It's gangster business as usual in this four-part miniseries adaptation of a Martina Cole bestseller. The story, as it goes, is extremely derivative and straightforward: a somewhat psychotic young criminal is released from prison and immediately begins to go off the rails, killing off everyone he sees as an enemy and seriously messing up his family relations along the way. I'm not necessarily a big fan of this particular genre, and watching this miniseries, I remembered why: it's predictable. The gangster stuff might have been relocated to London's East End, but in all other respects it's completely familiar, using SCARFACE and a dozen other similar films as reference points to tell a small scale story. I guess there's only so much you can say when it comes down to it, and this doesn't say anything new at all.
Still, one thing distinguishes this from similar fare: it's got good acting in it, generally across the board. Yes, the majority of the characters are scummy, villainous, repulsive, or a combination of the three, but they're never less than realistic. Most of the cast are unfamiliar newcomers to me, other than stalwart Brian Cox playing a criminal kingpin stuck behind bars (the kind of role he can do in his sleep, to be honest). Best of the bunch is up 'n' comer, Tom Hardy, who went off to Hollywood after this, and it's easy to see why: his depiction of a multi-layered psychopath is absolutely fantastic, a gripping portrayal of madness and evil, and yet with inklings of humanity here and there that stop him from becoming totally one-sided. Hardy's the key that kept me watching this one.
Elsewhere, there's nasty violence, some fraught histrionics involving children, an extremely unpleasant rape scene, and a fitting climax. Sometimes the series feels stretched out, but for the most part it remains watchable, with good, realistic dialogue. I wasn't too happy with the ending, but I still enjoyed the journey there.
Still, one thing distinguishes this from similar fare: it's got good acting in it, generally across the board. Yes, the majority of the characters are scummy, villainous, repulsive, or a combination of the three, but they're never less than realistic. Most of the cast are unfamiliar newcomers to me, other than stalwart Brian Cox playing a criminal kingpin stuck behind bars (the kind of role he can do in his sleep, to be honest). Best of the bunch is up 'n' comer, Tom Hardy, who went off to Hollywood after this, and it's easy to see why: his depiction of a multi-layered psychopath is absolutely fantastic, a gripping portrayal of madness and evil, and yet with inklings of humanity here and there that stop him from becoming totally one-sided. Hardy's the key that kept me watching this one.
Elsewhere, there's nasty violence, some fraught histrionics involving children, an extremely unpleasant rape scene, and a fitting climax. Sometimes the series feels stretched out, but for the most part it remains watchable, with good, realistic dialogue. I wasn't too happy with the ending, but I still enjoyed the journey there.