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.
Review of The Krays
