Over the course of the past few years, I have been slowly introduced to the filmography of Gareth Evans. From V/H/S/2, Apostle and the well-loved The Raid franchise, Evans has proven he is a crafty filmmaker with a distinctly brutal approach to action scenes and composition. Gangs of London, to my best knowledge, is his first venture into TV territory and from what the first episode of Gangs of London shows off, it might be a journey well worth taking for both him and his audience.
Perhaps it's best to get the weaker elements cleared out first. Episode one is admittedly uneven at times and extremely tumultuous. There are moments where you feel Evans struggling to contain the violence in favour of dragging out the dialogue further. While the plot is made pretty clear by the end, the writing drops you into what feels like the premiere to season two. Some characters, names and deeds don't click instantly and take a little deciphering to piece together. These are just minor gripes, because even with these issues plaguing the opening minutes, there are plenty of hooks that both these characters and the plot sinks in.
At its core, however, the show feels already quite mature. It has a layered world populated with interesting, multi-faceted characters. There is also plenty for these players to do as the plot shifts its focus. Then again, Gareth Evans fans came for those fight scenes and there are a handful of them, all particularly memorable and yes, innovative and very, VERY bloody. The handheld, yet tight-framed sequences have some excellent stunt-work involved and do a good job showcasing what (hopefully) this show will deliver.
It's never a bad time for a gritty look into a seedy criminal underworld. Between said underworld being riddled with interesting characters and some grisly action scenes, "Gangs of London" is off a strong start.
Perhaps it's best to get the weaker elements cleared out first. Episode one is admittedly uneven at times and extremely tumultuous. There are moments where you feel Evans struggling to contain the violence in favour of dragging out the dialogue further. While the plot is made pretty clear by the end, the writing drops you into what feels like the premiere to season two. Some characters, names and deeds don't click instantly and take a little deciphering to piece together. These are just minor gripes, because even with these issues plaguing the opening minutes, there are plenty of hooks that both these characters and the plot sinks in.
At its core, however, the show feels already quite mature. It has a layered world populated with interesting, multi-faceted characters. There is also plenty for these players to do as the plot shifts its focus. Then again, Gareth Evans fans came for those fight scenes and there are a handful of them, all particularly memorable and yes, innovative and very, VERY bloody. The handheld, yet tight-framed sequences have some excellent stunt-work involved and do a good job showcasing what (hopefully) this show will deliver.
It's never a bad time for a gritty look into a seedy criminal underworld. Between said underworld being riddled with interesting characters and some grisly action scenes, "Gangs of London" is off a strong start.
