FIGHTLAND Review: Strap On for a Wild Ride

"Boxing is a criminal operation," says the boxing promoter to a journalist, just before he breaks his knee.

Fightland S1
The first episode of the eight-episode season premieres Friday, July 31, with new episodes available to stream weekly on Fridays only on the STARZ app, and all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms. I've seen the first six episodes.

Before the credits roll, Fightland establishes its wonderfully seamy milieu with several punchy, brutal scenes: Boxer wins heavyweight championship, promoter tells off his son with a string of f-words, promoter intimidates journalist, boxer attends the afterparty, promoter interrupts boxer's victory speech with his own, promoter dismisses financial suggestions from his daughter, boxer thanks his longtime trainer/older brother, boxer and his older brother are attacked in the parking garage, leaving the older brother dead, boxer reacts quite strongly, to say the least.

And that's not even everything that happens in the first 15 minutes!

Directed with reckless abandon by Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders), the episode then jumps several years forward, finding former heavyweight championship boxer Maduka 'Duke' Kilroy (Howard Charles) in prison, where he learns something that sets him on a vengeful path.

Six months later, having been released from his prison sentence early, Duke appears in his native London. Returning to the gym where he once trained, the gym owner, Gazzer (Richard Pepple), greets him warily for reasons that are explained later. Looking for a place to crash, the gym owner offers him a spare room in what appears to be the gym's boarding house. Thus begins Duke's re-entry into society, with a secret grudge in mind.

Built for action, Fightland spends the remainder of its first episode laying out the reality of a prominent family's boxing criminal operation. It's not until the second episode, also directed by Otto Bathurst with his usual kinetic punch, that Duke's true motivations are revealed, which drive the series forward from that point.

Heavyweight boxing promoter Kingsley Marshall (Nicholas Pinnock) has mysteriously vanished, leaving his children Cebella (Anita-Joy Uwaje) and Zeek (Charles Babalola) to keep the family business running. Since major criminal elements are involved, the children are reluctant to involve their stepmother Joy (Deborah Ayorinde), any further than she already is, despite her evident desire to mind her husband's business.

After those first, highly-eventful 15 minutes, the show adapts a slightly more moderate pace, yet maintains a propulsive narrative beat. While not everything that happens is entirely believable, everything feels authentic to the world that's been created, which is filled with duplicitous people with shadowy motives and questionable methods for getting what they want.

The show was created by Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan & Marlon Smith (Run, Save Me), who also serve as executive producers and writers, and Damione Macedon & Raphael Jackson Jr. (Power, BMF, Genius: MLK/X) , who serve as showrunners, executive producers and writers.

Fightland is bolstered by its strong cast of (mostly) strong Black characters, its high production values, and the quality direction provided by Otto Bathurst (first two episodes), Sebastian Thiel (Episodes 3 and 4), and, especially Colm McCarthy (Episodes 5 and 6), who, like Bathurst, also has experience directing Peaky Blinders episodes. McCarthy, who helmed the excellent Outcast (2010), has terrific material to work with in his episodes, and he wrings every last juicy bit from the performances and the scripts.

The intersection of boxing and criminals reminds of the Showtime series Ray Donovan, but Fightland is mostly concerned with more high-level activity in both the boxing arena and the criminal enterprise. The characters are also far more duplicitious; the motives of each character remains in doubt and can change without notice as the narrative develops. Likewise, the show also reminds of AMC Plus' excellent Once Upon a Time in London and Paramount Plus' star-filled MobLand, which also revolve around the London crime scene but from different planes of activity.

Fightland, however, distinguishes itself with its (apparent) insider's understanding of the fight scene in the UK, as well as its challenges of a few individuals who take on the might and power of a large, well-established criminal family with vast resources and far-reaching connections. All of these combustible elements mix well together, making for a popcorn-friendly show: the individual parts may be familiar, but they are irresistibly tasty.

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