MobLand

If “MobLand” feels familiar—the head of an organized crime family fighting for power within a global crime syndicate—well, at least the prickly character, terrific actors and sharp writing make it an engrossing watch nonetheless. And no one is more magnetic than Hardy as Harry.

At times, “Mobland” relies on savvy characters making really bad decisions, or missing something that should be immediately clear. (Joanna Froggatt’s Jan is particularly frustratingly obtuse more than once. Come on, Jan!) Still, every episode hums with furious action and devilishly funny dialogue.

Remains as clichéd as before—but also cartoonish enough to prove mildly engaging.

So far, Tom Hardy’s show is far more tolerable than Billy Bob Thornton’s or Jeremy Renner’s, if not quite as enjoyable as Sylvester Stallone’s, but it has plenty of time to move up or down in the rankings.

We’re giving a tentative recommendation to MobLand because of the cast and the show’s potential to go deep into its characters’ psyches. But we also wonder if this is just a generic mob drama with a prestige drama skin on it, which would be a big disappointment if that was the case.

MobLand comes across as a somewhat less distinctive version of recent British gangland dramas like Netflix’s Peaky Blinders and Sky Atlantic/AMC+’s Gangs of London. .... But so far it’s too early to tell what MobLand offers in terms of its own perspective.

Hardy is the star and provides 99 per cent of the entertainment value as Harry Da Souza. .... Less successful are, well, all the other characters. .... But it’s the tiresome Ritchie cliches that grate.

Great movie Tom Hardy is brilliant.A surprisingly good film with an engaging storyline.

Hardy's de Souza is irresistible. Hardy owns this show. An enjoyable gangster flick let down only by some poor casting choice. Eddie Harrigan is loathsome, but unbelievable. Brosnan & Mirren's Irish accents are a joke- cartoon diddly-aye Darby O'Gill bacon & cabbage leprechaun Riverdance. If you can get over that, which you probably can if you're not Irish, then this a thoroughly enjoyable UK gangster show. Those accents though. Wow! A betrayal of our history and country. Should have cast Ciara Hinds and Fiona Shaw.

In another of his typical tough-guy roles, Tom Hardy plays the “fixer” for a mob that’s led by Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. This series focuses on two warring crime families with lots of threatening conversations and a few violent moments. Guy Ritchie directed the first 2 eps to establish the brutal approach to the interactions and the action. The showrunner is Ronan Bennett, whose “Day of the Jackal” (Peacock) is one of the season’s best new shows. This series isn’t as compelling, although it’s fun to see Brosnan and, even more so, Mirren play evil. Hardy gruffs his way as usual. The moments of violence are surprisingly more subdued and off-camera than expected, leaving those scenes less riveting. The thing that makes this series worth the watch is Mirren’s evil character. Otherwise, it doesn’t offer anything new in the genre and it’s been done better before. (Review based on 8 out of 10 eps with three full seasons announced).

Mix a little Succession with a dash of Ray Donovan. Stir in a bit of Lock, Stock, and set it in the world of Top Boy. MobLand tries to mix up a new dish using proven recipes. The result, however, isn’t very convincing and suffers from over-the-top portrayals on many levels, which, in my opinion, severely undermines its overall credibility. Despite the star-studded cast, the acting, unfortunately, isn’t anything you absolutely have to see. But if you’re a fan of the genre and lower your expectations, the series is definitely worth watching. It won’t leave a lasting impression, though.

The best thing about this show is the cast, but there it stops. It is fine with mob stories that is rough and tough, but this is just dumb and lacks charm. I dont think there is any likeable characters, there is no one to root for, to many "cool" speeches, it drags on with that dreadful Eddie, and to use 8 hours with this lot and story is a waste of time. I rather watch Sporanos again, or watch Gangs of London instead of this.