Gangs of London - TV Series Review

Gangs of London tells an underworld story of London’s paths torn apart by power struggles among international gangs. That starts with a violent gang war as Londons most powerful crime family gets hit by violence when its head is assassinated. Weaving the lives of many crime families together, the plot gives a birds eye view of Londons crime landscape. The series features themes of power, loyalty and revenge in a criminal world. Each episode is a continuation of suspense and betrayal with razor thin trust within a world, taking us where we least expect. Gritty, intense mood of Gangs of London coupled with underlying tension makes viewers nervous. The first thing about the show is that it incorporates violence and intrigue so effectively, it really does capture the rotten attraction of gangster living. It asks how much do power cost and what is the real price of betrayal, with a dark and deftly thoughtful take.

The ensemble cast shines with solid performances but Joe Cole and Sope Dirisu shine above all with thoughtful characters. As the heir to the criminal empire, Joe Cole is vulnerable and ruthless. While depth is brought to his character than duty and morality, Sope Dirisu does. Supporting Michelle Fairley, Lucian Msamati and Brian Vernel lend even more poignancy to the narrative with their awesome performances,

The direction by Corin Hardy, Gareth Evans and Xavier Gens is equally magnificent, crafting complex action sequences without ill effect on the latter. Visual storytelling is used effectively by the directors to give the series an emotional depth. Their direction keeps the scenes moving and engaging, with the best use of close ups and wide shots used creatively to get across the personal and broad aspects of the story.

The Gangs of London sound score is prepared sufficiently for its more than capable atmosphere with a mosaic of orchestral scores and current tracks. The soundtrack accentuates emotion and increases the poignancy for certain moments, building forth the force of the narratives overall tension. Its a beautiful combination of music and visuals, every bit of it seems to be skillfully interwoven to make an enjoyable viewing for the audience.|Diggin Londons rhythm is out of this world. Its not on sampladelica but it deserves to be.| With his inventive, evocative camera work, he not only heightens the storytelling but draws the makers in the viewer’s world and thereby reader into the world of crime and power. Further enhanced with lighting and color use, there is a sense of war between light and shadow in the series’ narrative, between the opposing gang territories as well as across each one, and production design is both painstakingly crafted and highly authentic. The detail in each of the environments is layered and makes them believable and immersive, from luxurious crime dens to derelict city scape. This attention to detail in the story we are seeing adds even more authenticity to the storyline and helps draw one more into the world that the crime riddled one they are seeing on screen.

They are not overdone as special effects to make the action to appear in all it’s best magnificent glory rather they are used temporarily when needed for the subject. The gritty realism to this series is contributed to by how violently some scenes are depicted. The effects play into the necessary scare, without going quite to the excess of gratuitous violence; and the editing of Gangs of London is sharp and tight, at a precisely brisk clip that carries the viewer along. Since the storyline is very complex, there are no transitions between scenes that aren’t smooth, making the continuity and the coherence of the storyline. The editing team manoeuvers well between action filled sequences and introspection, allowing the story to breathe without sacrificing pace.

The pacing of the show is perfectly built, increasing the tension and tension as we go along. It moves fast but enough for character development and intricacies of the plot. This judicious pacing keeps the viewer in awe, and the story gets more perilous and controversial with each episode.|The dialogues are crisp and impactful and they spell out the essence of the motivation and conflict of each character. Short, tense lines are used in the script, while longer dialogues are deployed to give the casualties and alliances their finer details. The language is very realistic and this reality gives a bit of authenticity to the series showing how the London underworld works.

Gangs of London is a fantastic show in a lot of areas but you might not like the sometimes hyperbolic violence. While excellently shot some of the sequences are simply overextended and take a slight toll from the flow of the narrative. Not to mention, the violence they focus on can sometimes overshadow the development of a solid series character.

Gangs of London is an engrossing series that immerses itself into the dirty underworlds of international gang warfare. Good combination of powerful performances, amazing visuals and strong stories makes it an unforgettable experience. It’s not for the faint of heart, but crime drama devotees will enjoy it as a marksman on power and loyalty.