Avis Bunnage, Billie Whitelaw, Charlotte Cornwell

The rise and fall of two of Britain's most famous gangster-brothers.

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83% liked it

6,739 ratings

Critics

82% liked it

11 critics

R, 1 hr. 59 min.

Directed by: Peter Medak

Release Date: June 1, 1990

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Flixster Reviews (339)


  • May 18, 2009
    If Long Good Friday was The Godfather of british cinema, The Krays was the GoodFellas.
    The violence, loyalty, fear, blood and traditions are all present and correct. The Kemp bros., especially Gary, give superbly sinister and dangerous portrayals of the twins. You can't fault it...( read more)'s accuracy on who the twins were or how they grew up. However, the events shown are lacking in relevance to how they really happened and are taken from the point of view of Gang members who so obviously lied during their trial. The film also lacks on the other gang members, no member is named as being Tony Lambrianou or Freddie Foreman, for example. Although this is secondary to the twins themselves, for people who know the real story it does make it a little less enjoyable.
  • May 9, 2008
    Based on the true story of identical twin brothers Ronald and Reginald Kray, the drama of the most notorious British crime lords focuses on character to include homosexuality, a domineering mother, and jealousy leading to hyperviolent bloodletting, rather than the glamorization ...( read more)of the gangster lifestyle.

    The Brits love their gangster movies, especially when they're about Brits, and The Krays has enough to stand alongside some of the best gangster films to date. Considering the stars of the film, Martin and Gary Kemp, are from the 80's group Spandau Ballet, this movie is anything but soft.
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  • August 5, 2007
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    This fact-based movie follows the life of the twin crime-lords in London's 60's underwor...( read more)ld

    A great British ganster film that depicts the life of London's most famous gamster brother so well. Noth actors researching their roles as Martin Kemp, visited his counter-part in prison. They gives the definition of method acting at it's best. Brilliant!

    The Krays is directed well, at times with a hand-held camera and Montage editing at times. Of Course it's not going to be as great as Scorsese's Ganster classic Goodfellas(1990), made at that time-put for sure it will be a true Brit classic for years to come.

    This film is a depiction of power, greed and money and how it corrupts. "When people are afraid of you, you can do anything" says Ronnie Kray to his brother Reggie. The greediness and other forms of corruption - like revenge - become so strong that they finally destroy everything the brothers have reached. Clearly throughout the film we begin to see Ronnie becoming the more diminent twin and we see his homersexual tendencies. Played brilliantly by Gary Kemp, who really pocessed the character well; perhaps better than Martin for me.

    To define brilliant acting, you need the actors to become the protagnists on screen, and that is what we see with real-life brothers; Gary and Martin Kemp. The fact that they are brothers in real life, makes them more believable on screen. Martin and Gary Kemp here, and perhaps with some shock, were perfectly cast as the boys in their adult life. Gary Kemp as Ronnie Kray carried off, with a certain ease, the slowly more violent character, while Martin Kemp built up a more subtle, but equally as impressive performance as Reggie. Bille Whitelaw was perfect as the mother of the twins - Violet Kray, and her lines (such as "Mummy loves you") always seemed in place. Her gentle aging throughout the film was also carried off in time with the character. A very honorable mention goes to Susan Fleetwood, who played Aunt Rose admirably.

    Michael Kamen and Chris Rea came up with music with commented on the action, and brought a genuine sense of unease to the picture. The actress playing Francis, Reggie's wife, perfectly played her character well- and convincing at that.

    Perhpaps the only flaw with this film is that some of the character's actions aren't explained fully enough, and there is no real explanation as to HOW that got to power. For me, that didn't matter as the two hours flew by and I din't really notice. Most of the scenes in the movie, really happened and some really made me squirm at times. Overall the film perfectly shows the life and times of the brothers. Also gave me an insight into life in the East End of Londonin the 1960's.

    *Recomended Watch*
  • June 10, 2007
    A cool violent drama charting the life of the notorious Krays brothers.
  • April 20, 2007
    At the time, I loved this film. Billie Whitelaw was fantastic as the mother of the Kray twins. However, there seems to be a lot of discrepancies to the real life version of events
  • September 17, 2009
    " the Best Villan Movie of All Time, These were true Brothers To The Very End, & I loved The Direction.
  • September 14, 2009
    The British answer to Godfather which may lack the polish (it's really looking dated now), but it doesn't have all the paunch either. It's the character work that stuns here - it's slightly better than Long Good Friday. Any fans of gangster movies absolutely must see this. Thorou...( read more)ghly engrossing.
  • September 7, 2009
    Outstanding. An amazing but incredibly overlooked British gangster bio-pic.

    The Kray twins really interest me and this film was really informative as well as enjoyable to watch.

    Although they may not look much like the real brothers, casting two other real life brothers, M...( read more)artin and Gary Kemp was a great decision as it heightened the realism. Both played the twins brilliantly.

    I admire this film for being able to make me cringe because of the violence. It isn't full on, nor is it consistent but it works with incredible effectivness, helped by the stylish and subtle direction of these scenes.

    An unflinching, stylish and well acted film. One of the greatest Britsh films of recent years.
  • February 1, 2009
    Extraordinary film, with extraordinary acting and spooky synergy from brothers Gary and Martin Kemp, members of the '80s pop group Spandau Ballet.
  • January 3, 2009
    No thankyou - Not interested

Critic Reviews


Comments


  • Rossjm
    April 11, 2008
    Your messed up dude, and spell normally, your not a gangster so stop writing like one.
  • crazyessexboy25
    November 24, 2007
    a great film about da greatest east londoners! da kemps played da krays da best they could n i take my hat of 2dem!! da krays rule! rest in peace reggie n ronnie!

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The Krays Trivia


  • In which 1990 film did Martin Kemp and Gary Kemp star as 2 twins in the 1950's?  Answer »
  • Who played the part of Ronnie Kray in the movie 'The Krays'?  Answer »
  • Gary Kemp, who played Ronald in The Krays, is better-known as the lead singer of what 80's pop group?  Answer »
  • Everyone was scared of these two brothers. They where notorious for hurting people, loved their mom, One was gay and they both ended up doing time for their crimes. Name the film?  Answer »

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