GANGS OF LONDON S2: E1/E2 Review: Tragedy And Betrayal Trigger Gangland Reckoning
Two years since the creators of the hit series Gangs Of London brought forth the fire and tumult with an explosive and pulsating first season, they’re back with a new round of episodes that now looks to ante things up with even more compelling story progression that puts our characters to a test of their wills and gumption.
It’s important to bear in mind, however, that the show’s new season two campaign is very careful in keeping things cohesive and sustained, and with folks like Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery at the drawing board, the smart play was definitely to keep the momentum going with a spectacular red-band trailer last month, with footage enticing enough to keep fans of the series hooked and curious.
With the show’s UK premiere already underway, Film Combat Syndicate – based in the U.S. – can help preview the first two episodes ahead of its upcoming run next month on AMC+. For this, we turn to director Corin Hardy’s work on the first two episodes of the series, continuing with a bit of a time lapse between now and last season as we catch up on a city of gangsters left in disarray following the collapse of the Wallace crime family following the death of its heir, Sean, played by actor Joe Cole in the first season.
With the gangs each looking to take advantage, the city’s investors have brought in a new enforcer – a Georgian weapons dealer named Koba (Waleed Zuaiter) to keep order between the gangs. That leaves the Algerians and Albanians in a bit of a pickle following a weapons deal gone awry, while Elliot – played by Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù – an undercover cop previously tasked with infiltrating the Wallace family, finds himself working as a gun-for-hire for the city’s investors.
Lucian Msamati returns as Dumani family patriarch, Ed Dumani, once the right-hand man of Sean’s late father, Finn, and still a man of influence to this day as he treads between the interests of each family; In no short order, there are certainly some interests shared within his own family, including by Shannon (Pippa Bennett-Warner), his fresh-out-of-prison daughter, and son Alexander (Paapa Essiedu), afflcted by Sean’s death and whose ambitions may prove him to be way in over his head.
With all these in Ed’s wake, it isn’t too long before the strength of his influence gets abundantly tested following the events of episode one, between a gun deal gone awry, and coping with a personal tragedy of his own. Almost immediately tied is the return of actress Michelle Fairley as the Wallace matriarch, Marian, who is seemingly well past grieving and eagerly plotting her agenda far and away from the city’s bustling affairs, as well as Brian Vernel as Sean’s older brother, Billy, who finds himself in an opportune moment to avenge his brother in a mission that could jeopardize everything he knows and loves.
Season two was filmed during the second year of the pandemic, which sort of makes it feel like it’s been longer than it should have before this new season came about. Similarly, the story in the second season kind of feels the same way, which almost suits the show’s mood given what events arise this time around. The departure of Sean Wallace is surely felt as we follow what remains of Elliot’s arc as he fights to reunite and save his father, as well as anyone else he can help spare as the deadly criminal underbelly resurfaces on the streets with gang warfare on the horizon. That, of course, means more blood gets spilled, and courtesy of the stylings of Hardy and creators Evans and Flannery, the violence erupts with copious amounts of the red stuff to accommodate.
Point-blank range executions and gun battles in broad daylight, suicidal jumps, violent home invasions, and a oner of a violent assault on a laundromat in Istanbul before we see Elliott going toe-to-to with a portly Turk gangster are some of the high marks you’ll see in the action that ensues. Between these and a few surprises that emerge, what you get in these first two episodes is a swift, brutal and sweeping taste of what’s to come as season two finishes out, and if it’s anything like what the trailers have shown, there’s no question that season two of Gangs Of London is gonna recapitulate firmly on a high note.
Gangs Of London is now available in the UK streaming all episodes as a Sky Original on Sky Atlantic, and on streaming service NOW. The series will stream exclusively in the U.S. on AMC+ beginning November 17.
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!