Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Parents' Guide to

Legend

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Amazing star performance in violent '60s crime drama.

Movie R 2015 131 minutes
Legend Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 5 parent reviews

age 14+
A great movie, a lot of violence and swearing but I think ages 14 and up can handle that.
age 16+

Legend is very well made mostly due to Tom Hardy's acting

This intense gangster film has stellar acting, but can be a bit slow at parts. Tom Hardy is amazing. The movie itself is also done pretty well, despite dragging a bit. The film has a lot of strong language throughout. Overall the film is intense. There isn't a ton of violence, but it is brutal and in your face when on screen. There is also an implied rape, but you do still know what is going on and hear some of it. There is a suicide that is seen. This just is not a kids film. It isn't loaded with mature content, but what there is gets very mature and graphic.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (12 ):

In Legend, Hardy brings to life two different-but-similar characters in such an eerily authentic way that it's easy to forget the actor and his roles aren't one and the same. He's that fantastic in the film. Credit is due to the rest of the ensemble, too, who don't give in to the camp that can sometimes overtake period pieces, especially period pieces about the mafia. It helps that the movie is, at heart, a tale of relationships: between a man and a woman who make a connection that might ultimately destroy each other but also sustain each other, and between brothers, one of whom is tasked to care for the other in a way that makes it impossible for the caretaker not to be consumed.

But Legend does let its leading man down a little; Hardy's top-form acting isn't fully supported by the uneven script, which could have been much more complex and gone much deeper into the Krays' dysfunctional, mysterious relationship. It's a quibble, but not a distraction. In the end, Hardy overwhelms with his talent.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate