The teaser trailer has arrived for gangster movie Legend – and it means business.
The film stars one of our favourite actors, the explosive Tom Hardy who pulls off the remarkable feat of playing both Ronnie and Reggie Kray, notorious real-life identical twin criminals who terrorised London in the 1950s and 60s. Filmmaking trickery means both Hardys are able to share the screen at the same time – yes, we get two for the price of one.
Before we bring you the trailer, here are five shots from it that sum up Hardy's multifaceted screen persona, whilst also demonstrating his ability to speak volumes whilst saying as little as possible. Do you want some?
Cool
He might simply be walking down a street in front of a moving car but Hardy owns this brief shot, rocking the period suit and the swagger whilst communicating the bravado and the menace of the criminal lifestyle.
Complex
This eye-grabbing moment sums up Hardy's achievement in a nutshell: his ability to play identical twin brothers and convey their character differences through the subtlest gestures like the movement of an arm or the flicker of an eye.
Menacing
"We're gonna rule London." Both Kray twins assert their presence, and immediately we're reminded of the brooding physical threat Hardy communicated in the likes of Bronson and The Dark Knight Rises.
Sensitive
Here's a brief moment where Reggie dances with Frances (Emily Browning), the woman who ultimately became his wife. It might be a violent gangster picture but here's an indication of Hardy's gift for sensitivity, shown off to incredible effect in the likes of last year's Locke.
Dangerous
One of the Krays (it's tricky to tell which) is seen here toting a pistol, and the shot encapsulates Hardy's ability to burn up the screen and chill an audience with his viscerally intense performances.
Will Legend go down as one of Tom Hardy's greatest performances? Dare we say it – will the Oscars come calling?
We'll find out when the movie hits our screens on 11th September. In the meantime, here's the trailer. And don't forget that Hardy is set to storm our screens very soon in carnage-strewn action movie Mad Max: Fury Road.
