T.V.O.D.: MobLand
Confessions of a Television Addict
I like the TV. I watch the TV.
T.V.O.D. is confessions of a television addict.
MobLand is new Brit gangland crime series, starring Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan as the matriarch / patriarch of an Irish crime family and Tom Hardy as a fixer and muscle for the family. I’ve never been the Brosnan fan, but there is something there, some kind of swagger he possesses. I’ve always been the Mirren fan, huge swagger, one of the greats. Tom Hardy is also one of the greats. I watch MobLand because I am a Tom Hardy sycophant and watch anything he does…
TL;DR: MobLand = Mo Bland. If you do not like Tom Hardy do not watch this show.
(Digression: Have you seen The Drop? It is an underrated crime film, a truly gripping thriller, well-done and never insulting. The premise is foolproof: what happens when a psychopath enters your life and targets you and those around you? Have you ever walked down the street and just crossed paths with a psychopath? Had a friendly conversation with a stranger veer straight into something sinister, violent? I don’t wish it on anyone. I’m not sure if it’s my good looks or my impeccable style, but I’ve been a magnet for random psycho run-ins since I was a kid, so films like this resonate. There are people out there who simply don't care about hurting others. There are wolves out there and you might not know you’re a sheep, but then you hear the howling and see the fangs and you know. And you might need to become a wolf yourself. Anyhow, that is one premise of The Drop, and Tom Hardy nails it.)
Guy Ritchie produced and conceived MobLand , and before I go too much further, I have to acknowledge what you’re thinking: Guy Ritchie has dropped the ball, Guy Ritchie put his name on garbage, I don’t trust the Guy Ritchie. Me, I like the Guy Ritchie. I like Snatch, Lock Stock, etc. More recently I liked Wrath of Man… but Operation Fortune was so insulting, such garbage, not even saved by Hugh Grant, who made a valiant attempt to hold the entire film on his shoulders. I believe in Hugh Grant, he’s having a career renaissance rn. He is a fantastic villain, a standout feature in The Gentlemen movie… he’s absent from The Gentleman TV show along with all of the charm from that movie.
All this to say: I had low expectations of MobLand.
