In 1980, Pierce Brosnan made his screen debut in The Long Good Friday, one of the greatest British gangster films ever made, starring Helen Mirren. Now, 45 years later, Brosnan and Mirren reunite as the power couple at the heart of SkyShowtime’s hit series MobLand, joined by Tom Hardy and Paddy Considine in pivotal roles.
The show’s creator, Ronan Bennett, is no stranger to crime drama, having previously helmed the British series Top Boy and written the screenplay for Michael Mann’s Public Enemies (2009), the John Dillinger biopic.
The first two episodes of MobLand are directed by Guy Ritchie, and the series takes off like a rocket. We’re thrown into the chaos as Eddie Harrigan – the volatile grandson of gangster boss Conrad Harrison (Brosnan) – causes mayhem in a London nightclub, all set to the high-energy beats of The Prodigy’s Firestarter.
Tom Hardy plays Harry Da Souza, the Harrigans’ fixer, called in to clean up Eddie’s mess. But this is only the beginning. As the Harrigans – all of them unhinged, especially Conrad and his wife Maeve (Mirren) – plunge into a brutal gang war with rival Richie Stevenson (Geoff Bell), Harry’s workload only intensifies. The first season unfolds as a single, gripping narrative across ten episodes, chronicling this violent feud.
What sets MobLand apart is Maeve’s role: she’s far from the typical ‘gangster’s wife’. She’s a full-fledged partner in crime, her schemes and manipulations often outshining even her husband’s ruthlessness. Together, they’re the Macbeths of London’s underworld.
That said, the story doesn’t break much new ground. The show occasionally veers into the absurd, particularly in a Rambo-esque warehouse scene where Harry single-handedly takes out dozens of gangsters. There are plot twists and brutal murders – some land, others don’t. In a masterclass like The Sopranos, these elements feel organic. Here, they sometimes come across as a smokescreen for the lack of deeper substance, even if the series remains entertaining.
Another issue is the sheer savagery of the lead characters. They’re so cruel and unlikable that it’s hard to care about their fates. At times, I even found myself rooting for their downfall, which isn’t usually the point of a story told from one perspective.
The season ends with the introduction of a new female gang boss, Kat McAllister (Janet McTeer of Ozark fame), but she didn’t leave much of an impression on me. So, I’m not particularly hyped for Season 2.
Adding to the uncertainty, news broke this week that Tom Hardy has been fired from the show due to troublesome behavior, meaning fans will have to watch Season 3 without him.
Rating:
FRAGMENTEN UIT HET SCHEMERLAND 