MobLand TV Review: Tom Hardy is the fixer for Brosnan and Mirren in the Guy Ritchie-directed crime series

Originally a prequel to Ray Donovan, Ronan Bennett's series is an intriguing British-set crime saga. The post MobLand TV Review: Tom Hardy is the fixer for Brosnan and Mirren in the Guy Ritchie-directed crime series appeared first on JoBlo.

Mar 28, 2025 - 16:45

MobLand TV Review: Tom Hardy is the fixer for Brosnan and Mirren in the Guy Ritchie-directed crime series

Plot: Power is up for grabs as the Harrigans and Stevensons, two warring London crime families, clash in a kill-or-be-killed battle that threatens to topple empires and ruin lives. Caught in the crossfire is Harry Da Souza, the street-smart ‘fixer’ as dangerous as he is handsome, who knows too well where loyalties lie when opposing forces collide. As kingdom goes up against kingdom, lines will be crossed – and the only saving grace is a bet-your-life guarantee: family above everything.

Review: The Showtime series Ray Donovan ran for a solid seven seasons, with a feature film capping the story of the titular fixer and his familiar and professional connections. As the series concluded, a prequel was announced, evolving into the standalone series MobLand. Led by Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren, MobLand shares some of the hallmark elements that made Ray Donovan so popular as it continues to follow a fixer who works for a criminal syndicate rather than celebrities behaving badly. With direction from Guy Ritchie, MobLand is a solid gangster drama chock full of British slang and pop culture references that has the potential to become an intriguing alternate take on the formula made famous by series ranging from The Sopranos to Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen, boosted by the massive star power of the three leads.

MobLand follows a similar dynamic as Ray Donovan, with Tom Hardy leading the cast as Harry Da Souza, the fixer for the Harrigan family. Led by Conrad Harrigan (Pierce Brosnan) and his wife Maeve (Helen Mirren), the Harrigans control an empire from their family estate in the Cotswolds. When issues arise, ranging from dead bodies to covering up criminal acts, the Harrigans rely on Harry to work his magic and keep the family reputation sparklingly clean. As the series begins, Harry is brought in to deal with a stabbing perpetrated by Conrad’s grandson Eddie (Anson Boon) which involves a competing crime family led by Richie Stevenson (Geoff Bell). As the stakes are raised and a potential gang war on the verge of erupting between the Harrigans and the Stevensons, Harry finds himself divided between his loyalty to the Harrigans and his own wife, Jan (Joanne Froggat), and daughter, Gina.

Having only seen the first two episodes of MobLand, I can already see similarities between this series and the work of Taylor Sheridan. Like Yellowstone, MobLand sets up an upper-class family built from working-class roots with a criminal network underneath their above-board enterprises. None of the Harrigans seem to be new to murder and illegal activities despite Conrad and Maeve’s children having explored other careers. Eldest Harrigan son Brendan (Daniel Betts) struggles to be successful in his family business. In contrast, youngest son Kevin (Paddy Considine) seems to be the heir apparent and a close friend to Harry. Conrad’s daughter, Seraphina (Mandeep Dhillon), is from another marriage, but all of the children are loyal to their parents. As far as the parents go, Conrad hopes to broaden his business dealings and relies on his wife’s counsel, but Maeve may have her own motivations beyond her husband’s best interest. The series also explores plots involving Kevin’s wife, Bella (Lara Pulver), family attorney O’Hara (Lisa Dwan), and Harry’s colleague Zosia (Jasmine Jobson). Janet McTeer does not appear in the opening episodes, but I am sure her character will be key.

I had anticipated that Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, and Pierce Brosnan would have had smaller roles in the series, but all three are primary characters in MobLand. Hardy appears in almost every scene of the first two episodes, and Brosnan and Mirren do not fall far behind. The episodes I have seen boast a lot of violence, including a brutal bar fight involving Tom Hardy that bodes well for the rest of the season. Each episode follows the characters around London and the Cotswolds as they operate their daily dealings along with Harry’s clean-up duties. There is also time spent with the police as they investigate the crimes from their side, fully invested in taking the Harrigans down once they have enough evidence. MobLand focuses more on the crimes than on the police but delivers a fair amount of intensity despite not giving away too much too early. Hardy is excellent but keeps his performance very even-keeled, whether it is at home with his wife being attacked with a hammer or having a gun pointed at him. Both Mirren and Brosnan are more dynamic, both sporting Irish accents.

Created by Ronan Bennett (The Day of the Jackal) and scripted alongside Jez Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow), the first two episodes of MobLand were directed by Guy Ritchie. Ritchie is known for his dynamic approach to British gangster films and series and brought his own spin to The Gentlemen last year on Netflix. Here, Ritchie takes a subtler approach to the visuals, with the series presenting a more straightforward crime narrative. Watching the first chapters, I realized MobLand could have been Guy Ritchie helming a Taylor Sheridan series. I did find myself enjoying watching these characters, as despicable as many of them are, with the British setting a refreshing change of pace from Montana or Oklahoma. There is not as much of a barrier to following this series as you may expect with the action set in the U.K. However, it evokes the same tone and style of Sheridan’s various Paramount+ productions.

MobLand is not all that different from any other gangster or crime-based series on television. Still, it rises above the formula thanks to the fixer plot structure inherited from Ray Donovan and the great cast led by Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren. MobLand is violent and intense, with the right amount of humor to brighten the story. I have seen only a fifth of the full season. Still, I am already intrigued by the character dynamics between the Harrigan family, their friends, and their enemies, along with teases of rifts between spouses, siblings, and parents. Guy Ritchie’s direction may be subdued, but that does not water down the content of this story. I really enjoyed seeing Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren play villains, with Tom Hardy easily stepping into the role of the even-keeled Harry, who can intimidate even the most dangerous adversary. I hope the rest of the first season of MobLand lives up to these first episodes.

MobLand premieres on March 30th on Paramount+.

MobLand

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The post MobLand TV Review: Tom Hardy is the fixer for Brosnan and Mirren in the Guy Ritchie-directed crime series appeared first on JoBlo.