Last King of the Cross

Am halfway through the show now and enjoying myself! The Cross feels like a seedy place where anything can happen and because the show is a fictionalised version of that era they can add in plenty of violence to keep it entertaining. The leads are both great, John played by Lincoln Younes as the successful businessman and Sam played by Claude Jabbour who you think is a stiff older brother but turns into a dangerous loose livewire adding genuine electricity to every one of his scenes. And of course always nice to see someone like Tim Roth onboard adding that extra touch of Hollywood to the whole thing.

Looking forward to more episodes.

First two eps were slow, however the following eps has been a rollercoaster ride keeping me on the edge of my seat. Intriguing plot, complex characters dealing with trauma and their masculinities. I love Sam & John's entanglements. Sam is a scary guy indeed. Tim Roth character is a bit of a larrikin. Not sure if he belonged in Kings Cross or moved to the wrong suburb (or country). Also, I read the book. There was no Vietnamese female gang leader, however I found the character Tien, a stand out. She's very intriguing and hard to tell what she's thinking. And I'm always looking forward to what happens to her and her tribe next. Looking forward to the upcoming eps on how she rises against John Ibrahim.

The first two episodes have dropped . This a very good violent and somewhat graphic recreation of Sydney's Kings Cross of the 70' and 80's

An epic gangster show based on true story . The Cross comes up a treat re dressed for the era and its retro colours really pop . They have clearly spent money on this show the special effects are high levers Tim Roth adds real international cred . To the gangster world of Kings Cross at that time -

The lead playing main character John Ibrahim the King of the Cross is excellent, he has real talent . Early days yet in his story but the first two eps have build a character arch that makes him both menacing yet likeable . Certainly far more likeable than most of the other characters, which bodes well

looking forward to next espisodes .

Yes it's good, works for where and when it was.

Still feels like it's not quite all there.

As there is no mention of Ibrahims driving days/nights with- George David Freeman (22 January 1935 - 20 March 1990) was a Sydney bookmaker, racing identity and illegal casino operator.

He was linked to the Sydney drug trade during the 1970s and 1980s, was named in several Royal Commissions into organised crime and had links with American crime figures. Freeman served several prison terms for theft between 1951 and 1968 but was never brought to trial for any of his later alleged crimes, receiving only monetary fines for SP bookmaking in the mid-1980s. Freeman survived a murder attempt in 1979, was married twice, published an autobiography and died in 1990 of heart failure related to asthma and pethidine addiction.

You should watch this with a salt shaker by your side so you can take every sign involving John with a grain of salt. It turns into a piss take fantasy where were expected to root for the man who still contributed to the Australian criminal world.

The actors involved with the series do deserve some credit especially Tim Roth as Ezra Shipman and Claude Jabbour as Sam Ibrahim both have a massive screen presence and every scene is enjoyable to watch with them involved.

All in all its an average crime series marred by the involvment of its subject in the production and who most likely offered fiscal backing for a cleaner portrayal. It really characterizes the corruption present in Australia.