• Rise of the Krays features in news section of club’s website • Reviews on IMDb seem to have been written by people connected to Sullivan

The West Ham chairman, David Sullivan, has been trumpeting the release of a film he has financed this week, with Rise of the Krays featuring prominently in the news section of the club’s website on Monday.

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While Brian Helgeland’s film Legend, starring Tom Hardy as identical twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray who terrorised London during the 1950s and 1960s, is set for its cinematic release next month, Rise of the Krays is already out on digital release and “pulls no punches”, according to Sullivan. “It shows them as they really were and has been described as ‘the best British Gangster movie of all time’,” he added.

The film – starring Ken and Sebastian Brown and directed by Zakary Adler – is also proving popular on film website IMDb, with 43 users having given it an average rating of 8.3 so far. Three users have left a review, with all three posting positive comments.

On closer inspection, however, it appears that something fishy may be going on. Clicking on to the profile for Debra Dods, who left the second review entitled “Realistic”, it reveals the account was created by a user with the name davidsullivansoffice, while the third review entitled “will be a classic” under the profile Jeff Sull reveals the account was created by a the username davesullivan-01061.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Interestingly-named IMDb contributors review the Krays film that David Sullivan financed. Photograph: IMDb.com

Even the first review entitled “A fresh take on an old story” by Dee Broughton appears to have a link to Sullivan as the account was created by Debra Dods. The suspicion seems even more clear when you compare the reviews.

“I am also totally sure it will be far more authentic and realistic than the Legends movie about the Krays with Tom Hardy starring,” writes Broughton.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘I hope that viewers give it a go,’ writes IMDb user davidsullivansoffice. Photograph: IMDb.com

Debra Dods has a very similar viewpoint: “I know it’s coming out as the same time as the Tom Hardy film but I think this one, if people would give it a chance, is great and well worth watching if this trailer is anything to go by. I hope that viewers give it a go and don’t just dismiss it because a bigger named film is coming out at the same time.”

As does Jeff Sull: “I will be recommending it over and above the new Tom Hardy, Legends film with the same subject matter.”

When asked to comment Sullivan said that not only were the reviews nothing to do with him, he did not know how to add reviews to the website. He added that they could have been posted by an overzealous friend.