Review by John Delia
Being released on Blu-ray and DVD, the gutsy TV Series Gangs of London pulls together a fine cast and direction crew. Action packed and very dramatic it’s a reminder of films like Gangs of New York and The Godfather. But, make no mistake, this hard hitting crime thriller is definitely worth a watch all on its own.
The bases of the first season is the killing of Finn Wallace, head of the Wallace crime family and supreme leader of the other gangs that thrive in London, England. This killing happens in the opening chapter. The rest of the episodes concern finding of his killer, reason for the kill and how the gangs react to their new leader Sean Wallace. The episodes are marked with a lot of violence while working its way to a reasonable resolve in the finale.
The main cast of characters include the Wallace family with Colm Meaney as Finn whose character gets fleshed out intermittently in flash backs. His Wife Marian, played by Michelle Fairley, is the family matriarch and rules with an iron fist over her children Sean (Joe Cole) and Billy (Brian Vernel). While Sean is the dominant member, Billy does bring a lot of support to the Wallaces.
In a devoted partnership with the Wallaces are the Dumani family. Its the result of an early relationship when Finn immigrated to London and met Ed (Lucian Masamati). Starting the “business†together, Ed is the strength and the protection needed to exist among the other gangs that inhabit all of London and nearby Little Albania. His daughter Shannon (Pippa Bennett Warner) hides behind Alexander’s big shadow, but still has some power. Her brother Alexander (Paapa Essiedu) provides some of the muscle for the Wallaces.
But the high strung character Elliott Finch, well played by Sope Dirisu, leads all the action as the tempo increases while he investigates who killed Finn. A soldier for the Wallace associate Jim (David Bradley), a drug trafficker, Finch worms his way into Sean’s confidence. Without getting too deep into the story, let’s say that Finch has a plan that could affect the whole outcome.
Bonus Features on the DVD and Blu-ray include:
“An Inside Look at The World†The Families, The Action, The Power, The Soldier
“Anatomy of an Action Scene: Pub Fight & Elliot vs Len†(featuring commentary from Gareth Evans)
Gangs of London has been rated TV-MA and includes; sex/nudity, violence, profanity, intense gruesome scenes, male frontal nudity and drug use. If you like brutal and mafia type films this is a perfect match for you. For the acting, production value and direction, I give the series a 4 out of 5 stars.
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Michelle Fairley, Lucien Msamati, Valene Kane, Joe Cole, and Brian Vernel
Created by: Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery
Genre: Drama, Crime, Action
MPAA Rating: TV-MA, sex/nudity, violence, profanity, intense scenes, male frontal nudity and drug use
Running Time: Season One 9 Episodes approx.1 hr. each
Video Release Date: July 20, 2021
Language: English (British)
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Subtitles: English SDH
Number of Discs: 3 discs
Distributed by: RLJE Films
Released on: DVD, Blu-ray