MobLand ☆☆

Starring:Tom Hardy, Pierce
Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Paddy Considine, Joanne Froggatt, Anson Boon, and Geoff Bell

Created by: Ronan Bennett

Featuring a star-studded cast — including Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mir-ren, and Paddy Considine — the new series is set to stream on Paramount+ (aka the home of the Sheridanverse). It’s worth noting that MobLand was originally conceived as a prequel to Ray Donovan before being completely retooled as a modern-day crime show. It makes sense why Ritchie would pivot to television, especially when you consider how much success Sheridan has had with all of his shows. With MobLand, the British filmmaker teams up with Top Boy creator Ronan Bennett for a familiar yet entertaining crime saga set on the streets of London.

The first two episodes of MobLand introduce us to Harry Da Souza (Hardy), a fixer for the Harrigan crime family. For years, Harry has seemingly remained loyal to the family, which is overseen by Conrad (Brosnan) and his wife, Maeve (Mirren), doing their dirty work by taking out their competition. It’s all just a job for Harry, and despite the fact that it’s made his relationship with his wife Jan (Joanne Froggatt) difficult, he’s very good at what he does.

Harry has his work cut out for him when Conrad’s grandson Eddie (Anson Boon) gets into a physical altercation with the son of rival mob boss Richie Stevenson (Geoff Bell). As Harry races across the city trying to settle things before an all-out mob war breaks out, we begin to learn more about the inner workings of the Harrigans’ business — Conrad and his son Kevin (Paddy Considine), for instance, aren’t always the ones making the tough decisions.

If you’ve watched any other London-set crime show, you’ll immediately recognise that MobLand isn’t the most original series out there. The first two episodes find Ritchie in extremely familiar territory, telling a story that feels very familiar to what he just did with The Gentlemen, albeit with a far grittier tone.

Despite its lack of originality, MobLand still proves to be an incredibly satisfying watch, especially because of the talent behind the show.

Hardy is perfectly cast as the rugged fixer Harry, who serves as our eyes and ears. Harry’s far from a good person with a strong moral compass, but Hardy’s charisma makes us drawn to him immediately. After spending the last several years mostly starring as Eddie Brock in the Venom movies, it’s refreshing to see Hardy back to his usual British self, playing a character that shows us a different side of the criminal underworld.

Much like Ray Donovan, MobLand is more interested in having the “mob fixer” front and center. It’s not a new concept in the genre, but it does establish that this show isn’t just another “rise to power” story. The Harrigan family already rules over London’s criminal underbelly, and Harry’s primary mission is to make sure things stay that way. The series is also at its most effective in the scenes where Harry meets with members of the Stevenson family, as Ritchie and Bennett build the resulting tension to extreme levels.

From the Harrigans’ gorgeous estate to the slimy backrooms of nightclubs, the atmosphere in MobLand is compelling. While the series takes itself far more seriously than The Gentlemen, that doesn’t mean that there’s a dour atmosphere. If you like gangster shows, you’ll inevitably find much to appreciate here.

Unfortunately, MobLand does fall prey to the habit of many popular TV shows nowadays, as the lighting is ridiculously dark most of the time, to the point where it becomes irritating. It’s understandable if the team behind the show didn’t want the shoot-outs to take place in well-lit rooms or broad daylight, but it results in many of the action scenes not being nearly as riveting as they could be.

Ritchie does have a handful of big-screen projects in the works (he’s been consistently churning out a movie or two since 2019), but with MobLand, he proves that he can show off his range on the small screen as well. The series’ initial two episodes get off to a slower start before gradually speeding things up as the brewing mob war continues to escalate.

MobLand further comes to life whenever Brosnan and Mirren are on-screen. Both of the performers lean into what we typically expect from them, but it’s not long before we begin to lose trust in their characters. They are evil to begin with, despite what their cunning charisma may tell you, but their relationships with Harry, members of their family, and even their own partners are constantly called into question.

Much like Taylor Sheridan has demonstrated through shows like Yellowstone and Tulsa King, Ritchie has a real knack for making TV shows that’ll keep you invested. MobLand isn’t a grand reinvention of the gangster show, but it does offer plenty of twists and turns, paired with a magnetic cast that will have you eagerly anticipating every new episode.

– Courtesy: Collider.com