe not up there with the barely watchable scenes of say, Scorsese's Goodfellas. I'd like to have seen more action - adding to its 115 minutes with more of the 'everyday' crime and racketeering and how they held down their much feared reputation. We do get a couple of brilliantly played nasty guys - Stephen Berkoff and Tom Bell are as despicable as any - and who have vengeance played upon them by the twins. We get no tip-offs and thus, no raids and no police. Some chase scenes might have been nice!

As a drama that reads more like a psychological profile than a straight crime thriller, then it's rarely been bettered, on either side of the Atlantic. Had it been made in the mould of the latter, then it might be better known and better remembered. I still like it, as it is, as much as I did twenty years ago.

Pretty impressive film

[Bogey Man · 8/10 · 11 July 2002]

Peter Medak directed this film from the screenplay of Philip Ridley. Both have done great films like Romeo Is Bleeding (Medak) and Passion of Darkly Noon (Ridley) and The Krays is not an exception. It tells the story of real life Kray twins gangsters (Gary and Martin Kemp from Spandau Ballet) that kept England in horror in the middle of 1900's. They were born to normal family where their mother (Billie Whitelaw), a very strong female character, brought them up among a world that was filled with "useless men" and females that fought in difficult circumstances during war and poverty. When the twin brothers grew, they began to get power and finally they become very powerful and strong gangsters, who finally met their destiny.

This film is a depiction of power, greed and money and how it corrupts. "When people are afraid of you, you can do anything" says Ronnie Kray to his brother Reggie. The greediness and other forms of corruption - like revenge - become so strong that they finally destroy everything the brothers have reached. The theme is pretty much the same as in DePalma's Scarface and many other similar depictions of power and money. The last scene in The Krays is very powerful and important as it crystallizes the whole message of the film.

The film also tells about females and love. Love is also destroyed because other things become more important for Reggie, who has found a girlfriend. This film has also very powerful female characters, mainly the mother of brothers. She is very feminine and all the female characters seem to hate males in this movie, but that is perhaps all some males deserve in the film since all they seem to be able to do is getting drunk and fight and not help the females in any way.

Technically The Krays is a proof of Medak's talent as the photography is great and the film is very powerful in its elements. The part when mother Kray realizes what her boys do "for living" is very powerful and told with the very effective tools of cinema. Music is often effective and violence is off putting, as the attitudes and values of the movie's characters are, too. This film is very powerful as the aforementioned last scene is very sad and though provoking, and really underlines the final message of the film. I think the characters are somewhat too shallow occasionally and their acts are not fully explained all the time. That is also the case in another film written by Philip Ridley, The Passion of Darkly Noon. Mostly I'm irritated how Reggie treats his wife since there seems to be believable emotional relationship between the two. Also, the girl who plays Reggie's wife over-acts little in some scenes and it is irritating to watch as it is not as realistic and natural as possible. If the characters were little more natural and believable, this would be even greater piece of cinema.

The Krays is important piece of 90's cinema and very powerful depiction of different kinds of corruption that finally lead to destruction and death of dreams. I give this 8/10 and the film is recommended for those who appreciate films like Romeo is Bleeding and Scarface, for instance.

Not bad entertainment

[Sulla-2 · 7/10 · 26 August 2005]

Not bad entertainment but not good enough for a classic. Some people have mentioned that the Krays gave their approval to the script. This was a bad thing. Now they are both dead. The Kray story should be done again, probably on TV as a mini series of about 6 hours to give the whole thing justice. We could then include more details of their life of crime, their arrests and trial. The Kemp brothers do not look alike at all but the Krays also looked different as they got older. Martin Kemp would pass for Reggie if he was a bit stockier but Gary Kemp is nothing like Big Ronnie. The overall impression of the film was that they were the leaders of a gang of teddy boys rather than the biggest gangsters in London. If the story is retold we need better casting for the twins and they need not necessarily be brothers.

Good on character, bad on real facts

[hypertyson · 14 March 2001]

The violence, loyalty, fear, blood and traditions are all present and correct. The Kemp bros., especially Gary, give superbly sinister and dangerous portrayals of the twins. You can't fault it's accuracy on who the twins were or how they grew up. However, the events shown are lacking in relevance to how they really happened and are taken from the point of view of Gang members who so obviously lied during their trial. The film also lacks on the other gang members, no member is named as being Tony Lambrianou or Freddie Foreman, for example. Although this is secondary to the twins themselves, for people who know the real story it does make it a little less enjoyable.

