A Thousand Blows

Excellent storytelling!

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This series provides a glimpse into what was happening in East London in the 1880’s. Bare-knuckle fighting was falling to the wayside while boxing was coming up, and an infamous band of women made their living cheating, stealing and thieving.

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The story follows two handsome gents fresh off the boat from Jamaica. (How great it is to hear a Jamaican accent on the telly!) We see these guys get involved with both the female crime syndicate and the fighting scene. Their fortunes change for the better and for the worse.

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Stephen Graham does an excellent job of maintaining a high level of intensity throughout the season. His sheer physical mass and his fabulous acting really get across how tremendously menacing his character is: He is terrifying.

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The woman cast to play the leader of the 40 Elephants crime syndicate, Erin Doherty, is excellent. The way she speaks, walks, wears her clothes, and manipulates people: she’s done a great job with an excellent script.

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There is plenty of emotional range and action in each episode, but there’s only six episodes in this first season!

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Thankfully, the story won't end after just one season as the second season has already been shot.

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This is highly recommended.

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