‘Gangs of London’: Outrage over 'vivid, sadistic torture' of women as fans laud lack of 'sexual violence'
A man hangs from a rope on a tall skyscraper and his body is set on fire, only to let the rope burn and let him fall onto the ground with a smash. Spooked out yet? ‘Gangs of London’ will expose you to one such world of gory action, grisly fight scenes, excruciating violence, and sadistic torture.
Starring ‘Peaky Blinders’ actor Joe Cole in the lead, the new Sky Atlantic series revolves around a city torn apart by the turbulent power struggles of international gangs. For 20 years, Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) was the most powerful criminal in London but his scarring death changes the life of his family. It's up to the impulsive Sean Wallace (Joe Cole), with the help of the Dumani family headed by Ed Dumani (Lucian Msamati) to take his father's place.
Being dubbed as one of the most violent series on TV, fans can't stop talking about the dark and delirious tale. But the question is: Is the extreme violence and gory scenes fit for all ages? While some fans have taken a liking to it, others can't seem to wrap their head around the action and drama.
"Just watched the 1st episode of #Gangsoflondon on Sky Atlantic, certainly a great watch if your into to plenty of violence, looking forward to watching the rest," one wrote and another said, "Possibly the most exploitive graphic violence series ever made. Whole episode dedicated to vivid sadistic torture of a female!! PS: See previous tweet and file under you couldn’t make it up!! #GangsOfLondon."
Shedding light on how there was no sexual violence, one viewer posted, "I have one episode to go on season one of #GangsOfLondon but it is VERY interesting to me that despite the intense amount of graphic violence I’ve yet to see any scenes of sexual violence or even the threat of it in this entire series. Also, no dogs have died."
Another posted, "Finally finished #GangsOfLondon I know everyone’s been saying it...but my word that was brutal! Although 3 episodes in you do become more accustomed to the savagery throughout using language through violence. The production and cast have created a world which is so believable." Most fans seem to love it. "Really enjoying #GangsOfLondon but the level of gore and violence has floored me a few times, and I’m only on episode 4!! Had to pause it a few times to regroup! LOL #Levels," one tweet read.
Another said, "Just finished one of the best TV series I've watched in years. Highly recommend #GangsofLondon every episode is literal INSANITY edge of your seat stuff. Violence is BRUTAL & not for the squeamish. Action scenes are unbelievable! Cinematography is outstanding!"
The violence is not everyone's cup of tea and hence, there are one too many negative comments too. "Is #GangsOfLondon actually a black comedy? Hilarious fight scenes, ott violence and some of the campest performances make it great fun. I just wish they'd do away with the pretense and start singing and dancing. I won't be watching episode 2. load of old toss," one posted and another said, "So onto episode 2 of #GangsOfLondon am I the only one who thinks it’s overrated just can’t get into it now."
"I’ve given up after watching episode 3. The story has begun to bore me and the violence seems to be violence for violence's sake and more important than the actual plot. #GangsOfLondon," one fan posted and another wrote, "Watched 2 episodes of #gangsoflondon. Extreme violence, ridiculous storylines, nasty people but there is nothing clever, stylish, or subtle about it. There is no character who is likable or believable. Inferior to Peaky Blinders or The Sopranos. I am giving up on it."
If you haven't binge-watched the show yet, catch it every week on Sky Atlantic as it airs at 9 pm. You may then be able to decide whether the violence is too much to handle.