![]() On the one hand, “Ganglands” is a competent action thriller series with plenty of high-octane set pieces. The dynamic between Mehdi and his team hints at a fascinating backstory we sadly don’t get to see, while the younger characters who make up Liana’s crew simply shout at each other a lot. Particularly unfortunately for Saber is the fact that the kidnapped Shaïnez (Sofia Lesaffre) is Mehdi’s niece, and the grizzled professional soldier teams up with the streetwise thief to dole out their own form of revenge-based justice.īouajila, as always, turns in a quietly powerful performance, channeling Liam Neeson to great effect. When a bungled score causes local gang leader Saber (Salim Kechiouche) to kidnap a member of Liana’s crew in retribution, an unfortunate (for pretty much everyone) chain of events brings Liana (Tracy Gotoas) and Mehdi together. Liana, on the other hand, is a small-time crook who specializes in robbing sleezy guys in their hotel rooms. In this 2021 Netflix series, Bouajila plays Mehdi, the leader of a team of slick career criminals, pulling off large-scale, professional jobs with the firepower and skills to get them out of trouble. “Ganglands” is, to be fair to Leclercq, an adaptation of “The Crew,” so thematic similarities are to be expected. ![]() And what he likes is to write methodical, world-weary characters who have a talent for violence, then persuade French actor Sami Bouajila to play them. Leclercq, it’s fair to say, is a director who knows what he likes. “Ganglands” is an adaptation of “The Crew.” (Supplied) Or it could be that you’ve seen “Taken.” Or “The Equalizer.” It could also be because you saw Leclercq’s gritty, slick 2020 movie “Earth and Blood,” starring Sami Bouajila as a methodical, world-weary sawmill owner, doling out his own form of revenge-based justice. ![]() It’s one of those movies that once it’s over, you want to watch the whole thing again from a fresh perspective.LONDON: If there’s something familiar about “Ganglands” it could be because you saw director Julian Leclercq’s gritty, slick 2015 film “The Crew,” starring Sami Bouajila as a methodical, world-weary leader of a group of professional heisters, doling out his own form of revenge-based justice. I also suspect Bull will be one of the most talked about British thrillers of the year following its debut at the London Film Festival. Just a blistering turn from Neil Maskell, who stole the show in Ben Wheatley’s chilling masterpiece Kill List, and does an equally compelling job here.īull is the sort of role Ray Winstone might have played 20 years ago, and I have a feeling Hollywood will finally snap Maskell up as the generic bad guy in their next potential blockbuster. No pretentious elements no sense of a film-maker filling frames with good looking imagery while they try and find the story. Yes, the finale involves a leap of faith, but it’s also a hugely satisfying answer to the atrocities that fill the lean running time. It’s not obvious until you know the context. And like a key name in that movie, a moniker in this film gives the game away. Well, the answer, when it comes, feels like the pay-off of one of my favourite thrillers of the late 1980s. How did he survive a fate we’re not clear of until the end of the third act?Īnd what happened to Bull’s son, the only innocent party in the movie? ![]() We see the wronged anti hero wreaking his vengeance while an array of gangsters, molls, associates and relatives react with genuine shock at Bull’s reign of terror. The timeline jumps between a decade ago and Bull’s apparent demise in a burning caravan, and present day. And yet despite all the violence, the whole thing keeps you hooked from the first few minutes until the end. There are stabbings, shootings, knifings, hacking, slashings, and some other shocking images. The movie wastes little time setting out its stall. If a deal needs signing, Bull helps speed up the process. Whether by accident or design, there are shades of a certain Clint Eastwood classic about this brutal urban Western.Ī hugely accomplished revenge thriller written and directed by Bafta-winner Paul Andrew Williams, it stars Neil Maskell as the eponymous protagonist.ĭavid Hayman, essentially playing a more ruthless version of the character from recent thriller The Ballad of Billy McRae, is the gangland boss who uses Bull as his muscle. Director: Paul Andrew Williams Cast: Neil Maskell, David Hayman, Tamzin Outhwaite Certificate: 18
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