This brutal neo-noir depicts twin brothers who became two of Britain's most notorious criminals. Hailing from London's tough East End, the Kray brothers learn early to claw their way up. They take their mother's advice-“Don't fight each other; fight them out there”-to extreme lengths, building a London club empire atop a pile of mutilated bodies. As they gain power, the Krays' idiosyncrasies deepen. Ronald, the more violent of the two, grows increasingly unpredictable and paranoid. Reggie takes a desire to care for his wife to smothering extremes. As played by real-life brothers Gary and Martin Kemp, of British New Romantic pop group Spandau Ballet, the Krays are cool, suave charmers who cling to each other and their beloved mother. The film is particularly attuned to the plight of women in postwar Britain: they must grow up, while men “stay kids all their lives, and they wind up heroes or monsters.” The creepy Krays don't break this vicious cycle.