Power is up for grabs as two warring crime families clash in a battle that threatens to topple empires. In the crossfire stands Harry Da Souza, a street-smart ‘fixer’ who knows too well where loyalties lie when opposing forces collide.
“MobLand” doesn’t just invite you into London’s crime scene-it drags you into a room and smirks, knowing someone isn’t going to walk out. Sitting front and center of the series is cunning Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy), a star fixer who works for the Harrigans, an all-powerful crime family led by powerful leader Conrad Harrigan (Pierce Brosnan) and his quick-to-anger wife Maeve (Helen Mirren).
When a conflict between the family and its rivals spirals out of control, Harry is tasked with keeping it contained, handling volatile family members, and staying a few steps ahead of those for whom violence is both a way of life and a badge of honor. That’s all you need to know before you press play. The real joy is watching alliances shift, threats form, and inoffensive conversations turn into a test of wills.
Hardy is perfect as Harry, who is always one step ahead and never needs to boast about being smarter than anyone in the room. Hardy infuses the fixer with a calm, observant presence that makes him dangerous even when he isn’t moving. And he certainly doesn’t have to tell you he’s the toughest guy in the room; Hardy relays this through blunt exchanges, sharp eyes, and Harry’s aura of already contemplating the worst that can happen.
Brosnan, too, does excellent work as the charismatic, menacing crime kingpin, indulging in the role’s theatricality without losing the threatening undercurrent. Considine’s character work adds a frenzied intensity to the otherwise sophisticated family life, while Mirren is confidently stoic as the wife whose composure cloaks a steel core. Put these talents at the table together, and even the family dinner becomes a declaration of war.
While the first episodes are helmed and executive-produced by Guy Ritchie and boast a darkly comedic tone and kinetic action sequences, the grime and film noir styling of the London underworld make “MobLand”’s mafia empire feel dirty and dangerous, yet still appealing. But it’s not just about the heavy gunfire; it’s about immersing yourself in the atmosphere.
The episodes breathe, letting silence settle over tense encounters and building anticipation as characters test others’ resolve and words become veiled threats. The action is sharp, but downtime to gather tension makes the show all the more interesting and exciting.
The soundtrack also boosts the show, which features tunes from bands such as Fontaines D.C., The Prodigy, Idles, Arctic Monkeys, and The Stones.
The song choices are hardly normal, and they’ll make you want to say, “This is the way we like it.”
Yet, there are moments where the story takes too long to give up its plans; there’s another ridiculously epic development coming, and you’ll notice the bloodlines of the gangs flow throughout the story. The characters’ motivations aren’t always clear, especially when egos, greed, suspicion, and destruction collide. The actors are also bigger than life in a way that may not sit well with people who prefer tight-knit crime storytelling.
But don’t expect this from “MobLand”-that’s not its selling point.
It’s a show with high scale, insidiousness, humor, arresting actors, and a high risk of violence. Everything is just a little over-the-top, and that’s part of what makes it so good. Luckily, the show knows how good it is to see talented stars threaten, cajole, and scheme against each other in elegant rooms.
“MobLand: Season One” combines that high status with a highly stylized show and contributes to the compelling legacy of blockbuster crime series. Brodyed, sharp dialogue, explosive action, suffocating anticipation, and arguably the best soundtrack since “Deadwood” make for highly bingeable television.
Now available on DVD
10k
20k
1.5k
2.2k