Character Relationship Map: Legend

Characters

• Ronald Kray / Reginald Kray (played by Tom Hardy) — protagonist

  Twin brothers who dominate London's criminal underworld in the 1960s. Reggie is the restrained, strategic leader, while Ron suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and exhibits extreme violence. Their par...

• Frances Shea (played by Emily Browning) — protagonist

  Reggie's wife and sister of his driver. She attempts to reform Reggie's criminal life but fails due to his addiction to violence and Ron's hostility. After enduring abuse and broken promises, she plan...

• Leonard 'Nipper' Read (played by Christopher Eccleston) — supporting

  Detective Superintendent leading the Scotland Yard investigation against the Kray brothers. He is a longtime nemesis who eventually secures crucial testimony from Leslie Payne, which contributes to Ro...

• Leslie Payne (played by David Thewlis) — supporting

  Reggie's business partner responsible for the legal facade of the Kray operations. Distrusted by Ron, he survives an assassination attempt orchestrated by the twins but ultimately betrays them by prov...

• Jack 'The Hat' McVitie (played by Sam Spruell) — minor
• Angelo Bruno (played by Chazz Palminteri) — supporting

  Representative of the Philadelphia crime family and American Mafia. He brokers a lucrative fifty-fifty gambling partnership with Reggie Kray, bringing American syndicate profits to London but also int...

• Charlie Richardson (played by Paul Bettany) — supporting

  Former head of the rival south London Richardson Gang (Torture Gang). His imprisonment clears the way for the Kray brothers to expand their control over London's criminal underworld and local nightclu...

• George Cornell (played by Shane Attwooll) — cameo

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Ronald Kray / Reginald Kray → Jack 'The Hat' McVitie (Professional Hired Killer) — McVitie is used as an enforcer within the Krays' criminal network.

  Ron pays Jack McVitie to kill Leslie Payne, although McVitie only wounds him.

• Ronald Kray / Reginald Kray → Leslie Payne (Professional Business Partners) — Payne provides the legal facade for the criminal enterprise.

  Leslie Payne is described as Reg's partner who controls the legal side of the Krays' operations.

• Ronald Kray / Reginald Kray → Angelo Bruno (Professional Syndicate Partners) — The partnership connects the Krays to an international crime syndicate.

  Angelo Bruno approaches the twins on behalf of the American Mafia and agrees to a fifty-fifty gambling deal with Reg.

• Ronald Kray / Reginald Kray → Frances Shea (Romantic Husband) — Reg's marriage to Frances becomes increasingly damaged by his criminal life.

  Reg enters a relationship with Frances and eventually marries her.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Leslie Payne → Leonard 'Nipper' Read (Alliance Police Informant) — Payne supplies the investigation with crucial insider testimony.

  Payne provides incriminating information to Detective Superintendent Leonard Read after turning against the brothers.

• Leonard 'Nipper' Read → Ronald Kray / Reginald Kray (Conflict Nemesis) — Read represents the sustained legal pressure against the twins.

  Leonard Read leads the Scotland Yard investigation and is described as a longtime nemesis of the Krays.

• Ronald Kray / Reginald Kray → George Cornell (Conflict Gangland Enemy) — Cornell's murder intensifies the conflict between the Krays and their rivals.

  George Cornell is identified as an associate of the Torture Gang, and Ron publicly murders him.

• Ronald Kray / Reginald Kray → Charlie Richardson (Conflict Rival Gang) — The Krays benefit from the weakening of Richardson's criminal organization.

  The imprisonment of Charlie Richardson, head of the south London Richardson Gang, clears the way for the Krays' expansion.

Story Analysis

The film traces how twin loyalty, criminal ambition, mental instability, and personal betrayal destroy the Kray empire.

Plot Progression

1. Brothers Claim London — Reggie secures Ron's release from psychiatric care, and the twins join forces in London's criminal underworld. They seize nightclub influence while a rival gang is weakened.
2. Marriage Against Crime — Reg begins a relationship with Frances and marries her despite his criminal commitments. His imprisonment leaves Ron in charge, worsening the nightclub's financial and emotional instability.
3. Violence Wins Power — An American syndicate deal brings the twins greater gambling profits. Ron's paranoia and public murder of George Cornell expose the violent instability beneath their success.
4. The Marriage Breaks — Police investigation grows while Reg repeatedly fails to abandon crime. Abuse and broken promises drive Frances away, and her overdose leaves Reg consumed by guilt.
5. The Criminal Empire Falls — Ron orders an attack on Leslie Payne, but Payne informs Leonard Read. Reg kills McVitie, both brothers are convicted of murder, and their criminal partnership ends in imprisonment.