My first review and i write it because the story of the kray twins has been told and retold and as a Londoner im sure i knew about the kray twins before i understood who the queen was, So naturally i wanted to see this film. I feel i should say this film as a stand alone is not the worst thing I've watched but I have to say very much like the all the other reviews have mentioned this film has no real connection to the truth its terribly cast and doesn't hold true to the truth and the movie ends in the most ridiculous fashion asking if you arnt going to tell a story why make the film. I think its trying to be a prequel to 1990 Kemp version but its a rubbish prequel that accidentally ends up parody the The Krays 1990 not complementing it, which is sad as even the The Krays 1990 film had holes but this just seems pointless under acted under budget. And as many other reviews state is a way to cash in on the Legend movie with tom hardy (Can't Wait).they don't look like brothers which is a massive distraction its like releasing a movie claiming to depict The rise of Micheal Jackson and his Rise to fame leaving out his childhood and any part of his life after the realise of his first solo album. Don't waste your time or your money.

This film is terrible. Where to start? Poor acting, no idea where they got the guy who played Reggie from but I've seen more character in a wooden spoon. No proper research was clearly done into the Krays which makes the film hard to watch and cringe worthy in parts. The fact that the "twins" looked and acted a million miles apart pretty much sums it up. It's offensive that this film was even produced under the name of the Krays and I agree with other users that the logic behind the film was simply to milk the subject for all it's worth. Best advice would be to save your time and money and either watch Legend or read one of John Pearson's novels on the Krays, both of which at least do the subject some justice.

it's always been surprising to me that there was only one movie based on the infamous kray twins, and while peter medak's 1990 biopic was for it's time a solid movie, when you read and watch things about the krays you realise just how much they left out, and it didn't really portray the twins as they was at all, never the less that movie remains much loved and has a deserved cult classic status, but i always wanted another film about the krays, one that showed the twins how i always read they were, brutal, uncompromising, charming, dangerous all rolled into one pair of naughty twins, and while the likes of the Essex boys have movie after movie made about them, we had to wait twenty five years for another krays film, and then boom, we get two at the same time, now this movie coming out at the same time as the big budget tom hardy biopic 'legend' is both a gift and a curse for the rise of the krays, a gift in that 'legend' has made the krays relevant again, and a curse in that this movie will be over shadowed by its big budget counterpart, now as for the better movie i can't judge yet as I've only seen this one, legend is out in a few days, so ill judge then. the sad part of the fact is that this movie was in the works before 'legend' in fact i knew about this movie in early 2013. never mind all that though because the movie i have just watched is brilliant enough to stand on it's own two feet. the first part in an epic two part crime saga, tells the story of the kray twins from youths to men, as they take control and rule the London underworld, and the twins are finally shown on screen to be the brutal men they truly were, and trust me this movie is brutal, the violence here is shocking, and makes the old krays film look like a kids film. the movie is narrated by Reggie kray, and he holds the movie together great. another brilliant thing the movie gets right is seeing Ronnie krays mental illness, Ronnie kray is played here with such menace and authority you cannot take your eyes of him. both Reggie and Ronnie are brilliantly played here, and i cannot wait for the second part of this epic, one of the best British gangster films in years, and much better than the old krays film.

if you forget its a film about the Krays then it isn't bad, as a biopic of the twins growing up unfortunately it is terrible, acting wise anyway, stories not to tuff and it is to jumpy like the 90's kray film, as viewers we want to know things we didn't know about that period in time about the twins or how the events went down, i know we have to wait for the fall of the Krays for this, but personally i was disappointed in the movie. Cant wait for legend hopefully they don't jump around the time scene and stick certain points that are relevant for Kray fans, i don't understand why it classes itself as the "best British gangster movie" its OK but far from the best.Rise of the foot soldier is 80 times better personal opinion, and Legend will be even better than this!!