MobLand season 2 hailed as 'mind-blowingly perfect' by critics as they brand Guy Ritchie's 'never dull' gangster drama 'marvellous' and 'utterly mesmerising'

Guy Ritchie’s London-set crime drama is back, as viewers are thrown back into the world of the Harrigan family and their fixer, Harry Da Souza, played by Tom Hardy.Season two picks up after the bloody events of the first season as Harry is caught between increasingly dangerous factions and has to keep the Harrigan operation from imploding. Conrad Harrigan (Pierce Brosnan) and Maeve Harrigan (Helen Mirren) are still the power couple at the centre of the family – but their relationship and their grip on the organisation are under considerable strain.The Harrigans struggle to present a united front while new rivals move against their criminal empire.Critics of the new season, which premiered on Paramount+ on Friday, have hailed it as 'mind-blowingly perfect' in first reviews.Metro's Tom Percival gave the new season four stars and said he was 'hooked after five minutes'. Guy Ritchie ’s London-set crime drama is back, as viewers are thrown back into the world of the Harrigan family and their fixer, Harry Da Souza, played by Tom Hardy (pictured right) Season two picks up after the bloody events of the first season as Harry is caught between increasingly dangerous factions and has to keep the Harrigan operation from implodingHe wrote: 'The characters weren’t dour or moody at all; they were funny, eccentric and larger-than-life, like something from an early movie (I later learned he directed the first episode).'In terms of violent spectacle, the show is up there with the greats, on a level with a show like Gangs of London. 'It’s not quite as gritty or realistic; it’s more stylised, but there’s a real charm in the often frantic, gore-flecked bursts of action we see.'Empire critic David Opie also gave the series four stars, writing: 'Season 1 hinted at such promise when events turned increasingly unhinged near the end, leaning more and more into the cartoonish absurdity of the characters at its heart. 'That season two reaffirms this from the get-go instantly cements MobLands appeal, wasting no time in reminding us why the Harrigans are a force to be reckoned with.''MobLand is rip-roaring fun, and even when it feels like a little too much is going on, Tom Hardy expertly pulls it all together, the anchor to this maelstrom,' he added.Radio Times' critic Jack Seale also gave the second season four stars.He wrote: 'The mindless gangster thrills are still there but with a darker, more sophisticated edge that somehow isn’t compromised by about 25 per cent of the proceedings playing out like a wacky sitcom. Critics of the new season, which premiered on Paramount + on Friday, have hailed it as 'mind-blowingly perfect' in first reviews'The result is something close to perfect TV entertainment: it’s sort of good and sort of stupid, but now there’s more of a sense that it’s nimbly hopping from one to the other at will. It’s never, ever dull.The Up Coming's Andrew Murray said it was 'fast-paced' as he gave the new season four stars.He wrote: 'Although not as stylish as The Gentleman, series two of MobLand is a worthy genre contender.'It’s darkly funny at points and carried by an A-list ensemble that’s made even better by standout turns from Hardy and Flynn.'Meanwhile, TechRadar's Jasmine Valentine gave it a five-star review.She wrote: 'If I had to describe MobLand season 2 in one word, it would be relentless. 'From the onslaught of family issues to the duplicity and deceit within them, nothing ever lets up. It's a mental scramble to keep up with everything that happens in a single episode (let alone the entire season); Guy Ritchie has created the most violent workout for the mind possible.'Throw yourself into it at full-throttle and you'll never want the grip of MobLand to let you go. It's not worth having any favorites — they'll either die or deceive you — but that in itself is a fitting lesson in trust. You stick out the ride and try to survive, and become pleasantly addicted to the process.'Digital Spy's Janet A Leigh gave MobLand season two four stars.She wrote: 'If you fell in love with the dark and brutal world of MobLand in season one, then prepare to fall deeper in season two.'The first four episodes of MobLand's second outing are an adrenaline-charged flurry of guns, sex, passion and vengeance on the surface, with Bennett and Ritchie planting seeds for a richer second half and surely an explosive finale.'Let's hope the season can keep up momentum. If so, we're in for a treat.'The Times' Ben Dowell gave the new season four stars, writing: 'After the frenetic action of the last season, you might think it’s impossible to match the sheer bloodstained pace, but they pull it off; the performances are key, adding bite and subtlety to the more conventional gangster moments and another complex series arc taken from the playbook of pretty much every drama in the genre.'Hardy is utterly mesmerising as the gruff killer, threatening and cajoling and killing and handling a silence like no one on any screen, big or small. 'He’s certainly the man you want on your side when, as he sees it, the family are facing a “death spiral”.However, The Guardian's Sarah Dempster only gave it two stars, describing it as 'deathly dull'.She wrote: 'Blimey, it’s dull. For all the guns and flying CGI viscera, it’s absent either the charm or wit that makes these sorts of fist-based capers bearable. 'The characters are all gits and their banter is as effortful as it is relentless. (There is the suspicion that production meetings involved liberal use of the word “craic”.)'The characters are all awful. Gag-wise, it’s strictly back-of-the-bus stuff. 'There is a preoccupation with balls and the misuse thereof.'If you tweezered out all the swear words, the whole thing would collapse like a game of Jenga.'All that would remain would be a steaming pile of fists and Hardy’s huge face squinting dolefully into the distance, like a satellite dish struggling to pick up some distant television signal.' MobLand season two: What the critics said 'It’s not quite as gritty or realistic; it’s more stylised, but there’s a real charm in the often frantic, gore-flecked bursts of action we see' - Metro's critic Tom PercivalRating:'MobLand is rip-roaring fun, and even when it feels like a little too much is going on, Tom Hardy expertly pulls it all together, the anchor to this maelstrom' - Empire critic David OpieRating:'The result is something close to perfect TV entertainment: it’s sort of good and sort of stupid, but now there’s more of a sense that it’s nimbly hopping from one to the other at will. It’s never, ever dull' - Radio Times' critic Jack SealeRating: 'It’s darkly funny at points and carried by an A-list ensemble that’s made even better by standout turns from Hardy and Flynn' - The Up Coming's critic Andrew MurrayRating: 'Throw yourself into it at full-throttle and you'll never want the grip of MobLand to let you go' - TechRadar's critic Jasmine ValentineRating:'If you fell in love with the dark and brutal world of MobLand in season one, then prepare to fall deeper in season two' - Digital Spy's critic Janet A LeighRating:'After the frenetic action of the last season, you might think it’s impossible to match the sheer bloodstained pace, but they pull it off; the performances are key, adding bite and subtlety to the more conventional gangster moments and another complex series arc taken from the playbook of pretty much every drama in the genre' - The Times' critic Ben DowellRating:'Blimey, it’s dull. For all the guns and flying CGI viscera, it’s absent either the charm or wit that makes these sorts of fist-based capers bearable' - The Guardian's critic Sarah DempsterRating: