DVD Movie Review | The Krays: Kill Order (Lights, Camera, Action!)

The Krays: Kill Order (UK Rating: 15)

Everything is made more difficult by the number of people interviewed during the course of the film. Credit to the makers for doing their research, but it's sometimes easy to lose track of who's who and how they fit into the story, especially as the name captions aren't repeated later on. Most of them are elderly men, many in their best bib and tucker, and it's hard to believe what some of them got up to in their earlier lives - until they open their mouths, that is. They bring authenticity and credibility, but are also indulged in one of the privileges of age, telling long and rambling stories full of tiny details. Some sharper editing would not have gone amiss.

There are also some tasty little morsels tucked in there, as well. Phone calls with Reggie Kray himself, one of which involves the arrangements for his security at Ronnie's funeral; an almost Monroe-esque theory about the death about Reggie's wife, Frances; and the recollections of family friend, Maureen Flanagan, of Violet Kray's reactions during the trial of the twins, and their older brother, Charlie. Flanagan was the mother's hairdresser, styling her hair at home every week because if she went to a salon, she was constantly approached by people wanting Ron or Reg to sort out a dispute. "Poor woman."

5/10

Average

The Krays: Kill Order makes a useful reference point for the other two fictional accounts currently in cinemas, and that's essentially what it's there for. However, as a documentary, it's routine in its treatment of its subject and has a tendency to ramble. What makes it interesting is the blurring of lines between fact and opinion: they are so fuzzy that it's difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins.