'Gangs of London' Episode 5: A breakdown of brutal scenes as fans hail the 'f**king classic masterpiece'
Starring top-notch actors from 'Game of Thrones' and 'Peaky Blinders', 'Gangs of London' dropped nine episodes on Sky Atlantic and fans called it "one of the most violent and brutal series" on TV in no time.
Set in the heart of London, the show centers around the aftermath of the death of Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) and how the city is torn apart by the turbulent power struggles of international gangs after his son Sean Wallace (Joe Cole) steps into his shoes.
One of the best chapters, Episode 5 feels familiar with the unpredictability of 'Game of Thrones' deaths. It has a Godfather-esque vibe to it even with a slow start and barely any dialogues.
Talking about the behind-the-scenes from the episode, director Gareth Evans told Den of Geek, "It was quite a complex episode in terms of timelines, but also allowed me to go a little bit grandiose with the last 20 minutes of that episode."
The filmmaker, who is known for 'The Raid' films, said, "Five is where I got to really cut loose. Five was one of the rare occasions where I was left pretty much alone to do what I wanted with it."
He added, "The first 20 to 25 minutes of the episode, it's a purposefully slow burn. It's purposefully allowing you to breathe and take your time to get to know these characters a bit more."
Delving deeper into his favorite moment, Evans said, "I cut the action as we were shooting it and once we saw it cut together, it was really exciting. I think we all kind of got that little sort of buzz of excitement where we were like, 'Oh, it works. It really works!'"
The gunfight scene has left many viewers speechless. In a Reddit discussion, one fan said, "I have no words. This episode was a f**king classic. The closing act with the kill team was just wonderful to watch. I loved every second of it," and another wrote, "Amidst all that mayhem I was genuinely touched what that man did for his son."
"Pretty f**king terrific that episode, the action was off the chain," one viewer said and another wrote, "Amazing episode although I am a little sad that after all the character building of the Darren and his father that they're already dead." One fan straightaway said, "This is the best episode yet!"
One posted, "Reminds me of GoT in that aspect. They'll just kill off anyone you just don't who's next," and another wrote, "What an episode. Such great action. One of those TV episodes that's so good you forget that it's set away from all the main characters and locations."
Enchanted by the brilliant direction and cinematography, one fan said, "I don't think I've ever seen a man get popped like a balloon from toe to head by an explosion in slomo like that before in TV or film. Normally they get consumed but the flames but in this case he was killed by the blast wave before the fire even reached him, very impressive. Probably the most gruesome episode of TV ever!"
One said, "Just utterly brilliant TV, can thank Cinemax for the action sequences and explosions, if you're a fan of this you'll enjoy Strike Back." Another posted, "Literally this second just finished watching and I think I need a minute to get my breath back. Tell you what though, the makers of this loooove a good 'set someone on fire' effect."
On Twitter, one fan said, "#GangsOfLondon Episode 5 was absolute Carnage man. If you don't want to watch the series, at least watch Episode 5, it will blow your f***** mind. #Insane."
Another posted, "Just finished #GangsOfLondon and Jesus Christ it’s mental. Amazing, but mental. The farmhouse shootout in Episode 5 is one of the most mad things I’ve ever seen on TV."
"#GangsOfLondon A well-written story with well-directed cinematography and fights makes me amazed . Especially Episode 5 is one of my all-time favorite episodes. Sean character will steal the show PS: I binge watch 6 hours continuously for this series," one fan said.
Another posted, "Episode 5 of 'Gangs of London' was one of the most brutal episodes I’ve seen on British TV in many years. That was truly a masterpiece!!" If you haven't watched the show yet, catch all the episodes as they air weekly on Sky Atlantic at 9 pm ET.