MobLand
The producers at Paramount+ believed that if want to make a grungy British gangster series, there was only one director for the job. There is but one problem with this; Guy Ritchie has just completed and aired an incredibly successful series of his own titled The Gentlemen, with Netflix. While there may not be a conflict of interest for the director, this does present an immediate rival to this new series MobLand and comparisons are destined to be made from the off.
Boasting a star-studded cast, MobLand sees Tom Hardy’s Harry Da Souza travel across London as a fixer for the Harrigan mob family, making problems go away using words and physical force, tidying up a never-ending sea of problems that come their way. At the head of the family is Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and his wife Maeve (Helen Mirren), who represent an older crime world compared to their children and younger associates, but who are nonetheless more ruthless then ever before. In a sink or swim world, the cream rises to the top and for Conrad, you must do what you can and adapt to a changing drug market to maintain your dominance.
The concept of the series is familiar but fair, not necessarily proving unique, but thrilling enough to keep you guessing what comes next. A brutal opening sequence welcomes you in to this underworld of crime and instantly you believe in Hardy as a devastatingly effective problem solver. Cutting a rugged figure but bearing a sharp mind, Harry is a character you can effortlessly root for and it will be interesting to see how his character develops over the coming episodes. The wider cast also do relatively well, with Brosnan proving convincing as the head of a crime family, and Mirren providing a little comic relief when she isn’t needlessly snorting cocaine. It is a shame however to see Paddy Considine, who plays their son Kevin, criminally underused in the early stages.
It is refreshing to not see London perceived as a playground for stereotypes and more authentic characters, nonetheless, the dialogue frequently slips into cliches and cockney language that is never heard these days outside of a Guy Ritchie series. The director has also ensured he imposes his frenetic filming style and music throughout the show, which is always marmite to audiences. If, however, you are a fan of it, you’ll enjoy watching MobLand.
Put together from start to finish in just 15 months – which is an impressive feat in itself – you can’t help but see similarities to Showtime’s American crime drama Ray Donovan, which stars Liev Schreiber also as a fixer but in LA and New York. Despite the similarities between Ritchie’s past shows, MobLand is a lot darker show The Gentlemen, with writer Jez Butterworth replacing comedy and dry British humour with grit and tension. The result is a show that is solid, starts slow, has high potential, but may struggle to compete with its more successful rivals.
Guy Lambert
MobLand is released on Paramount+ on 30th March 2025.
Watch the trailer for MobLand here:
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