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A Thousand Blows (2024)

2024 · Crime,Drama,History · historical-period, mob-organized-crime

A Thousand Blows poster

A Thousand Blows is a British period crime drama set in 1880s East London, following Jamaican immigrants who become entangled in the bare-knuckle boxing underworld and the criminal gang ecosystem of the Victorian era, including a real-life all-female pickpocket gang. Created by Peaky Blinders' Stephen Knight, the show leans on lavish production design, kinetic boxing sequences, and a charismatic cast led by Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty. The tone is broadly accessible — some reviewers find it more 'Disney-esque' than gritty — and the pacing is brisk to a fault, with character depth sometimes sacrificed for plot momentum. It rewards viewers drawn to atmospheric British historical crime drama with strong performances.

From the reviewers

Graham is such a good actor, you might know him from Boardwalk Empire, Peaky Blinders, Gangs of New York, The Irishman, Band of Brothers, Taboo, Pirates of the Caribbean, Bodies, Venom and so many other great movie/shows. He was great in all of those. I can't say enough about what an underrated actor Graham is.
When the theme started playing along with the visuals I immediately thought this was a Guy Ritchie masterpiece, absolutely fabulous series that not only gets all the costumes spot on but the dirt and grime of the Victorian streets as well. Attention to detail is amazing.
it felt far too disney if that makes sense? The writin/directing mainly and this doesn't reflect the actors.
The series felt too 'Disney-esque' and not as dar/gritt/disturbing as I was hoping for in a series about fighting! The acting was fine but I had ZERO interest in any of the characters.
the music is distracting and often doesn't fit the mood. Second, most of the characters are hard to connect with. Third, the storyline stretches believability and occasionally veers into the downright silly. And fourth, there are long, drawn-out conversations that add very little to the plot.

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