Review of the series "Gangs of London" (2020) by Yuri Dudin

26.10.2020Yuri Dudin

"Gangs of London" is a crime action drama based on the game of the same name. The film adaptation does not pretend to reveal the real relationships between London gangs, and is not as realistic as the series "Peaky Blinders" with which some parallels are inevitably drawn, including due to the presence in the cast of one of the “visors” John Shelby plays Joe Cole ("Pre-dawn prayer"). "Gangs" rather simply claim to be one of the most spectacular TV shows of 2020, and maybe even of all time, thanks mainly to the action scenes for which he was responsible Gareth Evans - one of the showrunners. Evans' presence on the list of creators reflexively urges any action movie fan not to put off watching it.

This review contains a little copy-paste and a compilation from reviews on "Kinopoisk" which, in my opinion, most widely, eloquently and competently present information about this series. Links to full reviews will be provided at the end of the text.

Plot

All the big business of the city is concentrated in the hands of a criminal multinational coalition, united under the leadership of the native Englishmen from the Wallace family. All participants, in order to obtain favorable conditions for their enterprise, are forced to put up with the rules of the 'union' and maintain parity. But the accidental murder of Finn Wallace, the head of London's largest crime clan, becomes a trigger that will set off a series of events that entail irreversible consequences for the entire criminal world of London. This incident destabilizes the situation and the gangs have to either look for new ways to cooperate, or, taking advantage of the chaos, try to grab a bigger piece.

Each group operating in London has its own flavor and pursues specific goals. Some are trying to get into politics, some are sending money to help the liberation movement of their home country, some are just making cash from drugs, and some are African brethren in white trench coats who solve problems with huge machetes. Some are united by almost family ties, while others want to take revenge on their partners on ethnic grounds. And the son of the murdered Finn Wallace thirsts for revenge and is ready to drown the city in blood. And we will observe most of the gangster ups and downs from the positions of two key characters: newcomer Elliot and the leader of the London “brigade” Sean, who wants to avenge his father.

Opinion about viewing

Of course, the premise of the series is quite interesting, but, as in most cases, this does not guarantee a high degree of involvement in what is happening on the screen. What works in text doesn't always translate well to screen. And this is exactly the case. In any case, the series does not manage to maintain keen attention throughout the entire season, but only in fragments, and the action scenes, as well as their anticipation, are, as it were, the main factor in maintaining the viewer’s attention. Most people who watched this show agree on this opinion. As in the fact that John Cole does not suit the role of the son of a mafia leader and one of the main characters of the work. And the second (or first?) character in importance - Elliot, who infiltrated the gang, also does not evoke the feeling of a central figure who would be interesting to watch. It’s as if there are no main characters here, there is simply an interaction between different kinds of characters (and there are sooo many of them here), with whom you don’t want to empathize or feel sympathy. And this is the main disadvantage of the series. I myself want to send these “heroes” to their forefathers as soon as possible.

Trying to embrace the immensity, the scriptwriters choked on their own saliva and drowned the main character in it. Everyone positions Sean Wallace as 'dangerous', 'unpredictable', but in reality, we are shown a weak, confused, lost without his father's firm hand, a teenager with a deranged, traumatized psyche. He is hysterical, inconsistent, but the worst thing (for a villain) is that he has no charm. In Peaky Blinders, John Shelby had the image of a bright scumbag: an impudent young face, a cold squint, a permanent toothpick in the corner of his mouth, a haircut in the style of Emelka Pugachoff, and a stylish cap. Add here a colorful background in the face of assorted gypsy bandits, and voila - we have one of the most memorable images of a film bandit in English TV series. IN 'Gangs of London' it turns out that the cold gaze from under half-lowered eyelids (like an ice cream pike perch) is the only acting technique that he knows Joe Cole. He always has the same expression on his face. Yes, in one of the scenes, he manages to squeeze snot out of his nose and hang it on his upper lip, but this does not make him an actor. And the second main character Elliot, who at first gives the impression of a very cool, brutal and invincible man, ends up showing us too vulnerable and rag-tag. He, as a character, lacked some kind of balance in his character so that such opposing qualities as hardness and softness would look more organic and interesting.

What is also characteristic of this series is that there are too few contrasts in it and it takes place in a rather monotonous, heavy, depressive and monotonous mood, and we are asked to sympathize with psychopaths, murderers, sadists, terrorists, blacks and homosexuals. The series is practically devoid of positive moods and characters, not counting a few minor personalities who appeared in some episodes. Because of this, one gets the impression of watching one of the episodes of the program “In the World of Animals,” although comparing characters with animals is quite insulting towards the animals themselves, since animals kill only out of their natural instincts to survive - you won’t find sadists among them and offended scumbags, but here there are a dime a dozen, including among the main characters. Someone will say that these are the gangs of London, it cannot be otherwise, but in "Peaky Blinders" even bandits have a code of honor and at least some kind of morality. However, this is a matter of taste.

Among the advantages, one can note, first of all, the nuclear action. This is pure water "Raid", except perhaps without the participation of martial artists. The same style of filming, camera work and editing, readability of what is happening, brutality, bloodiness, originality and thoughtfulness of each scene with a lot of details, a lot of pyrotechnics and competent visual effects, a variety of confrontations and sophistication in the methods of murder. In general, it won't be boring.

This is not to say that there is a lot of action here, but when it happens, it inflates the adrenaline level for a long time. After the second half of the series, the amount of action, however, decreases, but the plot moves and resolutions of some lines become more interesting and action-packed. Potential viewers can be advised to be prepared for the 5th episode that he filmed Garett Evans, you will remember it for a long time for the quality of the production, and the sharpness of what is happening, which resembles a separate film outside the series and which gives a good break from the main characters who are already boring by the middle of the season (you would never see them again). This central episode can be said to be the saving grace for the entire series, which does not allow you to lose a few more points in your rating and watch it to the end.

Despite the fact that it is quite difficult to call this series a masterpiece, it calls for confident anticipation of the second season. Winner of FFI 2020 votes in the category "Best Action Series"?

Reviews used mariinna2018 и purehurt.

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Tags: gangs of london, Gareth Evans, Joe Cole, soap opera

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