roger-pettit1

I've seen some poor films recently, e.g. 'No Escape' and (on DVD) 'The Holiday'. But 'Legend' makes up for them. It's a riveting film with a stunning performance by Tom Hardy as both Ronnie and Reggie Kray. His split-screen role never seems odd and his acting is simply spellbinding. The film has its faults. It's too visually arresting at times. A little less gloss and a little more spit and sawdust would have been appropriate. Some of the external scenes seem more like studio ones such is their overly pristine nature. And the character of Frances, Reggie's girlfriend, is not adequately developed. The reasons for her mental fragility are not properly explored. The soundtrack is superb. There are scenes of graphic violence but they are wholly germane to the film's theme. The talented supporting cast is uniformly excellent. But, above all, 'Legend' is Hardy's film. I rate it 8/10.

"Mystery Road" is a thriller (with film noir overtones) and a western rolled into one. It examines race relations in modern-day Australia, in particular those between the indigenous Aboriginal population and those Australians of European descent. It does so through the eyes of Aboriginal detective Joe Swan (Aaron Pedersen), who returns after a period of 10 years away to the remote small Australian town in which his daughter Crystal (Tricia Whitton) and her mother - Swan's estranged wife, Mary (Tasma Walton) - live. Swan is immediately thrown into the investigation of the murder of a teenage Aboriginal girl, whose body has been discovered in the outskirts of the town. His investigations soon yield a great deal of uncomfortable information, including police corruption, sexual exploitation and the possible involvement in the crime of his ex-wife and daughter (as well as sundry other local residents). The laconic detective has to contend with a complete lack of co-operation from his police colleagues and from the town's residents, who view any form of authority with suspicion and utter disdain. It all leads to a closing shoot-out sequence that is, for once, realistic and which is beautifully filmed. Indeed, one of the film's many strong points is its direction (by screenplay writer Ivan Sen). The cinematography (for which Sen is also responsible) is amazingly good - just about the best I have seen in any film. The cast too are terrific, particularly Pedersen and Hugo Weaving (who plays Johnno, a possibly corrupt white police colleague of Swan's). The only aspect of the film about which I have reservations is the plot, which does not seem to me to hang together. I may have missed something but there appear to be unexplained gaps in parts of the story. Other than that, "Mystery Road", which starts slowly before gradually building up to its dramatic conclusion, is an almost faultless film - and is certainly one that is worth looking out for. 8/10.

Sunshine on Leith is an enjoyable, exuberant film musical that is based on the songs of The Proclaimers. It tells the story of two young Scottish soldiers who return to their families in Edinburgh after serving in Afghanistan. What awaits each of them is an unsettled future during which they are forced to confront a number of issues that make it difficult to rehabilitate themselves successfully into civilian life: the need to secure employment (they find temporary work in a call centre); feelings of guilt at returning home in good physical shape when a friend of theirs who served with them sustained severe injuries and is having to contend with the loss of both legs; trying to rekindle their neglected love lives; having to cope with the revelation of family secrets that in the case of one of the ex-soldiers puts pressure on his parents' marriage; and the problems of simply being welcomed and accepted by friends and family after a long absence. None of these issues is dealt with in anything other than a superficial and sentimental manner. But that does not really matter all that much.

The cast, which includes Jane Horrocks and Peter Mullan, is very good. The cinematography is first rate (Edinburgh looks stunning), as are the staging of the set-piece routines and the choreography. And we even get a brief, Hitchcock-like cameo appearance by The Proclaimers themselves, who are seen near the start of the film emerging from an Edinburgh pub. The music is uneven. Two of the most notable Proclaimers numbers - "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" and "Letter from America" - are delivered in a much more muted and less punchy style than their original versions, which somehow seems unsatisfactory. From my personal perspective, there is also one underlying problem with Sunshine on Leith, that is incapable of resolution. I do not think that film is the right medium for musicals. I often enjoy musical shows that are performed in the theatre. But I simply cannot come to terms with them in the cinema. The transition from spoken dialogue to singing seems to me to be unnatural and mildly clumsy on celluloid in a way that does not appear to be the case on stage. (I feel the same about opera!) That problem aside, Sunshine on Leith is an engaging film, albeit one that is unlikely to live long in the memory. 6/10.