With “Merantau – Meister des Silat” and above all with “The Raid” and “The Raid 2” director Gareth Evans secured a place in the Hall of Fame of martial arts cinema – that’s for sure. Part 3 of the series will probably remain wishful thinking for fans of Indonesian martial arts battle records forever, but the alternative is no worse: The first season “Gangs Of London” already conquered the hearts of many action fans in 2020 with a relentlessly brutal mixture from action spectacle and mafia epic. Now, more than two years later, it’s – finally – back to the London underworld.
The 2nd season “Gangs Of London” starts on October 20, 2022 on Sky and WOW. The season, which consists of a total of eight episodes, will then run in double episodes on Sky Atlantic every Thursday from 8:15 p.m. and will also be available on Sky Q and on the streaming platform WOW (formerly Sky Ticket). If you don’t even know the first part of the series or want to refresh your memory in time for the sequel, WOW will also serve you. Season 1 is still exclusively available there:
» “Gangs Of London” Season 1 on WOW*
Do you have a weakness for dark underworld drama and hard-hitting brawls and shootouts that hurt just to watch? Then you can’t avoid “Gangs Of London”. In any case, for the author of this article, Gareth Evans’ debut series is no less than the action TV highlight of the recent past.
In Season 1, we meet Sean Wallace (Joe Cole), who has little time to mourn the loss of his newly murdered father (Colm Meaney). After all, he should follow in his footsteps and lead the criminal empire with which he has earned a certain reputation in the London underworld over the years.
The new ruler gets support from the mysterious Elliott (Sope Dirisu), whom he meets on the day of his father’s funeral. He risks his neck and neck to gain Sean’s trust and soon proves to be a loyal companion – or at least that’s what the newly minted gang boss thinks…
In Season 2, the struggle for supremacy in London’s underworld enters a new round. Now it’s the ruthless gang leader Koba (Waleed Zuaiter) who will stop at nothing and play by his own rules to achieve his goals. In any case, the drug lord doesn’t think much of a code among gangsters…
By the way: Despite obvious similarities, “Gangs Of London” can only be compared to “The Raid” to a certain degree. Sure, here, too, countless criminals beat themselves up in the most ruthless manner possible while becoming entangled in a web of lies and intrigue – and both the hand-to-hand combat and the gunfights are mostly superbly choreographed and filmed. However, you should not expect sophisticated martial arts, such as those mastered by Iko Uwais to perfection. The action in “Gangs Of London” is just as brutal as in “The Raid”, but differs greatly in technology. But in the end there are more rough-and-tumble British pubs than nimble, well-trained martial arts aces.
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