Mobland: Pacy UK gang saga entertains in spades
If action aplenty and a dash of baroque violence are your thing, then gang fam series Mobland will do the trick nicely.
In many ways, Mobland is a standard London-set geezer-gangster tale.
Over 10 punchy episodes we are plunged into the violent world of feuding rival gang families, the Harrigans and the Stevensons.
It's not surprising, given the subject matter and the style, that Guy Ritchie is on board as one of the executive producers and directors.
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But what Mobland does have, alongside a terrific cast, is pace and it entertains in spades.
Much of the story revolves around Harrigan family fixer Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy). He has to keep the wheels on as Conrad Harrigan (Pierce Brosnan) and wife Maeve (Helen Mirren) become increasingly, and at times hilariously, unhinged as the war with the Stevensons escalates.
The simmering inter-family feud is reignited when Tom, the son of Stevenson gang head Richie, is found murdered after a drug-fuelled night on the town with cocky, psychotic grandson Eddie Harrigan.
L-R Helen Mirren as Maeve Harrigan , Pierce Brosnan as Conrad Harrigan and Anson Boon as Eddie Harrigan in Mobland.
Luke Varley
Hardy is good here as Da Souza, a man who goes about his business with the quiet efficiency of a corporate exec – albeit one who can calmly machine gun down a dozen mobsters in one sitting.
Brosnan and Mirren (who both appeared in British classic gangster flick The Long Good Friday four decades ago) are in full scenery-chew mode as the patriarch and matriarch of a crime family starting to unravel at the seams as the betrayals, retributions and body count mounts.
If action aplenty, a dash of baroque violence and a sprawling gang family saga are your thing, you’ll find much to enjoy in Mobland.
Helen Mirren as Maeve Harrigan and Pierce Brosnan as Conrad Harrigan in Mobland.
Luke Varley/Paramount+
Don't watch it if... a chainsaw used contrary to manufacturer guidelines offends.
If you like Mobland, what should you watch next?
Slow Horses: Mick Heron's novels have been turned into this instant classic, which stars Garry Oldman as the splendidly scrofulous spy master Jackson Lamb. (Prime)
Dope Girls: Set in roaring ‘20s London, a group of women decide they can run clubs and cocaine as well as any man. (TVNZ+)
Kin: More crime shenanigans as tight-knit Dublin gang fam the Kinsellas go to war with arch rivals the Cunnighams. (TVNZ+)
