3 out of 10
Release Date: 28th March 2016 (DVD Premiere)
Director: Zackary Adler (The Courier / Rise of the Footsoldier 3 – The Pat Tate Story / Rise of the Krays)
Cast: Simon Cotton, Kevin Leslie, Phil Dunster, Alexa Morden, Nicola Taggart, James Weber Brown, Dan Parr, James Hepburn, Rocky Abrahms, Ian Keir Attard, Michael Instone with Josh Myers and Danny Midwinter
Writer: Sebastian Brown & Ken Brown
Trailer: Fall of the Krays
So here we are again, the second half of the cash-in to Tom Hardy‘s towering Legend. Combined this film and the first one, Rise of the Krays, fail to deliver in three hours what Legend did in five minutes of it’s 2 hour running time. Sadly, the cartoon acting is back and the slim and under-researched script are too. There’s little to add to the first review except the only reason a non-reviewer would come back for more would to be to see how they tackle the big events like the death Jack The Hat, Cornell and Frances’ sad suicide. The latter is handled with the same amount of tact you’d expect in a Will Ferrell remake. We’re in foul-mouthed TV movie land and the soapyness of the approach does little to distinguish the director, actor or writers. Zero attention has been paid to period authenticity or even fact.
Simon Cotton seems less bonkers in part 2 but then the world around him seems to match him at last. But he’s still not Reggie Kray. He’d be fine as fictional bad guy but he’s all wrong here. Kevin Leslie as Ronnie, steps out of his shadow here, and thin script aside, he shows that he’d be a competent actor in a TV show. He’s the better of the two actors but he doesn’t look the part either. Danny Midwinter (INTERVIEW WITH A HITMAN), Phil Dunster and Alexa Morden all return to provide solid supporting turns but it’s very slim pickings and all the more-so when you compare this watered down paste of a gangster epic. Josh Myers (ANTI-SOCIAL) pops up as Mad Frankie Fraser for a minute so he’s something to look forward to.
On the whole, this is an also-ran. Pale, unscary, uninformative, historically oblivous to fact, marginally less-crap the first one.
3.5 out of 10 – Few bright spots. Goodfellas this isn’t. Looking forward to the Chuckle Brothers version, ‘From Me To You: An East End Reverie’.
WHAT HAVE I SEEN THAT ACTOR IN BEFORE?
- Simon Cotton: The Unseen, Rise of the Footsoldier 3 – The Pat Tate Story, Undercover Hooligan, Rise of the Krays
- Kevin Leslie: The Curse of Hobbes House, Rizen 2 – Possession, Vengeance, Rise of the Krays
- Phil Dunster: Dracula (2020)(TV), Judy, The Good Liar, All Is True, Humans (TV), Rise of the Krays
- Alexa Morden: Clay Kickers, Rise of the Krays
- Nicola Taggart: Rise of the Krays
- James Weber Brown: Doom 2 – Anihilation, Rise of the Krays
- Dan Parr: Silent Witness (TV), The Musketeers (TV), Rise of the Krays
- Ian Keir Attard: I Against I
- Josh Myers: The Krays 2 – New Blood, Vengeance 2, Romans, Once Upon a Time In London, Fighting With My Family, The Krays – Dead Man Walking, Rise of the Footsoldier 3 – The Pat Tate Story, Ripper, Bonded By Blood 2, Anti-Social, Meet The Firm – White Collar Hooligan 3, I Am Soldier, Green Street 3 – Never Back Down, Zombie Diaries 2, Psychosis
- Danny Midwinter: 24 Hours in London, The Bromley Boys, Rise of the Krays, It’s a Lot, The Magnificent Eleven, Interview With a Hitman, Dead Cert, Freight
RISE OF THE ZOMBIE HOOLIGAN FILMS 