LONDON: If there’s something familiar about “Ganglands” it could be because you saw director Julian Leclercq’s gritty, slick 2015 film “The Crew,” starring Sami Bouajila as a methodical, world-weary leader of a group of professional heisters, doling out his own form of revenge-based justice.
It could also be because you saw Leclercq’s gritty, slick 2020 movie “Earth and Blood,” starring Sami Bouajila as a methodical, world-weary sawmill owner, doling out his own form of revenge-based justice. Or it could be that you’ve seen “Taken.” Or “The Equalizer.”
“Ganglands” is an adaptation of “The Crew.” (Supplied)
Leclercq, it’s fair to say, is a director who knows what he likes. And what he likes is to write methodical, world-weary characters who have a talent for violence, then persuade French actor Sami Bouajila to play them.
“Ganglands” is, to be fair to Leclercq, an adaptation of “The Crew,” so thematic similarities are to be expected. In this 2021 Netflix series, Bouajila plays Mehdi, the leader of a team of slick career criminals, pulling off large-scale, professional jobs with the firepower and skills to get them out of trouble. Liana, on the other hand, is a small-time crook who specializes in robbing sleezy guys in their hotel rooms. When a bungled score causes local gang leader Saber (Salim Kechiouche) to kidnap a member of Liana’s crew in retribution, an unfortunate (for pretty much everyone) chain of events brings Liana (Tracy Gotoas) and Mehdi together. Particularly unfortunately for Saber is the fact that the kidnapped Shaïnez (Sofia Lesaffre) is Mehdi’s niece, and the grizzled professional soldier teams up with the streetwise thief to dole out their own form of revenge-based justice.
“Ganglands” is on Netflix. (Supplied)
Bouajila, as always, turns in a quietly powerful performance, channeling Liam Neeson to great effect. The dynamic between Mehdi and his team hints at a fascinating backstory we sadly don’t get to see, while the younger characters who make up Liana’s crew simply shout at each other a lot.
It makes for a disjointed whole. On the one hand, “Ganglands” is a competent action thriller series with plenty of high-octane set pieces. When it strays into world-building or character development, however, things get a little less slick and a lot more confusing.