Could have been so much better...

[fattybear · 7/10 · 25 January 2000]

Anyone with the slightest bit of knowledge of the Krays and the east end of London will notice the glaring problems with this film. When I first watched this movie I thought it was great but having watched it a few times since, (I own it on DVD) it just gets worse with every view.

Some of the acting is suspect and the locations are nowhere near accurate. There are so many missing chapters in the twins life that the film will just leave you wanting more.

Definitely the worst aspect though is the completely inane ramblings of Violet Kray, the twins mother. This was included to add a little drama but you can't help thinking that the film maker's could have included a little more on the police investigations, the disappearance of a few east end villains etc. surely the twins actions could have created enough drama of their own..

Impressively underrated.

[busuttil1 · 7/10 · 30 March 2013]

I hadn't seen the ratings on IMDb until after watching the movie itself. I have to say, that is some harsh reviews there. The whole film was indeed enjoyable, it portrayed the Krays and London gang-lands as a whole, very well. There were moments in the film where it became very boring and quite monotonous, in the sense that it seemed as if it were never going to end, but the last thirty minutes really makes the film worth watching. After seeing Goodfellas and hearing that it was a lot like that but a little less funny and, of course, a lot more English-based, I expected quite a lot. Nevertheless, this film still surprised me and maintained to keep me on edge throughout the entirety of its showing. If I could give it any rating, I'd give it around 7.6, but I'd have to round this to 8. It's a brilliant film and it doesn't merely deserve 6.6 overall.

"Mummy's Little Monsters"

[seymourblack-1 · 7/10 · 25 September 2018]

In a departure from the normal "rise and fall" format, this fact-based movie focuses on the personal lives of the legendary London gangsters and attempts to show how their upbringing moulded them into the notorious villains that they eventually became. The relationships that they had with their mother and each other were undoubtedly the most significant factors in determining how they conducted themselves as individuals but a key meeting with an inmate that they encountered in a military prison is also portrayed as being pivotal to the direction that their criminal careers ultimately took.

Born in 1933, identical twins, Ronnie (Gary Kemp) and Reggie Kray (Martin Kemp) were brought up in a female dominated, working-class milieu in London's East End and from the very beginning were doted on by their overprotective mother Violet (Billie Whitelaw) who taught them to be fiercely loyal to each other. Their father, Charlie (Alfred Lynch) was a draft dodger and gambler who lived under the thumb of Violet and her female coterie and like men in general, was consistently berated by these women. As children, the twins became obsessed with crocodiles and snakes and became school bullies. When Ronnie was hospitalized with diphtheria and Violet didn't believe that he was getting the treatment he needed, she and her sisters etc. forcefully discharged him from hospital after abusing his doctor both verbally and physically.

After being conscripted into National Service, the recalcitrant brothers soon showed their unwillingness to conform to Army discipline by assaulting their sergeant and this led to a period in a military prison where a meeting with another inmate convinced them that their power to instil fear into other people would make it easy for them to achieve whatever they wanted. This inspired them to launch the very successful protection racket that became the foundation for the major criminal enterprise that they subsequently built and their acquisition of some nightclubs soon brought them into contact with numerous celebrities, aristocrats and MPs and provided them with a veneer of respectability, in the early 1960s.

As adults, the brothers remained devoted and obedient to their mother and visibly glowed at the compliments she gave them on their success and the Savile Row suits that made them "look like proper little gentlemen". As brothers, their extraordinary closeness manifested in them dreaming the same dreams and having the capacity to finish each other's sentences. Ronnie was a brutal psychopath and as the dominant twin, was always a strong influence on Reggie. A problem arose one night in one of their clubs when Ronnie saw Reggie chatting up a young woman called Frances (Kate Hardie) and on feeling intensely jealous, turned his anger on a random customer, who had the misfortune to be standing close to him and after some threatening verbal exchanges, in an act of gross brutality, took him outside and used a sword to give him "a permanent smile".

Reggie later married Frances but their happiness was short-lived because she couldn't adjust to his lifestyle or being constrained from even buying her own clothes and after suffering a breakdown, she tragically committed suicide.

