Why Aren’t More People Talking About MobLand?
It stars Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren in the lead roles – why aren’t we talking about it enough?
I wasn’t even aware of MobLand’s existence when I chanced upon on JioHotstar. 9 episodes in and just one more to go, it’s safe to say I’m gobsmacked by not just the show’s brilliance but also by the lack of adequate buzz around the show in India.
It stars Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren in the lead roles – why aren’t we talking about MobLand enough?
Created by Ronan Bennett, MobLand is that quintessential British crime drama that’s so much more than bad guys doing bad guy things. Tom Hardy is Harry, a fixer for the rich, powerful and morally bankrupt Harrigan family, led by the patriarch, Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and his equally conniving wife, Maeve (Helen Mirren). There Conrad empire has sons, grandsons, the whole shebang, and as it always is the case, they’re all up to no good.
The Harrigan family also has business rivals waiting to envelope everything they have. It’s a dog eats dog world and bullets and bludgeons is the name of the game, and Hardy’s Harry is been tasked with both protecting the Conrads and also getting them out of the mess they’ve made.
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It’s quite a thankless job, if you were to ask me, and Harry is doing it at the cost of his own marriage, and you’re often led wondering if it’s even worth it. But Hardy is so good, you can never quite make up your mind.
Amidst the million twists and turns, sinister deeds and scaling tensions, what keeps the show going are the fabulous direction and top-notch performances.
There are a total of four different directors – Guy Ritchie, Anthony Byrne, Daniel Syrkin and Lawrence Gough – at the helm of things for two-three episodes each, and each of them brings his own distinctive style. And somehow it all adds up and you never get any hint of unevenness or a disconnect between episodes.
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Then there are those outstanding performances.
What a treat it is to watch Pierce Brosnan (my favourite Bond btw!) in a meaty role after a while. Then there’s Helen Mirren who’s having so much fun with her character. The other standouts from the cast are Anson Boon as Eddie Harrigan and Joanne Froggatt as Harry’s not-so-silently suffering spouse, Jan.
But, of course, it’s Hardy who gets the central part and he is in complete control here. In my opinion, the actor doesn’t always get enough credit for his performances. Just this morning I was having a heated conversation with my colleague regarding Hardy’s performances, reminding him just how good the actor can be when he gets the right part. And with Harry, the actor finds that sweet spot between restraint and rage, every single time. Harry isn’t always violent, and you like him just as much when he’s holding back despite the circumstances around him. When he does go all-out, you find yourself rooting for him since you know there’s not much else he could’ve done.
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The last time I enjoyed Hardy’s work to this extent was his brief yet brilliant turn in Peaky Blinders. Yes, I know there’s also been the Venom franchise but those star-serving movie rarely allow most actors to do much else aside from fan-service. But there’s no such thing happening in MobLand, and that’s what makes it so arresting.
I’d suggest you binge on it right away, just in time for the season finale next week. You don't want to miss this one!