Babylon

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.

Looking at this in the whole, we liked it. There are times when you are not sure if it is a drama, a mocumentary, a spoof of reality television, or what they are going for. Many of the characters in this show typify the characters we see in life. The person who shares WAY too much, the one who is not there because it would mean being responsible, and the ones who do the exact opposite of what they should be doing because they think it benefits them.

We all know the ones who leak info to the wrong people and undermine their bosses on purpose. We also all know the bosses who do anything to avoid responsibility if there could be any impact other than taking credit where credit is not due. We all know the people who speak and act completely without any kind of filters except their partners.

This is a perfect example of how corporate and government organizations run today with people more concerned about their personal agendas than the good of the company, or the good of society or simply what the right thing to do. A Padalekian philosophy of avoid anything that has repercussions and throw anyone under the bus instead of actually doing anything for yourself. If this one philosophy could be avoided, the entire world would be so much a better place and this movie is a wonderful example of how so many people simply try to avoid doing what they should do and instead focus on doing what they think will advance them or undermine others around them the most in the same pursuit.

A true and excellent example of Padalekianism at it's finest only lacking the ruthless mental abuse of the ones under the subject's control. Highly recommend it because it will keep you entertained between funny and mild suspense but don't go look to this for any extreme emotion, just good simple film making that makes you walk away thinking how ludicrous a world we live in because we see all of these people in our daily lives and hope we are separated by distance from them.

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.