Babylon

This is not for everyone. But nothing worthwhile ever is. If you have no sense of humour, if you live in Britain and feel threatened by the portrayal of the Metropolitan Police as a bunch of ignorant, prejudiced Neanderthals, if you are American and have no sense of irony then this is not for you. As a Brit who's made Los Angeles his home, I loved it. It rings horribly true. But then, I don't read the Daily Telegraph. Brit Marling is worth her weight in gold. Casting got it right and direction only endorsed it. She plays the perfect foil to the wonderfully stereotypical Brits. The best satire is grounded in the truth. I was heavily involved in the music business in 1984 when This Is Spinal Tap was released and it was frighteningly accurate. I feel the same way about Babylon and that should be cause for concern for every citizen of Britain. How well this will translate into a series remains to be seen but for the moment, I'm glad I can enjoy the joke from a distance.

ADDENDUM

Since I wrote my original review of the pilot, the series has come and gone. I've watched the first three episodes and want to change nothing I wrote. It's wonderful satire which will be fully appreciated only by those who have lived in England but its real genius lies in its tone. It's found the perfect balance. Nothing that happens is implausible, the tension is visceral and the emotions utterly grounded. But it's funny. Not laugh out loud funny but smart funny. Put a smile on your face when you remember it funny. Unless you still live in England or you are or were a policeman.

Bitingly funny and relentlessly profane take on public relations and police work in London. As someone who thinks The Wire is the best TV series ever made, I was very happy to find something with a similar, dirty yet hilarious tone. Like in The Wire, we follow both the people at the top and a couple of different groups of cops in the streets. There is no educational angle on what life is like for the criminals, though, or how institutions are affected by a serious social problem like the black market drug trade.

Our very self-righteous heroine is an American PR social media guru brought in to help the police reform their image. It's an uphill battle, and the street cops (think Herc, Carver, and Fuzzy Dunlop now) provide wonderful, reckless everyday examples of why. People used to stuffy British crime mysteries will not enjoy this show's sense of humor, which is irreverent and often comes from the gutter and the gallows. This is not your grandmother's Masterpiece Mystery. But if a quip from a lout that reminds you of how contemporary blue collar cops might really act makes you laugh then you're in the right place. Nesbitt is especially witty as the stern, snarling commissioner who snaps out sarcasm through gritted teeth to his smiley-faced softie aide. Danny Boyle has cooked up another something special. Definitely more like Trainspotting than, say, Millions, though. Dark.

Was on the fence for the first 15-20 minutes. But the story gets better as it goes on. Good perspective from Communications, as well as many other angles.

It may be categorized as a satire, but I don't think this should be considered a 'comedy'. It is a little stretched from reality, but is more serious than comedic...in a good way. Kept it entertaining all the same.

By the time it ended, I found myself wishing there was more. I thought this was a series, but was disappointed to see it was a Movie. I do hope they choose to put out further episodes. I would certainly continue to watch.

I was instantly hooked by the trailer back in 2013 for the Pilot in February the coming year, and i did like it. However the Pilot itself seemed off what it really wanted to be about, you could tell from the start what its goal of being a comedy show about the Metropolitan Police and the struggle with the media was, to be funny with a concrete story, and it was for the first 20 or so minutes however it soon became all too serious and dragged on. I enjoyed it but it could have been more appealing which leads me onto the fact that, the show is getting increasingly better! The first episode of the new series practically begged me to watch it, we all know what Danny Boyle's trailers can be like so i gave the show a second chance and i was right to do so, Babylon picked back up its comedic trophy and beat the serious thick boring mess that was the pilot into something amazing, Nesbitt's role becomes more funny but yet more dark, Brit Marling truly goes on an all out blitzkrieg with her highly intelligent but yet surprisingly competitive character, and all whilst the show focuses more and more of the effects on, and life of the Police but more their humanity and what they deal with. This is at the point now where the storyline gets serious, as it got too much of it during the pilot, but yet the show itself has now found the correct balance of Comedy and a Solid Story. Basically, Boyle took something that needed work instead of ditching it, and made it into a show truly worth follow up series and more than the rating it currently has. Bravo.

I think the reviews and ratings on this page are for the pilot which was a bit confusing and without direction. I didn't know whether this was heading toward slapstick or a drama. The series is much better with some clever dialogue, witty one-liners and sharp but very funny insults. The acting is also great. Brit Marling is excellent as the ambitious workaholic Director of Communications of the London police and James Nesbitt is great as the Commissioner.Their relationship is intriguing and the back and forth banter between Liz and Finn played by Bertie Carvel is very engaging. I became hooked on the series and hope there is another season.