The Krays' story is fascinating but some of the violent scenes in this movie are grotesque and deeply unpleasant to watch. Martin and Gary Kemp of "Spandau Ballet" fame are surprisingly convincing as the twin bothers and Billie Whitelaw is superb as their mother. The supporting cast is uniformly good with Jimmy Jewel standing out as the twins' larger-than-life grandfather who inspired their interest in boxing, regaled them with colourful accounts of "Jack The Ripper's" exploits and even throws in an enthusiastic performance of "Balling The Jack" for good measure. Overall, this is a very worthwhile movie that entertains and informs but also generates interest to learn more about these kings of organised crime who seemed to be able to carry on their criminal activities for a very long time before eventually being brought to justice in March 1969.

Take the historical accuracy with a pinch of salt but enjoy the murderous story

[tonypeacock-1 · 7/10 · 2 October 2020]

Revisited this 1990 film about notorious East End London gangsters, The Kray twins.

In between my last viewing I have seen another Krays film, Legend in 2015. In that film actor Tom Hardy played both twins. In The Krays, the Kray twins are played by real twins, brothers Kemp, of pop band Spandau Ballet fame.

The historical accuracy has to be taken with a pinch of salt according to people around in the Krays period of activity in the 1950s and 60s.

Billie Whitelaw puts in an excellent performance as the Krays beloved mother, Violet.

Steven Berkoff puts in another illustrious performance as George Cornell.

Accuracy aside the film does show the family bond between the brothers, aunt and mother as well as briefly exploring Ronnie Krays homosexuality.

Was Reggie Kray homosexual? His marriage to Frances is shown along with her mental breakdown and suicide.

Crafty Cockney showbiz notoriety that the Krays developed has to be balanced against the murders they eventually committed that lead to their downfall.

I enjoyed Peter Mudaks film much more than I remember enjoying Legend.

Stays with you...

[matpinckney · 9/10 · 15 December 2004]

(Contains spoilers)

This film is one of those films that only fully reveals itself once it is all over. When it finished, I must admit that I found myself thinking that the ending seemed to come rather suddenly, without much explanation. And then I found that I couldn't get it out of my head.

When going into the film, I expected it to show more of the Krays' rise to power, as well as their capture in 1969. Instead the focus is the Krays as children, growing into the monsters of the underworld as the years pass. The intelligence of this film is that is plays out the Krays' undying love for their mother and family, the effect their infamy has on others, and their closeness as brothers. The part the audience know the most in their lives is largely left out by the film, instead commenting on it through a shot of the Krays returning home after two vicious murders, before fading to their mother's funeral after their arrest many years later.

The surprising poetry and grace this film contained, with scenes such as Violet Kray's 'dream' both at the beginning when the twins are born, and at the end when we see her funeral, and the gentle panning shot of the funeral itself, revealing the Krays to be in police custody while standing at the grave, elevated this film to something more than a 'down and out' gangster movie.

The scenes of violence certainly made me squirm, even though the focus was more on what was being inferred that what was actually shown.

Martin and Gary Kemp here, and perhaps with some shock, were perfectly cast as the boys in their adult life. Gary Kemp as Ronnie Kray carried off, with a certain ease, the slowly more violent character, while Martin Kemp built up a more subtle, but equally as impressive performance as Reggie.

Bille Whitelaw was perfect as the mother of the twins - Violet Kray, and her lines (such as "Mummy loves you") always seemed in place. Her gentle aging throughout the film was also carried off in time with the character.

A very honorable mention goes to Susan Fleetwood, who played Aunt Rose admirably.

Michael Kamen and Chris Rea came up with music with commented on the action, and brought a genuine sense of unease to the picture.

And so, after all all this, the film is still on my mind.

8/10

Solid

[tgtround · 6/10 · 14 July 2000]

People who complain that the Kemp brothers don't make the grade as the Kray twins don't understand that a real gangster is someone who can get OTHER people to do their dirty work.

The deprivation of the east end of London is very well observed.

