‘MobLand’ Review: Tom Hardy and Pierce Brosnan Offer Mumbly Menace in Derivative Paramount+ Crime Thriller

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I haven’t looked forward to a Guy Ritchie project as eagerly since his film “Snatch” in the 2000s.

During that period, Ritchie had just experienced the breakthrough success of “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and was seen as one of the most innovative new talents in British filmmaking. However, after releasing “Snatch“, his career took a turn for the unconventional, marked by a series of hits and misses, with more misses than hits.

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Back then, Ritchie had recently enjoyed a breakout success with “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels“, earning him recognition as one of the most promising newcomers in British cinema. Following this, he released “Snatch“, which set the stage for a career full of surprises – more misses than hits, to be precise.

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In those days, Ritchie was basking in the glory of his sleeper hit, “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels“, making him one of the most exciting new voices in British cinema. After that, he delivered “Snatch“, launching a career characterized by both triumphs and stumbles (with more stumbles than triumphs).

All three options convey essentially the same meaning but use slightly different wordings and phrasing to achieve variety and ensure readability.

Surprisingly, I found myself thoroughly enjoying Ritchie’s 2024 Netflix series, “The Gentleman”. While my initial expectations were modest, given my lukewarm feelings towards the original content and Theo James as the lead, I was captivated by this action-packed series. It featured a dynamic blend of electrifying supporting roles and exhilarating action sequences that kept me hooked. Kaya Scodelario’s commanding performance at the heart of it all made it a truly compelling watch.

I found The Gentlemen to be such an enjoyable movie that it got me thinking if maybe television is Ritchie’s preferred storytelling platform. It definitely left me eager for his upcoming Paramount+ crime drama, MobLand.

Debuting this weekend, the series titled “MobLand” has a more subdued and less fast-paced feel compared to “The Gentlemen“. The cast is exceptional, with the second of only two episodes provided to critics showing hints of witty humor that felt refreshing. Instead of aiming for comparisons with “The Gentlemen“, “MobLand” seems like a slightly less unique take on contemporary British gangster dramas such as Netflix’s “Peaky Blinders” and Sky Atlantic/AMC+’s “Gangs of London“.

As a devoted cinema enthusiast, I’ve been captivated by the genre masterpieces from filmmakers like Mike Hodges (Get Carter), John Mackenzie (The Long Good Friday), and Neil Jordan (Mona Lisa). I’ve danced around their timeless classics with a certain degree of competence, but derivatively so. However, regarding the upcoming MobLand, it remains to be seen what unique perspective it brings to the table.

Ronan Bennett (author of “The Day of the Jackal”) and playwright Jez Butterworth co-authored at least the initial two episodes of the series known as MobLand. Meanwhile, Ritchie was responsible for directing both the opening chapters of the season.

The series is about the escalating war between two London-based crime families.

In this series, Pierce Brosnan portrays Conrad, the head of the Harrigan family, who hail from Ireland and carry their roots and dialect with them. As per usual in the genre, Conrad appears to be the one calling the shots; however, his wife Maeve (played by Helen Mirren) might just be the mastermind and driving force behind the family business, which seems heavily influenced by drug trafficking. The children of Conrad and Maeve, Kevin (Paddy Considine) and Brendan (Daniel Betts), as well as Conrad’s daughter Seraphina (Mandeep Dhillon), seem to play integral roles, along with Conrad’s lifelong friend Archie (Alex Jennings).

Trouble emerges as Anson Boon’s character Eddie, Kevin’s recklessly untidy son, experiences a chaotic night involving a club altercation resulting in a stabbing and the vanishing act of Richie Stevenson’s son, a key figure in his gangland adversary Conrad’s circle. Richie is on edge due to his concern over his missing child and his suspicion that Conrad might be encroaching upon his territories, and he has good reason to hold such concerns.

As events become more complicated, Conrad seeks help from Harry Da Souza, an old acquaintance of Kevin and a skilled negotiator in underhanded dealings. Apart from his expertise in covert maneuvers, Harry also excels in subtle threats and veiled intimidation. Despite having personal issues with his wife, Jan, he appears genuinely dedicated to preserving their marriage and supporting their teenage daughter. Therefore, it’s clear that he’s essentially a good man, or at the very least, someone who can mumble convincingly – which is about as much as Tom Hardy can manage in this role.

