The Krays (1990)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Peter Medak

Writer:

Philip Ridley (written by)

Release Date:

9 November 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

When People are afraid of you, You can do anything. Remember that.

Plot:

This fact-based movie follows the life of the twin crime-lords in London's 60's underworld.

Plot Keywords:

Brother Brother Relationship | Boxing | Suicide | Cockney Accent | Shot In The Head

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Billie Whitelaw	...	Violet Kray
Tom Bell	...	Jack 'The Hat' McVitie
Gary Kemp	...	Ronald Kray
Martin Kemp	...	Reggie Kray
Susan Fleetwood	...	Rose
Charlotte Cornwell	...	May
Kate Hardie	...	Frances
Avis Bunnage	...	Helen
Alfred Lynch	...	Charlie Kray
Gary Love	...	Steve
Steven Berkoff	...	George Cornell
Jimmy Jewel	...	Cannonball Lee
Barbara Ferris	...	Mrs. Lawson
Victor Spinetti	...	Mr. Lawson
John McEnery	...	Eddie Pellam

Also Known As:

The Kray Brothers (Scotland: English title)
The Kray Twins (Europe: English title)
Adelfoi Kray, Oi (Greece) [el]
Bracia Kray (Poland) [pl]
Frères Kray, Les (France) (alternative spelling) [fr]
Frères Krays, Les (France) [fr]
Implacáveis Krays, Os (Brazil) [pt]
Irmãos Kray, Os (Portugal) [pt]
Krays - Zwei mörderische Leben, Die (Germany) (DVD title) [de]
Krays, Die (West Germany) [de]
The Krays - I corvi (Italy) [it]
The Krays - väkivallan veljekset (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Australia:R

Filming Locations:

Bethnal Green, London, England, UK

Company:

Fugitive TV Productions

Trivia:

The real Reggie Kray suggested that Patsy Kensit read for the role of his wife Frances, but she declined. The part was later played by Kate Hardie

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the boxing scene at the fairground, the twins' are portrayed as young adults and that the fight between them transpires after Ronnie knocks out the prize fighter - this incident actually took place when they were both small boys. The ringmaster shouted to the crowd if anyone wanted to take on the show fighter and the young Ronnie Kray shouted that he'd fight him. Amid much laughter, the referee pointedly said he was a bit young - whereupon Reggie stepped up and challenged his brother. They fought gamely, and were both awarded half a crown for their efforts; this was also the bout that led to their later semi-professional careers as pugilists.

Quotes:

[to Ronnie and Reggie, aged three]
Violet Kray: Who loves you, eh? That's right, Mummy loves you, you little monsters. Mummy loves you more than anything - more than all the cakes, more than all the jewellery, more than all the chocolate in the world.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Gorgo (#10.9)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Balling the Jack

Pretty impressive film

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.