A new film about the notorious Krays gangland rulers inspired by true events tells the shocking story of Mad Axeman Frank Mitchell’s murder.
The gritty 80-minute movie about the East End’s most notorious gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray uncovers details about how they organised Mitchell’s escape from high security Dartmoor prison in 1966.
The hard-hitting flick The Krays: Dead Man Walking features BBC EastEnders star Leslie Grantham in his last role before his death, playing Scotland Yard Detective Nipper Read.
Rita Simons, also from EastEnders, plays Lisa Prescott, a tough Mayfair nightclub hostess who has been asked by the Krays to shack up with Mitchell while he is in hiding in a ‘safe’ flat in the Barking Road after his prison break-out.
The story was filmed on the streets around Bethnal Green where the Krays grew up in a terraced house in Vallence Road in the 1950s and in Plaistow where Mitchell was being kept and where he was eventually gunned down.
It is set in December, 1966, when the Krays arranged Mitchell’s jailbreak and kept him hidden in the Plaistow flat, but not an easy task when an ultra-violent, unhinged convict is in their care.
Their henchmen Donoghue and Teddy struggle to handle an unstable Mitchell who is getting more and more out of control staying in the flat where they are minding him.
They call for help on Prescott and on corrupt politician Lord Boothby for help to keep him under control.
But tensions reach boiling point as Christmas Day approaches.
The Mad Axeman has become a liability to the Krays and is lured to the back of a van, where he is shot at close range.
The Krays: Dead Man Walking is set for its premiere on September 9 at Genisis in Mile End, followed by a home entertainment release a day later.
Marc Pickering is Reggie and Nathanjohn Carter his psycho twin Ronnie, with Josh Myers as the unhinged Mitchell, Guy Henry playing Lord Boothby and appearances from Linda Lusardi and Darren Day.
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