In another of his typical tough-guy roles, Tom Hardy plays the “fixer” for a mob that’s led by Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. This series focuses on two warring crime families with lots of threatening conversations and a few violent moments. Guy Ritchie directed the first 2 eps to establish the brutal approach to the interactions and the action. The showrunner is Ronan Bennett, whose “Day of the Jackal” (Peacock) is one of the season’s best new shows (my review). This series isn’t as compelling, although it’s fun to see Brosnan and, even more so, Mirren play evil. Hardy gruffs his way as usual. The moments of violence are surprisingly more subdued and off-camera than expected, leaving those scenes less riveting. The thing that makes this series worth the watch is Mirren’s evil character. Otherwise, it doesn’t offer anything new in the genre and it’s been done better before. (Review based on 8 out of 10 eps with three full seasons announced). 
(3 / 5)
