Rise and fall of English twin mobsters

Rating: 6/10 (14 November 2016)

Legend tells the story of the Kray twins in the 60s, mobsters who ran the East End and eventually made it to London. They even got the attention of Meyer Lansky who did business with them.
Reggie is the reasonable one, Ronnie has mental issues and is gay. Of course, gangster movies that tell events that occurred decades ago don't fit into modern-day sensibilities so the movie is told to some extent from the perspective of Frances, who was married to Reggie for all of 8 months. She provides the voice-over throughout the movie. We meet Reggie as he starts courting Frances, a sister of his driver. By this time, law enforcement is all over them, following them wherever they go.
Eventually Reggie has got to go to prison for a short stint so Ronnie has to take over the business, which he isn't equipped to do. Still, Reggie defines himself by how he treats his brother. A legitimate nightclub they own is their pride, it's attended by the rich and famous. Of course the police aren't quite done with them, but the two also know how to defend themselves. Politicians going after the mafia is sort of an incestuous affair. One hilarious scene has the investigating cop visit the nightclub, an opportunity the Krays use to take a cheery picture of themselves with the cop which they then use to quash the investigation. But not for long. Still, they have another card up their sleeve. British politicians aren't exactly averse to homosexuality, and the Krays also use this to their advantage.
As things get more complicated, Reggies marriage suffers, she leaves him and abuses pills. Her outlook on live goes downhill. This puts a strain on Reggie's ability to run the business and deal with his increasingly unstable brother. It is when Reggie becomes violent and deadly that the story unravels.
There is a lot to like about Legend. Performances are strong; Emily Browning is lovely; there's some humor and charm in this movie. The problem is that the standard for gangster movies is very high. It's not clear why this movie has an R-rating. There's little violence; the body count is shockingly low, there's no nudity, the whole thing comes across as rather bland and missing an edge.