Mayor of Kingstown

Reasons are not excuses. An area dependent on the "prison business", where all-encompassing corruption reigns over a fragile ecosystem of (counter)services based on the principle of "many lesser evils are better than open conflict". This status quo suits the police, the gangs, the mules, the guards and the middlemen because it works with both eyes turned. Until the moment when the pragmatic arrangement stops working because emotions and ambition come into play. Much could be written, described, praised and analysed; from the script and dialogue to the performances and the uncompromising nature of the film to the bleak atmosphere of an industrial small town and the hopelessness of the system. But sometimes all it takes is a few words to make it clear or... "Sheridan-Ayerian The Shield/Winslowian The Wire". | S1: 5/5 | (06/03/2022)

Mayor of Kingstown is a real manly gem!! Sitting in the director's chair is current king tough guy movies Taylor Sheridan (Wind River, Yellowstone, Hell or High Water, Sicario), with Antoine Fuqua assisting as producer and a damn fine Jeremy Renner in the lead role. With that combination, there wasn't much to go wrong. The film is set in the fictional town of Kingstown (similar to Michigan), which has 7 prisons and 350 murders per year, so crime rates are incredibly high. Starring Jeremy Renner (quite possibly the most impressive performance of his career) who officiates as the "Mayor" in all the criminal mayhem, acting as a middle-man between the prisons, the police and the drug dealers. It took me two episodes to get into the characters and the story, but very soon the series won me over and I got through it in one breath. The series has top notch direction, great actors, thick atmosphere, a decent soundtrack, interesting characters – there aren’t any good guys, they are all corrupt bastards – plenty of violence, solid action (an awesome SWAT raid), and an amazing two-hour prison riot where the body count is unknown! I'll probably never forget the scene with 27 dead bodies buried in the bus. Great! No one does these manly gritty crime gangster dramas better than Sheridan. After Gangs of London and Your Honor, my next favourite. Story 5/5. Action 5/5, Humour 0/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 5/5 Music 5/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 5/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 5/5.9/10. (03/05/2022)