Parents' Guide to

Gangs of London

By Martin Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Crime drama has elaborate violence, sex, drug use.

TV AMC Action 2021
Gangs of London Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Sam M.
Sam M. Parent of 3-year-old
February 7, 2022
age 18+

Total Savagery

Violence goes way beyond the average crime drama. Its more akin to a horror movie than your typical action. Its even more violent than the Raid 2 (creator's previous crime work). Every shooting has explosive torrents of gushing blood and splatter that would make Tarintino blush. Heads are completely annihilated point blank fully onscreen, men are shredded by so many rounds its impressive. Theres are gruesome torture scenes (arguably most horrifying a man grilled alive). Incredible fights with so many broken limbs and smashed faces and creative use of scenery (an ashtry to the teeth followed by being bashed into a bartable inducing cringe). Combine that withbthe constant profanity typical of British crime dramas and drug use with a pinch of sex and you got some fine strictly adults only entertainment with excellent coreography, engaging characters and dialog, a complex plot that never feels too confusing, and a great sense of tension. Hard to believe this is based on a crappy obscure PSP game.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
george A.
george A. Parent of 9, 11 and 15-year-old
December 22, 2022
age 2+

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

GANGS OF LONDON is an action drama about a turf war between criminal factions. The Albanian Mafia, Pakistani drug cartel, and Kurdish freedom fighters are among the groups of international criminals doing business on the streets of London. At the center of them all appears to be the organization run by Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney, The Umbrella Academy). But when Wallace is assassinated and his son Sean (Joe Cole) takes over, it sends a ripple of instability through London's criminal underworld. In an instant, it's all-out war as the gangs battle for power and control of the city.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Viewers coming to this series expecting more of Evans' intricate and surprising fight choreography won't be disappointed in the series action sequences -- Unfortunately, the rest of the show will test viewers' patience. Gangs of London is somehow both too dense and too thin, with an overwhelming number of characters and relationships to track, but not enough plot to really care about tracking them. The fights are great, but there's not enough behind them to make the series truly compelling.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence. Is it less affecting when it is "stylized," like in marital arts movies and this series? Or does it have an equal impact?

  • How does main character Sean treat power? How do the other characters treat power? Why do some people feel that having power is important?

  • What are the ethics of the police in Gangs of London? How do their actions compare or contrast with the gangs'?

TV Details

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