The Krays (1990)
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85% of critics liked it
(13 reviews) -
79% of users liked it
(7,498 ratings)
Peter Medak directed this fact-based drama, chronicling the lives of the infamous Kray Brothers, notorious celebrities in 60s London. The Krays were twin gangsters who ruled London's stylish East End club scene, staking out their territory by committing the most violent crimes imaginable,… More Peter Medak directed this fact-based drama, chronicling the lives of the infamous Kray Brothers, notorious celebrities in 60s London. The Krays were twin gangsters who ruled London's stylish East End club scene, staking out their territory by committing the most violent crimes imaginable, preferring to perform the most torturous acts themselves. The film stars Gary Kemp and Martin Kemp, founding members of the pop group Spandau Ballet, as Ronald and Reginald Kray. The film opens as their mother Violet Kray (Billie Whitelaw) recalls a dream in which she is a swan from which two beautiful babies have hatched. She can't tell if the swans are angels or demons, but the film soon answers that question for her. Brought up in London's East End in the 1930s, Ronald and Reginald Kray are raised in the resentful world of Violet, who is hateful of her lot in life and bitter at the control men have in running the world ("Housework is a lethal business," she says). The twins react to each other almost telepathically and they take out their anger by clogging the nose of their sleeping father (Alfred Lynch), pushing around fellow schoolboys, and even beating each other to pulp at a boxing match. When her mother chastises them for their fight in a fairground boxing ring ("You fight them up, but you don't fight each other"), the twins veer into the London underworld. In their self-contained world of Us-Against-Them, the Krays rapidly rise to the height of power, first taking over the territory of a petty mobster by violent means and then putting together an underworld empire of posh clubs, cars, and fancy suits. But at the height of their fame, the twins begin to break from each other. Reginald falls in love with Frances (Kate Hardie), while Ronald gets involved in a homosexual relationship with one of his underlings. Ronald, in a jealous rage over Frances stealing his brother away from him, becomes even more brutal in his crimes and while the brothers' backs are turned, a group of older mobsters challenge the Krays' authority, invoking a horrible bloodbath that effects not only the two brothers but Frances and Violet as well. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Directed By
- Peter Medak
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure
- In Theaters
- Jun 1, 1990 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Occasionally successful, but not Peter Medak at his best.
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Darrin Keene, Film Threat
A pseudo-bio pic that is little more than a vehicle to shock and tittilate.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Billie Whitelaw
as Violet Kray
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Tom Bell
as Jack "The Hat" McVitie
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Gary Kemp
as Ronald Kray
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Martin Kemp
as Reginald Kray
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Charlotte Cornwell
as May
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Susan Fleetwood
as Rose
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Jimmy Jewel
as Cannonball Lee
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Kate Hardie
as Frances
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Avis Bunnage
as Helen
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Alfred Lynch
as Charlie Kray Sr.
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Steven Berkoff
as George Cornell
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Gary Love
as Steve
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Victor Spinetti
as Mr. Lawson
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Barbara Ferris
as Mrs. Lawson
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Michael Balfour
as Referee
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Jason Bennett
as Ronald Kray Age 10
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Mark Burdis
as Mark
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Chrissie Cotterill
as Barmaid
- Noel Davis
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Vernon Dobtcheff
as Teacher
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Soo Drouet
as Jack's Girlfriend
- Michael Elphick
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Sadie Frost
as Sharon Pellam
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Harlon Haveland
as Ronald Kray Age 8
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Stephen Lewis
as Policeman
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Patti Love
as Iris
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Angus MacInnes
as Palendri
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John McEnery
as Eddie Pellam
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Murray Melvin
as Newsagent
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Julia Migenes
as Judy Garland (uncredited)
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Roger Monk
as Charlie Kray Jr.
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Chris Pitt
as Young Eddie
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Norman Rossington
as Shopkeeper
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Peter Turner
as Regal Manager
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Richard Vanstone
as Man Cut Outside Regal
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John-Paul White
as Ronald Kray Age 3
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Laura Cox
as Ivy
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Julie May
as Midwife
- Jeremy Zimmerman
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Michael White (I)
as Reginald Kray Age 3
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Michael Carr
as Eddie
- Michael White (XX)