Disjointed and glamourises violence and the Krays

[malcolmgsw · 4/10 · 22 October 2013]

I happened to be present at the end of one of the Krays Old Bailey trials.this was one where the case collapsed due to witness intimidation.Finally,thankfully,the law caught up with them.Pity this film didn't make clear why instead of glamourising the Krays and violence.No mention was made of the main way they made their money,the protection racket.Far too much time was spent on the twins with their mum.Also we saw snippets of their early life but it didn't add up to very much.Some much of what was shown regarding the 2 crucial murders was confused and confusing.The reasons for the murders were far more complex than shown in this film.All in all a pretty poor effort.

A movie I never tire of watching

[sue-turner69 · 10/10 · 24 June 2005]

This is the 'true-life' movie about the rise, and subsequent fall, of England's best known gangsters, who were also identical twins. It was made whist Reg & Ron Kray were still alive, so the viewer must remember that the movie probably does not paint the entire picture of events in the 1950s & 1960s, as certain things that were not wanted to be included by the the Krays themselves, were therefore not included. Although the movie does glamorise it's two main characters, I believe it has done much to add to the myth and folklore that surrounds the Krays, which can only increase as time passes.

People young and old, and from all spectrum's of society, are drawn towards the Kray twins, and books have been written exploring this. Old-timers claim that the streets were safe to walk when the twins ruled London's East End, unlike now, and that the Krays 'only killed there own'. If you had a problem, say with a neighbour, you didn't go to the police, you went to the twins, who would have a quiet word in the right ear.

This is without a doubt the Kemp brothers best work outside Spandau Ballet. I understand that Martin Kemp did not want to meet the imprisoned twin he played (Reg), to avoid a playing a caricaturization of him. Although he did visit Ron in a mental hospital. Billie Whitlaw as the twins' mother Violet, was the best choice for the role, and Kate Hardie as Reg's wife was brilliant. My vote though, goes to the late Susan Fleetwood as the twins' Aunt Violet, whose haunting tale of the lake in Victoria Park is my all-time favourite.

I have discussed this movie at length with Reg Kray's son, even watching it with him, and he gives it his seal of approval.

Solidly made gangster biopic avoids the usual clichés

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 12 January 2015]

A straightforward biopic of the infamous Kray twins, a pair of gangsters who ruled London's East End in the 1950s and 1960s. For a film made in 1990, THE KRAYS is certainly a grisly tale in places, with unflinching depictions of the kind of psychotic violence that the brothers were known for.

It's also solidly made, a decent biopic that attempts to flesh out the characters and their milieu in detail without an extra-long running time. I think the biggest coup was in casting pop star duo Gary and Martin Kemp as the titular characters; their acting is perfectly adequate for the role and it's hard to imagine who else would have fit the bill quite so well. Billie Whitelaw (TWISTED NERVE) also gives an impressive turn as their crazed mother.

The script is strong and realistic, depicting the passing of the years in pre and post-WW2 London with skill, and the casting director has a keen eye for finding memorable actors. The sub-plot, involving Reggie's wife Frances, is particularly well handled with unlikely sensibility. My only issue is that the film runs out of time at the end, not even depicting the crucial arrests that led to the brothers' downfall; an extra 20 minutes at the climax would have made all the difference.

What a big disappointment

[chrisow · 4/10 · 13 July 2001]

This looked like a promising film: a portrait of Britain's most feared gangsters with great performances and some stylish,but graphic violence.

How wrong I was.

True, the violence was graphic etc but the film was let down by a script which ignores facts and skims over certain characters eg Teddy Smith, Inspector ''Nipper'' Reid.

Also, most of the film was focused on the family. True, the Kray brothers were mummy's boys, but we got the point in the first ten minutes. The film sticks with this and does not paint a portrait of the terror they created and an authentic picture of British gangland. Plus,the acting wasn't the best, except for Gary Kemp as Ronnie.

Watch Gangster No.1 . That was how this film should have been.

Impressive.

[kah-5 · 9 October 2000]

This was an impressive movie: stylish, well played and atmospheric.

The greatest revelation was the talent of the Kemp Brothers (ex-Spandau Ballet) who were absolutely marvelous as the notorious Kray Twins. They portrayed the mixture of glamour, ruthlessness and family loyalty of these two brothers with much conviction.

The storyline seemed a little vague at times, and glossed over one or two episodes, but this was probably due to the compression of facts and didn't mar the feel of the movie as a whole. Quite frankly, it probably would have taken a mini-series to document all the things the real Twins were up to.

