Mayor of Kingstown

Mayor of Kingstown is a real manly gem!! Sitting in the director's chair is current king tough guy movies Taylor Sheridan (Wind River, Yellowstone, Hell or High Water, Sicario), with Antoine Fuqua assisting as producer and a damn fine Jeremy Renner in the lead role. With that combination, there wasn't much to go wrong. The film is set in the fictional town of Kingstown (similar to Michigan), which has 7 prisons and 350 murders per year, so crime rates are incredibly high. Starring Jeremy Renner (quite possibly the most impressive performance of his career) who officiates as the "Mayor" in all the criminal mayhem, acting as a middle-man between the prisons, the police and the drug dealers. It took me two episodes to get into the characters and the story, but very soon the series won me over and I got through it in one breath. The series has top notch direction, great actors, thick atmosphere, a decent soundtrack, interesting characters – there aren’t any good guys, they are all corrupt bastards – plenty of violence, solid action (an awesome SWAT raid), and an amazing two-hour prison riot where the body count is unknown! I'll probably never forget the scene with 27 dead bodies buried in the bus. Great! No one does these manly gritty crime gangster dramas better than Sheridan. After Gangs of London and Your Honor, my next favourite. Story 5/5. Action 5/5, Humour 0/5, Violence 4/5, Fun 5/5 Music 5/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 5/5, Suspense 4/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 5/5.9/10. (05/03/2022)

A top-notch affair that oozes cinematic quality, authenticity and rawness for miles around. At first glance, it's really just the story of a crime town where literally everyone is corrupt and where the bribed police reign supreme, along with three gangster brothers who are involved in almost everything. Each episode is actually about story digressions, something new happens each time, and more and more characters are added to the cast, so it would be hard to summarize the plot, but even so, the whole series is incredibly engaging. The side-lines are gripping and breathtaking, all the characters sink into the viewer's skin, there is no sparing of emotions, tension, uncompromisingly gritty action, SWAT interventions, violence or atmospherically dense moments, and when I add to that the amazing soundtrack and Jeremy Renner's Oscar-worthy performance, I simply have a superior piece of work the clear signature of Antoine Fuqua and Taylor Sheridan. Perfect proof that a series doesn't always need an original and innovative idea, but when you combine the artistic talent of the director, top-notch acting, haunting music and quality visuals, you can make the most out of the minimum. I am absolutely delighted. (01/31/2022)

Taylor Sheridan did it! He made us forget his two screenplay missteps from last year (Those Who Wish Me Dead and Without Remorse). I approached Mayor of Kingstown with cautious optimism, but now I can say it’s just shy of a full-fledged rating. The series especially focuses on the attractive topic of prisons and everything surrounding them. Jeremy Renner truly showcased his potential here; he had no real competition in terms of acting. I appreciated the tense atmosphere; as a viewer, I was never sure what would happen next. The action is top-notch for television standards, and the overall audiovisual quality feels quite cinematic. From a script perspective, I have no complaints - I simply sat back in my chair and enjoyed the events on the screen. The final two episodes delivered an absolute massacre (the prison riot), with everything you could want (SWAT, extensive shootouts, National Guard involvement, etc.). We’ll see what the next seasons bring. This project seems perfectly poised to become a hit. For me, it’s an 8.5/10. UPDATE ON SEASON TWO: Yes, the second season is a bit weaker... However, it remains an above-average gritty crime drama where no one pulls any punches. Projects like this are genuinely missing in today’s landscape. Sheridan navigates this genre like a fish in water. Hopefully, Renner will fully recover health-wise. This series deserves another season :). Season two gets a 7.5/10. (08/02/2024)

Reasons are not excuses. An area dependent on the "prison business", where all-encompassing corruption reigns over a fragile ecosystem of (counter)services based on the principle of "many lesser evils are better than open conflict". This status quo suits the police, the gangs, the mules, the guards and the middlemen because it works with both eyes turned. Until the moment when the pragmatic arrangement stops working because emotions and ambition come into play. Much could be written, described, praised and analysed; from the script and dialogue to the performances and the uncompromising nature of the film to the bleak atmosphere of an industrial small town and the hopelessness of the system. But sometimes all it takes is a few words to make it clear or... "Sheridan-Ayerian The Shield/Winslowian The Wire". | S1: 5/5 | (03/06/2022)