‘GANGS OF LONDON’ IS ACTION AT ITS BRUTAL BEST
LEE CHARLES, LEFT, AND SOPE DIRISU GO TOE-TO-TOE IN “GANGS OF LONDON.”
There’s a moment near the end of the debut episode of “Gangs of London,” the hyper-violent, sprawling crime saga co-produced by Gareth Evans, who made two of the greatest action movies of all time with “The Raid: Redemption” and “The Raid 2,” when things go from merely disturbed to frothingdog insane in a heartbeat.
Elliot Finch (Sope Dirisu), a low-level London hood with a secret, wants to make an impression on Sean Wallace (Joe Cole, “Peaky Blinders”), the scion of Britain’s premier crime family, who’s in a rage over who had the guts to gun down his drug-lord father, Finn (Colm Meaney), outside some dingy flat. Elliot has figured out there are a few guys down at a nearby pub who might have some answers — though they might take a little bareknuckle persuasion.
From the moment he pushes through the doors, that’s when “Gangs of London” — already available on premium AMC+ and debuting on regular AMC April 4 — goes completely off, as these last few minutes rank as one of the best action scenes staged for television. It’s pure Evans, who directed the first two episodes, at his most punishingly persuasive: a ballet of fists, feet and heads on hard wood that will even have casual viewers checking themselves for cuts and contusions. In other words, if you thought “Nobody” was off the rails, “Gangs of London” is over the embankment and down in the river. (Let’s not even mention the totally bananas faceoff Elliot has in episode two involving a half-naked guy and a cleaver.)
“Gangs of London,” has an uneasy path to walk, but it’s mostly successful at navigating it. On the one hand, it’s an absorbing drama about a wealthy, viciously unethical family on the cusp of generational change, as Finn’s death leaves a power vacuum. Think “The Godfather” or “Sucan cession.” Now, combine that with enough lethal firepower and martial-arts mano a mano to give Jason Statham pause, and you’ve got “Gangs of London.”
And just as it can be wantonly brutal, it can also be tortuously suspenseful, as in the opening 15 minutes, in which Wallace, on the hunt for his dad’s killer, is hanging some poor soul from a rooftop. It’s
agonizing way to kick off the series and a chilling counterpoint to the frenetic action at the episode’s end.
But even the moments not based on someone getting thrashed, or about to get thrashed, are fascinating for the picture of contemporary London they paint. See, the Wallaces are a blended family in the most obvious way possible. Finn, an Irish immigrant, and Caribbean immigrant Ed Dumani (Lucian Msamati), from groups looked down upon by upper-class Brits, decided to team up to build a criminal empire that would have all of London at their feet.
A generation later, they are a success, with sons Sean and Alexander (Paapa Essiedu, “I May Destroy You”), who were pretty much raised as brothers, ready to take over when the time comes. As with such other recent British series as Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” and Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You,” “Gangs of London” is set in an England that has little to do with any lingering “Downton Abbey” stereotypes. This is a different, multicultural Britain — with its mix of Albanians, Turkish Kurds, South Asians, Nigerians and Irish Travelers — and it’s loose-limbed, loud and alive.
Sure, the electric tension that courses through the best of “Gangs of London” doesn’t maintain itself through the entire nineepisode run. And, no doubt, some viewers who come for the solid ensemble acting in a gripping backstabbing family drama may be put off by the actual stabbing and vice versa.
“Gangs of London” was a raging success in the UK, and a second season has been ordered. Sadly, Evans won’t be directing any of the new season’s episodes, so who knows how it will compare. But, for now, Americans should just tune in, hang on and hold tight.