MobLand, originally born as a spin-off from Showtime’s Ray Donovan, has since established its own identity, although it retains the essence of its predecessor. This gritty drama revolves around a highly competent fixer who struggles to mend his own problems – a theme known as Vocational Irony. The series shares the same confident swagger and misleading testosterone-heavy atmosphere; it’s a tale about men engaging in manly pursuits, often through brutal violence. Interestingly, the most formidable characters in the show are its female counterparts, such as Maeve, Jan, Kevin’s wife Bella (Lara Pulver), Harry’s associate Zosia (Jasmine Jobson), and others.

The initial struggle that MobLand encounters lies in its ambiguity, a tactic often employed by writers to portray a gang of mobsters as antiheroes without fully exposing their daily criminal activities. This way, the audience doesn’t completely lose sympathy for them. However, when characters like Conrad discuss matters such as family ties to heroin or his ambitions in the fentanyl trade, it becomes challenging to keep the audience engaged. Thus, in the early stages, Conrad makes indirect references to their illicit activities, but it would be simpler if they simply avoided explaining how they earn a living altogether.

It’s debatable if the excessive number of writers or development executives failed to grasp what made “Breaking Bad” successful. Regardless, it seems that the show “MobLand” is a simplified, formulaic take on a crime drama. The storyline revolves around Conrad Harrigan, who is involved in illegal activities and aims to expand his operation into even more illicit, lucrative trades. However, one cannot help but wonder if he’s prepared to resort to violent actions to grow his empire?

What makes the “fixer” genre appealing is its specificity, as it allows us to enjoy watching skilled problem solvers who, fortunately, aren’t typically immersed in the harmful activities themselves. For instance, we wouldn’t want Harry to handle drug trafficking directly, but rather, he should exhibit clever and inventive strategies for helping Conrad navigate his challenges in starting a fentanyl business. In the initial episode, however, Harry’s approach could use some spice, mirroring the lack of excitement in Conrad’s enterprise.

The characters, or at least the actors playing them are much better.

Brosnan comes across as cold and threatening, but toward the end of the pilot, he has a peculiar conversation that ends with an extraordinary pig impression, hinting at various explanations for what drives this powerful individual. Alternatively, it could simply be Maeve causing him to react, with Mirren delivering another one of her signature cunning matriarch performances, reprising her over-the-top Irish accent from Paramount+’s “1923.” Indeed, Paramount+ might benefit from making Helen Mirren its corporate symbol, much like Chad Michael Murray was for The WB in its early days.

One of Hardy’s strengths – what made his portrayal in the Venom movies stand out more than the movies themselves – lies in his ability to convincingly play characters who are uneasy with their own identity, often giving the impression that they might peel off their skin to expose something hidden beneath. In this role, it’s unclear whether he’ll shed his disguise to reveal a wild animal or a caring family man, but Harry possesses the versatility to fit in both upper and lower class societies without truly belonging in either.

Thus far, only two episodes have given a limited understanding of most of the supporting roles. I appreciate how Boon is developing his typically unstable character, which seems like an extension of his Johnny Rotten from FX’s less remembered series, Pistol. Bell, often seen in Ritchie’s productions, provides a rough and intimidating contrast to Brosnan, who portrays a mobster without attempting to disguise his unsavory origins. Bell delivers some impactful scenes in the second episode, as do Jobson, Pulver, and Froggatt.

In the second installment, we don’t witness a significant shift or dramatic upgrade compared to the premiere, but it does deliver some captivating elements such as an expertly done car chase through the scenic Cotswalds, lengthy dialogues reminiscent of Butterworth’s theatrical past, and the initial instance where Hardy’s character, Harry, demonstrates a powerful break from his polite facade. This series doesn’t aim to be as quirky as “The Gentlemen,” but it showcases how the second episode can demonstrate the serious side of “MobLand” while still keeping audiences engaged. I’m eager to see how future episodes unfold, particularly those without Ritchie directing, as there’s certainly a lot of potential here – we just need more episodes to form a fair judgment for this review.

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2025-03-28 21:55