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"You fight them up there, but you don't fight each other."

-- Violet Kray (Billie Whitelaw)

The Brits don't have the money like the Americans do when it comes to making gangster flicks -- but this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The Krays prefers to concentrate on the domestic lives of the two London-based, organised crime leaders Ronnie and Reggie Kray, rather than making a statement of what is real and what is false in a glamorised manner.

Yes, you could argue that making a film about the two notorious East-end criminals is already a form of glamorisation, but the story actually provides very little insight into their involvement with various crime syndicates. Instead of just elaborating on the celebrity status of the twins, it explores the tensions between partners and family members, with various issues such as class, trust, jealousy and identity.

It focuses on the twins' close relationship working together and taking care of their Mother (Billie Whitelaw) as best they can. The brothers trust one another, but Ronnie feels threatened when Reggie begins a relationship with a woman named Frances (Kate Hardie), and starts developing paranoid schizophrenia, as well as questioning his own sexuality. We actually feel as if we're getting to know the actual characters, rather than just coming to terms with their reputation within the media.

Gary and Martin Kemp do a good job at developing their characters -- it's almost as if we believe they are the Kray twins. Ronnie (Gary Kemp), in particular, has a certain wickedness in his aura that we tend to anticipate his next violent move. Kate Hardie also stands out for her performance as Reggie's wife, which emphasizes the role of the woman in the 1960s and the issue of identity.

The Krays is an intelligent film. Instead of being littered primarily with violence, the torture scenes are pretty rare. We await, patiently, knowing that something startling is going to come soon; when it does, we remember it for the gruesomeness (I always seem to recall the snooker hall scene). The blood, accompanied by a haunting score, makes this film feel quite demonic, and it lingers with you for quite some time after watching.

The film may prove to be uninteresting to the people that have studied the Kray twins for a number years and are looking for some clarification beyond the media craze. But, after all, this is entertainment, and I found this biopic disturbing and really quite fascinating to watch.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2009.