Billie Whitelaw was a standout as Violet Kray. Steven Berkoff over-acted as usual. Tom Bell was wonderful as always.

Not to be taken as absolute fact but is interestingly done and certainly gives an idea of the story behind these two well known villains.

Nothing on the big guns of the genre, but still an interesting crime drama

[The_Void · 7/10 · 28 August 2005]

The Krays are two of the most important, and most famous, crime figures of all time; so I guess it's only right that they should have a movie made about them. This film is almost like the UK's answer to Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" as, like the aforementioned movie, it portrays crime in a glamorous light and makes heroes out of it's criminal stars. The Krays distances itself from biopics of other crime figures by the way that it follows the protagonists from when they were children. This allows the film to get inside of the Kray twins, rather than just focusing on their crimes and that gives the film more of a point, and makes it more than just another crime flick as we're given reasons to care for the characters, rather than simply being treated to their crimes. The story follows the brothers as they make their way up London's crime circuit by way of beating people up for the highest bidder. We also follow them in their personal lives, and we see their relationship with their mother and various other people.

One of the most striking things about this film is the fact that the twin brothers of the title are played by actual twin brothers Martin and Gary Kemp. These two, more famous for singing in the pop group Spandau Ballet than acting actually manage to deliver quite good performances as the brothers Kray. They look very menacing when seen together and Gary especially manages to look distinctly evil, which fits his character brilliantly. The way that the film shies away from the crimes at times and concentrates more on the brothers themselves is good as it allows us to get into their characters more. It does get a little bit silly at times, though, especially when the two act in unison. Martin and Gary Kemp look the part, but neither one is a great actor, so when it comes down to scenes that actually need some acting ability; the film falls down a bit. Another thing that the film falls down on is the way that it soaks everything in melodrama. This works in the big budget American crime flicks as they have the benefit of a melodramatic setting; but when the film is set in 60's London, we don't really get the same effect. Still, The Krays is an interesting and effective film and crime fans will no doubt enjoy it.

Only nominally a gangster movie

[Groverdox · 7/10 · 16 May 2016]

"The Krays" isn't really about the famous London twin brothers who were gangsters. It's a feminist movie, about the plight of women during the Blitz in London, and particularly the collective trauma the wives of soldiers lived with when the war was over.

In one astonishing scene, the Krays' aunt gives a monologue about delivering a baby in the subway tunnels while German bombs rained down above. She had to kill the baby to protect the mother, but the mother died anyway. She imagines that if the subway tunnels are ever excavated, they'll be filled with dead babies - babies and bullets, signs of the true casualties of the war.

The women who lived through it, of course, are the only living remnants of it, and the trauma has forged a bond between them that is strong as iron. Interestingly, when one of the Krays leaves his girlfriend alone with his family, she is visibly uncomfortable. This particular sisterhood does not extend to her.

We are left wondering if this atmosphere of walking wounded produced the evil and violent Kray twins. The movie doesn't really make the connection. We see that the girlfriend, who then becomes the wife, is so unhappy in her life as a piece of property belonging to Reg Kray that she kills herself. She isn't treated as a human being by her husband, or his family. It's an easier conclusion to draw that the Krays were led to this objectifying attitude toward women by their doting, overbearing mother and ineffective father.

A problem with the movie is that wives suicide and mothers and aunts die, leaving us with... what? It's not about gangsters. It's about the war, and what the war did to its survivors, particularly the women. Without women in the picture, its purpose is removed, and the Kemps don't make that convincing gangsters.

The movie needed to be about what it was about, and only about that. There isn't enough of a connection drawn between it's major themes and the titular gangsters, for it to continue without that centre. It begins with astonishment and ends with confusion.

Watchable gangster pic based on real people and events.

[Pedro_H · 7/10 · 14 May 2004]

In the post war British gloom two twins (plus an older brother) start building a criminal empire from their East London home. Based on a true story.

One of these films that was begging to be made because it featured so many staples of popular cinema, but was going to be very hard to make accurately because the audience would have to transported and educated about another place and another time. In truth the film is about as good as is possible given the acting talent (two ex pop stars!) and budget.

The problem with the Krays is that - violence to one side - they didn't actually do a lot. They simply lived by extorting money from those (criminals) that did, which left a lot of time for plotting school yard wars, drinking and watching gangster films (that inspired them and therefore this!)

