Tag: Helen Mirren

Tom Hardy Shines in Mobland : A Crime Drama Review

Ladies and gentlemen, this is straight off the press. If you are going to watch one crime series this year, then let it be this one. First off you’ll recognize the list of truly great actors involved – Tom Hardy, Guy Richie, Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan.

The Series follows the coming and going of a family of Irish gangsters called The Harrigans. They are vicious, but it is to warm to them. Most, if not all the action revolves around Tom Hardy who plays Harry DaSouza, a loyal fixer for the family. He finds himself in different predicaments as he tries to get the family out of one mess after another. All the time, his own family are causing further difficulties.

From Wikipedia – The Harrigans, a London crime family, find themselves in a battle with the Stevensons that could end syndicates and their lives. Harry Da Souza is a street-smart and formidable fixer employed by the Harrigan family to navigate and mitigate the escalating conflict threatening their empire. As tensions between the families intensify, Harry is tasked with protecting the Harrigans’ interests and preventing an all-out gang war.

The series is gritty, full of violence and realistic twists. Da Souza is not portrayed as some sort of Superman, and the different stories seem plausible.

As usual, it’s hard to know what future series will be like. They may just get silly as sometimes happens. But Series 1 is a must see for raw drama and emotion. At times, it feels like a grand Shakespearean play. Watch it, whatever it takes. It get five stars out of five for me.

Review of The Duke (Film)

This film, that only recently became available on Sky Cinema, is a British comedy drama based on real life events. It was released to cinema in February 2022. It’s about a British taxi driver played by Jim Broadbent, self educated sixty year old Kempton Bunton who has recently been fired and steals a famous painting to try and further a socialist cause – that older persons shouldn’t have to pay their tv license. In that regard, it feels eerily contemporary.

It deals with the real life 1961 theft of “The Portrait of Wellington”. Generally, I love these films set in prior eras giving you a snapshot into what life was once like.

So is it any good? Well, yes and no. It’s quite slow to start but that does give you time to get to know the characters that bit better and what their different motivations are. Mr. Bunton’s daughter died a few years previously and he blames himself, trying to do good deeds to make some amends.

He is aided by his dutiful son who helps him in his exploits when he’s not chasing skirt.

The exasperated wife, who has buried her grief is played by played by Helen Mirren and she is brilliant as always. Just a pity role wasn’t a bit more challenging.

The film is quite funny at times, especially when it goes to trial. The intelligentsia meets the self taught man with his unusual answers to questions.

However, the film does have somewhat of a depressive feel to it for a comedy. Of course they have to show the why of what he did. And I don’t think it crosses the line into being a feel good film.

Therefore, I give this film three stars out of five.