Fall Of The Krays, film review: Strangely verbose crime drama is a sketchy and threadbare affair

(15)​ Zackary Adler, 113 mins. Starring: Simon Cotton, Josh Myers, Kevin Leslie, Alexa Morden, Adrian Bouchet, Paul Blackwell

The sequel to Adler's earlier The Rise of the Krays, this strangely verbose crime drama takes us through the key events in the latter part of the lives of the terrible twins, Reg and Ronnie. All the famous incidents in the East End gangsters' lives are depicted at least in passing – the shooting at the Blind Beggar, the murder of Jack "The Hat" McVitie, the suicide of Frances Kray. However, compared to Brian Helgeland's recent, big-budget Legend, based on much the same material, this is a sketchy and threadbare affair.

Action is in relatively short supply. Much of the film is devoted to lengthy, expository dialogue sequences in which the Krays (who are at least played with plenty of snarling conviction by Simon Cotton and Kevin Leslie) sneer and posture as their Brylcreemed associates cower in the background. It doesn't help that their nemesis, Nipper Reed of the Yard (Danny Midwinter), has the look and demeanour of an oppressed geography teacher.