They were, in fact, simpletons who cashed in on fear and common distrust of the forces of law and order. Equally one of them (Ronnie) was both a homosexual as well as criminally insane - although undiagnosed at the time of events. What a mixed up, confused and juvenile world for any film maker to make any sense out of. Thankfully there are plenty of books which tell a straighter and more detailed version of events.

There is a tradition in the UK of portraying men as weak and feckless and the women as being the real brains and controlling parties. Mother Kray (Billie Whitelaw) remains a puzzle - a dominant force and yet unable to control their excesses. They shrug their shoulders - men are children with bigger toys, they say. From toy guns to real ones?

The film rolls along cleanly and comes to a truthful - to history - climax with an attempt at some cod psychology to explain it all away. The problem is that I simply don't believe this Freudian view. Not a word of it.

Lots to keep fans of the genre happy, even if it flails at certain, critical points.

[johnnyboyz · 6/10 · 2 March 2008]

I can vividly remember sitting in the audience and watching Martin Kemp giving an interview during a live, daytime TV show broadcast. The programme in question was 'Today with Des and Mel' and I can tell you it aired on the 6th of October, 2003 – I know because I still have the entrance ticket they give you that permits you to enter the studio and yes, they allowed us to keep them afterward; I didn't steal it. I remember the interview but the link between this and the film The Krays is what happened afterwards: since I was sitting to the side of the audience seating area, I had a good look at the floor exit to the side of the set; I distinctly remember seeing Martin walk off past the camera and toward that entrance/exit; he had a look on the face of "job done"; a "nothing brilliant but what d'ya want?" expression – such is the feeling I got after seeing The Krays.

I'll be frank; The Krays is not a brilliant film but where it falls into a little groove on mediocrity and indifference, it compensates in other places thanks to its fast pacing and (this'll make me sound like a torture porn fan) its bloody violence. One fine way to shed any tag you may have thanks to 80s fashion, hair styles or any career you might have had is to do the opposite of what you're afraid people may solely remember you for. When we say 'The Kemp Brothers' now; do we recall this film or the new-age romantic band Spandau Ballet and such hits as the mellow 'True' and 'Through The Barricades' or the up-and-at-'em 'Gold'? It's a simple question made difficult.

The Krays is a film that forced me to do a little further research after seeing it. Turns out both Kray brothers are dead after stretches in prison, fair enough you say; it also turns out Ronald Kray (Gary Kemp) was mentally ill – suffering from schizophrenia and other such psychological illnesses. The film may teach us about and show us the Kray's rise and rise through London's gang world but it never touched on Ronald's mental illness – oh how different the film would've been if we had been told Ronald was somewhat insane; psychotic if you like. So there's me thinking he's a gangster; a hard as nails mobster who kills in cold blood but that's what the film would like you to think – had the film shown Ronald as a psychopath and not a criminal, 'The Krays' would've resembled a horror thriller rather than a gangster crime drama. I feel it was a little selfish to tiptoe around such a matter when it is clearly so pivotal to one of your protagonist's mindsets.

So if Ronald is the crazy one, Reggie (Martin Kemp) is the calmer one, right? I guess so. But then again, no. Certainly he is presented as more humane; crying when he suffers his tragedy at the hands of an unhappy newlywed wife but then again, he beats people up for looking at his car and instigates the film's nastiest example of violence toward the end on someone who, from what I recall, didn't seem to do an awful lot wrong – but going from pub to pub brandishing a shotgun yelling you're going to "kill the Krays!" is a sure fire way to getting yourself noticed. There is some dark irony in the pub being named 'The Blind Beggar' bearing in mind what Reggie does to the guy. But the film is smart enough to engage and entertaining on the level crime films are to remain interesting. The Krays as children are given crocodiles and a little speech by the aunt about the crocodiles being feared by all others, echoing what will come; interesting how in a really quite violent film the first instance of bloodshed would come in a boxing match: an organised boxing match when Ronald calls up Reggie for a fight.

There are several other incidences such as the monologue in the jail cell after they walk out of the army in a somewhat unnecessarily comical fashion: "Keep a look out for the right guys, the right guys that need protection" says a fellow inmate himself no doubt connected. Ironic then how the Army would be the reason they'd get connected in the first place; the state help create the Krays by giving them National Service that they would reject. If the build up to their menace and evilness seems obligatory, then that can be excused to a degree; the scenes of violence at the snooker club and outside the nightclub shock us because the film has been calm and somewhat obligatory so when we get hit with those scenes, we have a 'grim and bear it' reaction. But unlike most other gangster films, this is not one in which a male dominated world sees its characters drip with ego. The women are strong and know what's what; they are not object nor are they stupid and the scene in the hospital in which Mrs. Krays takes one of the boys home is a good example.

Despite being written by someone who usually writes children's books and completely ignoring Ron's issues with mental illness (but still finding room to let us know he is homosexual), The Krays hit and missed with me; a good film that shocks and has its moments but one that lacks any real punch or interesting narrative. Indeed, toward the end it all becomes a bit fabricated but as a gangster film; it works and until The Krays is remade, it'll remain the definitive story of the notorious twins.

Real Krays Unimportant Next to Movie

[Pangborne · 10/10 · 29 October 2003]

The only people who complain about this movie on this comment board are

people who have some idea about what the Krays were really like and they

dislike the movie because it does parrot back at them ideas they already

hold. Well, I'd never heard of the Krays before I saw this movie and

I've never heard them mentioned in any other context since I saw this

movie, so ultimately, it really doesn't matter at all what the real

Krays were really like. To call this wondeful, creepy, scary,

entertaining and well observed movie "rubbish" is to fundamentally

misunderstand how movies work or what they are supposed to do. Stick to

the History Channel if all you want is history. And stick to

eavesdropping at Starbucks if you want to hear how people really talk.

If you want a dazzling exploration of psychic violence passed through

generations, and the creeping horror of living side-by-side with

homicidal maniacs who are strangely beloved by a hero-starved populace,

the watch The Kra

A bio-pic, not a gangster film

[LCShackley · 7/10 · 16 December 2011]

If you watch this thinking that you're getting a gangster pic like "Lock, Stock..." or "Layer Cake" you will be disappointed. This is a biography, not a standard gangster plot. Most Americans (like myself) have probably never heard of the Krays, but they are folk "heroes" in the UK and at one time were treated as celebrities (and hung out with Judy Garland, George Raft, and other stars). Americans would benefit by finding something out about them before watching the film, otherwise you may be bored by some of the back story (as is evidenced by many of the other reviews). You will also be unable to fill the many plot holes that Brits who lived during the Kray era would know well. I read a book about them, which prompted me to find this film. "The Krays" distils the lives of these two violent gangsters well, showing the kind of family they grew up in, their dysfunctional lives, and some of the more heinous episodes of their careers. But there is so much missing - and the two killings at the end of the movie that are treated as if they were almost simultaneous were over a year and a half apart. The Kemp brothers from "Spandau Ballet" do a great job as the twins, and other top UK character actors round out the cast. Watch this film if you're interested in underworld history, not if you're looking for a Guy Ritchie gangster-fest.

Doesn't arrive

[newday98074 · 4/10 · 14 January 2008]

How "The Krays" fails would take a book, and that tome would example the way nearly every sincere effort at reproducing real live people on film comes to a bad end. First, the real Krays apparently had script approval based on comments in IMDb. Mark Twain said it, everyone's autobiography puts forth it's author as hero. The Krays is no different. Two hard-boiled gangster-killers are shown largely through their mother's eyes, as youths led astray, and their evil deeds were committed against equally foul creatures, therefore weren't really crimes but efforts at achieving equilibrium. The "suffering woman" viewpoint portrayed throughout, mirrored by not one single admirable male, operated as negation to the entire society. Therefore crimes weren't really crimes, they were strikes against the apathetic construct of British life. The Spandau Ballet boys were singers, not actors, so they can't really be blamed for their acting failings. But they did fail in scene after scene to strike any tone of true commiseration with their characters, and with that the movie lost any hope of success. Billie Whitelaw's powerful and supreme statement of motherhood only served to contrast the weakness of their efforts. She was wonderful, though, I remember her performance in a long ago TV movie, where she played a whore opposite Jack Palance in Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde. She was good in that, if quite a bit younger. To sum up, this isn't a good movie, it might be interesting to those who know something about the Krays, and Whitelaw is worth seeing for her performance. Other than that, it is a pass.

The Kemps are superb!!!

[Steed-2 · 10/10 · 8 October 1998]

The whole cast are brilliant in their roles, with the Kemps proving that they can definitely act!!! Bravo!

Hardly a barrel of laughs

[CharltonBoy · 6/10 · 3 December 2000]

The Krays is a dark movie about the two east end brothers Ron and Reg Kray who ruled London during the 60's. Gary and Martin Kemp pull off creditable displays considering this was there acting debuts and that they were used to performing in the brilliant band Spandau Ballet instead of acting. Having just read Reg Krays autobiography he does not actualy say to much about the movie exept that they got the roll of their mother completley wrong. Reg Kray says that his mother was a quite and uninsuming woman which is the opposite to the part portrayed by Billie Whitelaw. Reg and Ronnie Kray are now both dead. Ron died in prison and Reg was released on compationate grounds early in the year 2000 when he was diognosed with terminal Cancer. He died a few weeks later. 6 out of 10.

Gert and Daisy given a makeover.

[ianlouisiana · 1/10 · 5 February 2007]

The Kray twins were arrogant vicious bullying thugs who thought they were untouchable.Their criminal associates were arrogant vicious bullying thugs who thought they were untouchable.They pedalled protection" to shopkeepers,publicans,small businessmen and club owners who were unfortunate enough to have premises in what they considered was their manor.An inducement to pay was often offered in the form of a tyre iron inserted into the rectum which tended to concentrate the mind wonderfully.They and their cohorts strutted round the Vallance Road Triangle as if it was the mean streets of The Bronx. They fantasised about joining up with the Mafia,but the Mob considered the Twins to be Toytown Gangsters and the alliance never materialised. Their sphere of influence was proscribed by other equally violent London criminals,but within its limits they killed and killed again.They had that total absence of restraint that characterises the seriously flawed personality and strikes fear in everybody else.But their overweening arrogance was the cause of their downfall.Celebrating their acquittal at the Old Bailey on a charge of demanding money with menaces,they sent a bottle of champagne to a table in the restaurant where,by coincidence,a detective was having a rare night out with his wife.His name was Leonard Reed,known throughout the Met as "Nipper".Outraged by their behaviour he went to his boss's office the next morning and proposed the setting - up of a Task Force to bring down the Krays for good.Within 3 years the twins were starting 30 year sentences. Those are the facts,but they must never be allowed to get in the way of a good story so the Urban Myths began to circulate.Today unless you either lived or worked within their area of influence your only access to the twisted world of the Krays is via the bandwagon jumpers who have been milking their sordid fame for nearly forty years. Forget the stories of "Respect".To the Old Bill and to their fellow cons they were known as Gert and Daisy. The film version of their lives is mostly a nonsense.The use of the Kemp brothers can only be considered as a gimmick,and an unsuccessful one at that.They have all the menace of a couple of day - old chicks. Andrew Rigeley and George Michael would have been more convincing. Miss B.Whitelaw does her best with the cockney accent but it isn't as easy as she obviously thinks it is.If,as popular legend would have it,Mrs Kray totally dominated her sons,I cannot for the life of me understand how she didn't give them a good slap when they first went out thieving.Her generation were great believers in "Spare the rod and spoil the child".If she had,Jack the Hat,George Cornell and Frank Mitchell might all be alive now - and one or two others they kept a bit more quiet about.I must make special mention of Mr S.Berkoff who sneers and snarls away to his heart's content as the man who picked a bad time to pop into "The Blind Beggar" for a swift half. Mr T.Bell plays the twins' older brother Charlie whose wife once bravely provided an alibi for a rival gangster up on a murder charge.She stated that she was in bed with him at the time of the alleged offence - a revelation that can't have offered her husband too much comfort. Charlie in later life claimed he was a victim of the Kray legend,blaming it for his subsequent conviction and heavy dose of bird for drug trafficking. They were clearly what would now be referred to as a dysfunctional family and a team of Social Workers would fearfully follow their Burberry'd progress through ASBOs to the Old Bailey. But Reg and Ron in their slick Italian suits and with their showbiz "friends" who in fact hardly knew their names had grandiose dreams and they didn't include doing bird.Even the briefest study of the works of Robert Burns might have given the pause for thought.