Netflix 'Ganglands': Gritty French thriller series would have been better as movie
This article contains mild spoilers for 'Ganglands'
There's more to the French than just their kissing and their wines. French thrillers on Netflix are usually gripping, full of suspense, action, with some raunchy lovemaking, and a decent enough plot — all in all, perfect for some weekend binge sessions. 'Ganglands' can fit right in with other scintillating French titles like 'Lupin'. 'The Break' and 'The Bureau' and its action sequences will keep you hooked. Ten minutes into the first episode, a pickup truck with a gun rams into a barricade formed by two cars. That pretty much sets the tone for what to expect in the remaining five chapters.
The plotline of Netflix's series is mighty simple. The action-packed trailer may have given away a tad too much of the premise, but the Julien Leclercq-created series promised a strong storyline and some high-octane action, and the series lives up to the hype with enough action sequences packed into the 50-minute episodes. Starring Sami Bouajila and Sam Kalidi in lead roles, the series follows a thief and an ace robber getting their hands dirty as they get involved in a murky turf war between drug dealers.
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'Ganglands' is not a complicated watch. The story unfolds in a pretty predictable fashion. However, it is the crisp screenplay that makes it worth your while. There are no twists and turns, and if you feel there is a death coming, you are probably right. There's some melodrama that should have been done away with, but thankfully, it doesn't take the focus away from the main plot. Liana (Tracy Gotoas) and her girlfriend Shainez (Sofia Lesaffre) are petty thieves duping people for a lavish life. It's all hunky-dory before they unknowingly loot eight keys of coke and land in soup.
The result is Shainez's kidnapping. Liana then joins her girlfriend's uncle, Mehdi (Bouajila), a skilled thief to help get her back. The task is simple: Steal more drugs from a rival gang so the kidnappers release Shainez. What follows is a rescue mission coupled with some well-shot action scenes that remind you of a fancy FPS game. Leclercq could have made this into a movie. With the action dominating everything else, the series could have been a condensed affair. All things considered, 'Ganglands' is a straight-up slambang action fest. If that's not your thing, there's 'Jailbird: New Orleans' that might pique your interest instead.
'Ganglands' is currently streaming on Netflix.