Gangs of London (2020) Review

A spiders web of lies, money, power and plenty of violence, Gangs of London is a series, backed by Sky, it charts the fallout of the death of the English capital’s most powerful criminal and the ripples it caused, told through the eyes of undercover officer/Wallace family henchman Elliot Finch (Sope Dirisu).

Created in partnership by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery, this show was honestly something exceptional. The narrative, though I did feel a little let down by the ending and the lack of closure it provided, the ride it took to reveal the truth behind Finn Wallace’s (Colm Meaney) murder were largely well crafted. To give the review some context I’ll try and relay the plot (wish me luck): beginning with the murder of Finn by the hand of two teenage Welsh travellers, unaware of the gravity of their hit contract when they carry it out. Finn, rose to the top of the criminal underworld after starting as a young Irish immigrant with friend Ed Dumani (Lucian Msamati), as the me grew together and forged their own families the Dumani’s and Wallace’s merged with time though not by blood. Regardless, the children have now reached adulthood and Finn, dissatisfied with his family life begins an affair with Florianna who’s now pregnant with his baby was set to leave and start afresh with her husband. Reeling from the murder the Welsh teens are sent into hiding as Sean (Joe Cole) takes the reigns of the Wallace organisation, halting business till he finds the killer. This brings about some tension as the Dumani’s backed by the faceless investors make moves to seize control of things. Elliot Finch, our lead character takes his chances at Finn’s funeral and, after a grizzly affair in a local pub, proves himself of worth to Sean by returning the missing family driver (Emmet J. Scanlan). In the process of Elliot rising the ranks, we learn of his police career and his intentions of building a case around the gangs. Sean in his ruthless flipping of every possible stone brushes shoulders with: Albanians, politicians, Kurdish, Pakistanis, Danish Mercenaries, Nigerian gangsters and Yardies (plus a whole lot more). After the motives are revealed, Elliot succeeds in protecting the innocent members of the family and is charged with taking out Sean to prevent the implosion of the organisation.

With that out of the way, the analysis can begin. The narrative is very high concept, initially seeming mostly linear it channels Pulp Fiction in some of its strands and throws all concepts of chronology out fo the window, though in fairness they do later take shape. Having watched this with the family, I can’t testify to the show having that ‘Watercooler effect’, everybody wanted to binge it, keep Pace and discuss every aspect. Now what I’m about to say next might be contentious But I typically find that kind of hype if you will does translate to there being some level of quality, in regards to narrative/fictional drama at least. Circling back to the narrative it’s experimental aspects are used to serve the purpose of full immersion, though oddly more in line with Sean rather than the actual protagonist Elliot, which seems To be a misstep by the creators.

The narrative aside Gangs of London’s starring qualities are it’s character and action. When considering only the big hitters of Sean and Elliot, the depth of these characters is exceptional. Joe Cole’s performance is top tier, his vocal tone and accent is extremely chilling and the former Peaky Blinders star gives a complex, layered performance of a grieving and vengeful Sean. His counterpart Elliot Is equally as good, with his duality of life being put to screen the show manages to to clearly flesh out the relationships he has in both and often crossing each side of the character to a perfect effect. His past gives him a clear motivation and it’s rewarding to see him develop over the runtime. Furthermore, his ‘human side’ if you will, allows for an often crucial release from the very heavy drama that makes for the majority of the show. As far as I’m aware this is Sope Dirisu’s maiden outing in a lead role and he handles it exceptionally well. Outside of those, the supporting cast are equally complex and detailed with each one (save from the investors) having some kind of cross over with one of the two leads, you get a strong sense of what they are in the game for and what their goals are.

Action, an element of film that Gareth Evans has become a master of vis his Raid films, and that brutal choreography transfers here. No holds barred is perhaps the best way of putting it, from a glance at the trailers/the opening scene of a man being burnt alive whilst interrogated is all you need to know about the mind of graphic nature on screen. Reminding me to some degree of Nicolas Winding Refn only with a more violent and noticeable camera, the show really prides itself on a few major set pieces that were incredibly visceral and stomach churning, whilst also remaining necessary to the plot. Three instances spring to mind instantly: the pub based brawl, storming of the traveller camp or the Welsh barn sequence they’re relentless action fests. You won’t regret watching the shiw or these scenes alone (unless of course you’re squeamish/faint hearted). That in mind though I think Evans’ filmography as a whole is just an example to aspiring filmmakers how to film/approach action sequences, especially ones that serve the plot in some sense.

As for negatives, I can’t find many to be fair, save from the ending (Spoilers Ahead) Sean being executed by Elliot and the latter receiving diplomatic immunity was a turn some might enjoy but frankly I found it cheapened all that came before.

In all, Gangs of London, was an exceptionally well crafted TV series and deserves your attention.