MobLand - Season 1

In MobLand, the son of a London criminal goes missing without a trace. A rival crime empire is blamed. Their fixer must pull out all the stops to prevent a devastating gang war. When a British crime series brings acting powerhouses like Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Tom Hardy, and Paddy Considine to the fore, you can expect something special. The script is penned by the experienced Jez Butterworth and Ronan Bennett, and Guy Ritchie is one of the directors. That's more than enough for me, and I settle in to watch with high expectations.

After watching the entire season, ten episodes later, I can wholeheartedly recommend this series. The storyline flows seamlessly and it never gets boring, unless you have a weak stomach for strong language, blood, and violence. In that case, you might want to opt for a tamer series.

The storyline progresses smoothly and it never gets boring.

The story is told from the perspective of the Harrigans, a crime empire that has dominated the scene for years. Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) is the rather deranged and ruthless leader of this family. However, it quickly becomes apparent that his deceptively frail wife Maeve (Helen Mirren) is the one truly pulling the strings. The rest of the family must follow the orders of this aging couple. Dissent is absolutely not tolerated.

The always fragile peace between the Harrigans and the Stevensons threatens to erupt into war when young Tommy Stevenson doesn't return home after a night out. His father Richie discovers that Eddy, the grandson of Conrad Harrigan, was the last person to see Tommy alive. Richie's already short temper quickly ignites when he receives no cooperation from the Harrigans in finding his son.

Amidst a sea of explosive characters and escalating situations, fixer Harry Da Souza (Tom Hardy) must do his utmost to keep all the Harrigans alive and prevent a bloody gang war. Through his unflappable nature, which can be both calming and highly threatening, he often manages to defuse situations just in time. However, if necessary, he does not shy away from using brutal force.

Sometimes I thought everyone in the Harrigan family wanted nothing more than to make things as difficult as possible for Harry. The police and Richie seemed to be overly knowledgeable about the Harrigans' secrets. Could there be a traitor in their midst? Paranoia quickly sets in at the Harrigan household, resulting in even more work for Harry.

To sum up: fans of Guy Ritchie's films will binge this series in no time. I, for one, enjoyed the entertaining story and the excellent acting.

The fan of Guy Ritchie's films will quickly finish watching this series as well.

Pierce Brosnan shows he can really act by giving his character a subtle undertone of madness. Helen Mirren imbues her character with a disturbing mix of calculation and unstable chaos that rivals that of Brosnan. Also, the intensely performing Geoff Bell, as the cunning Richie Stevenson, dominates every scene.

However, the one who truly got under my skin was Anson Boon. His portrayal of the arrogant Eddie Harrigan was almost too convincing. As a viewer, you sometimes want to strangle a character, and Eddie quickly fit that bill.

If I had to nitpick, it would be that Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan's Irish accents sometimes waver. Not every viewer will notice or find it bothersome, so it's a minor blemish on an otherwise shining record. Just go ahead and watch it.