In April 2020, a new crime drama premiered in the UK, which could compete for the title of the darkest spectacle. Over the course of 9 episodes, the British authors “killed” a bunch of characters in various ways, without forgetting about the dramatic component.
There is nothing surprising here, because the showrunner of the series is Gareth Evans, the director of the world-famous Indonesian action films “The Raid” and “The Raid 2”. This trilogy became famous all over the world for its many tough and uncompromising scenes, so Evans had only to implement what he is good at in new settings. Together with him, the director's chair was shared by Corin Hardy (“The Nun's Curse”) and Xavier Jean (“The Alphabet of Death”), people very experienced in the genre of action films.
The main roles were played by mainly British actors of various caliber, including faces familiar from the TV series “Black Mirror”, “Sharp Visors” and “Game of Thrones”: Joe Cole, Sope Dirisu, Lucian Msamati, Brian Vernel. Also in one of the key roles was Irish veteran Colm Meaney, known for the films “Law Abiding Citizen” and “Cursed United”.
London, present day. After the unexpected murder of a major crime boss, Finn Wallace (Meany), the city risks being plunged into a gang war. In his place, the deceased is succeeded by his younger son, Sean (Cole), an impulsive young man who threatens to completely upset the fragile balance of the criminal world.
Sean, who is determined to find his father's killers at any cost, is being tried to be restrained by Finn's right-hand man, the experienced Ed (Msamati). But it will not be easy, because gangs of thugs are already circling the Wallace family business: Albanians, Pakistanis, Kurds, Nigerians, Chinese and representatives of other criminal clans. The so-called Irish gypsies, also known as “pavees”, are also involved in the case. All this obscurantism gradually turns into a bloody vinaigrette, which Sean is helped to deal with by his mysterious ally Elliott (Dirisu). But the more time passes, the more obvious it becomes: not everyone will survive.
The series “Gangs of London” can be called a mixture of “Pointy Peaks” and “Big Dipper”. The aesthetics of modern criminal Britain are intertwined here with brutal fights and dramatic backstage intrigues. Most of the characters have “pianos in the bushes”, and some of these pianos play not very beautiful music. But everything secret eventually becomes obvious, and therefore the number of those killed increases in proportion to the serial number of each subsequent series.
The staging of the fight scenes is done in the style of the same Indonesian “Raid”: tooth-crushing fights and deafening gunfights continuously replace each other. At the same time, the authors do not forget about the disclosure of the characters, most of whom can hardly be accused of “cardboardness” or lack of depth.
Some characters, who initially arouse antipathy, will gradually win the sympathy of the audience. Others, on the contrary, will ruin their reputation in the most disgusting way. “All people lie,” as Dr. House once rightly observed, and this statement applies to “Gangs of London” in the most direct way.
A minimum of humor and a maximum of gloom are other distinctive features of this series. Of course, at certain moments there are some logical inconsistencies, but overall, the writers can be praised for their work: the plot turned out to be quite fascinating.
“Gangs of London” ratings were the highest among the British audience since “Chernobyl”, so it's no surprise that the series was renewed for a second and third season. Moreover, the creators haven't buried all the characters yet, which means there's something to strive for!
The second season premiered in the UK on October 20, 2022. It takes place a year after the first season finale, with London redrawn and a brutal new “order” looming over the city. Additional forces are on the scene, from Algerians to Georgians, with the charismatic (and intimidating) Koba driving resistance from below. With Corinne Hardy taking over the day-to-day running of the show, the tone becomes even darker and the politics dirtier.
The third season was released in the UK on March 20, 2025. It consists of 8 episodes.
Here the stakes rise again: after a series of deadly incidents involving poisoned cocaine, the city is engulfed in a wave of paranoia and a “witch hunt,” and Elliot, no longer just a “mole,” is forced to choose between survival and conscience. The show adds new players and more openly shows the corruption that reaches the city hall. The fights remain signature — technically impressive, morally exhausting.
Джерело: ukr.media
