User reviews

This is a great show, illustrating how crime has gone global, just like capitalism. One reviewer didn't like it because some villains were Russian. Did he even watch the show? There are criminals from Israel, India, Pakistan, Mexico and Czech Republic. Just because there are no Americans yet (they may yet show up), doesn't mean it's unfairly portraying Russians as criminals.

Did anyone else notice that this is based on a very good NON-fiction book by Misha Glenny, a reporter who does excellent work? Just because the producers made it into a drama doesn't take anything away from the veracity of the story.

I don't think I've seen an entire English production like this one. And I'm so glad I've seen this one, otherwise, I would have missed a lot !

If you are looking for a John Wick kind of action, well, this is not it. This is more about the love of family and things you are willing to do for them. The sacrifices you are willing to do to ensure their safety, even if you've tried all your life to lead a life "away" from your family's past.

I would like to commend all the actors and the production staff who participated in this series. Job well done !

Don't dare miss this one !

Story takes time to evolve but boy does it evolve. It gives a new direction to globalization of crime and how mafia work together. Love the characters and this show will definitely become a hit

You've got the right amount of thrill/suspense there, personal drama, characters are also written very well. Really liked the pace of the show, it's not slow at all, it's how it should be! Loved how they portrait the global scale and connections between crime organizations like a whole globalized crime world. And of course an awesome choice of native speaking actors, locations and decorations made this thing believable and alive, wasn't expected to see that level of accuracy in a tv show. The only weird thing there is the show title. People apparently think that it is connected to McDonald's or burgers, not the best name for criminal show like that I reckon. I hope it'll have good ratings and I'll see the 2 season

After watching 7 episodes, I have to say it is very well done. Gets better with every episode, and I noticed a trend with the bad reviewers, which is most only watched the one episode. They don't realize most slow shows get better over time...because they build up the climax for the ending.

All I can say is their lost.

I wasn't expecting much from this. I hadn't heard anything about it and really expected it to just be a low-budget stinker. I really like shows and movies about organized crime so I gave it a shot. I was very wrong. First, don't listen to the reviews saying it's too slow. It's not. It has plenty of thrilling moments. The story is very well written and tells a story of organized crime on a GRAND scale, taking you all over the world. The acting is very good and the cinematography is gorgeous! This series is not like a James Bond flick. It actually reminds me more of THE NIGHT MANAGER starring Tom Hiddleston. I highly recommend!

I decided to watch McMafia one evening thinking that I'm not going to last even 10 min into it. Pretty much was expecting Russian cliches on top of cliches. Was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. Just after one episode, I was hooked. Let me tell you ... the first season ending that aired yesterday was one of the best endings in a long time ... period. This show is for people who have an open mind and wants to feel something new and exciting. This show is focused on eastern Europe and two Russian families in particular. Both hero and a villain great however actor who the plaid villain is just astonishing. Russian cast is genuinely talented. There are similarities between this and Godfather however they are entirely different. Another thing I really loved about this show is that there is no unnecessary drama or long episodes that make no sense. All eight episodes go by very fast. One caveat - This show is not for people with a victim mentality.

This is an excellent piece of drama if one likes subtle intrigue with a dark sombre looming menace.

I have seen episode 1. The acting is professional, as is the director's lead, but most importantly the story is not only plausible but current. What do the world's real super villains want and need - a banker who will do their work, and this young man has fallen right into it through no fault of his own

So no bang bang shoot 'em up, though a bit of blood and guts. If you liked the "The Game" with Brian Cox and Tom Hughes you will love this.

Thanks.

I like it a lot! Yes, it is focused on this russian family but, I don't see it as the usual thing against russians in the movies. The main character is the son of a big russian boss but they live in london and have ordinary life now... He is discovering his dark side during the show and he begins to like the power. Money drugs, power... I really really like it. Hope there will be a season 2.

Let me start out by saying that overall I did enjoy the show. While I was not gripped or binge watching as I would some others, I still watched an episode a night and for the most part enjoyed the show. The cast is diverse and for the most part good actors. I liked all of the storylines especially the global scale to them.

The problems: * This one was a big one for me, but most likely a non-issue for others: the Russian. I am a native Russian speaker and while most of the Russian cast speaks good fluent Russian, some of the main characters clearly don't speak a word and are just trying to pronounce words phonetically. Additionally the subtitles for the Russian characters are often very poorly done, while they convey the meaning of what is being said, they rarely/never match the actual words, phrases, or style used. A character might be speaking very familiarly and casually while the subtitles will be bland and formal and visa versa.

* Suspension of disbelief. A lot of the characters, which we are supposed to believe are quite smart, will make absolutely moronic decisions and miss very obvious things. Many, many more cases that I can not list without spoiling events.

* The main character. The main character is referred to as "the only honest banker" and yet from the first episode he has no problem telling lies to his loved ones and has no problem with crimes or violence committed in his name. When I started the show I thought it was supposed to be about how an honest man slowly descends into crime, this was not the feeling I had after watching it.

* The pacing. Some stuff happens way too slowly and some way too fast. While sometimes this is used for dramatic effect, it often seems unintentional, almost an oversight. Some storylines feel rushed and others too drawn out.

* The lead actor. While most of the cast is pretty good, nothing about the main actor is. He seems incapable of displaying emotion and speaks in a very boring manner. Thinking back, I can not remember a single time when I said to my self "wow James Norton is nailing this scene."

Despite all these complaints I still watched all of it, and rarely did I feel uninterested. I do however feel like this show could have been a lot more.

As the series progresses I think it's getting better and better, it's gripping, high octane, pulse racing viewing. The McMafia name I'm assuming is an attempt to show the globalisation of crime, how something can quickly spread worldwide, crime is unfortunately global these days. I get why the Russians are a little miffed as there is a bit of Russian bashing in it, but in real life there are Russian criminals, as in deed there are British and Israeli (American etc.) James Norton impresses in everything he does, McMafia is another in the list of successes for him. Is this a pre empt for James Bond, time will tell. So the series perhaps starts off a little slow, and is very political heavy in its story telling, but it's intelligent, compulsive, gripping viewing, more please.

"McMafia" follows the banker Alex Godman, who actually wants to escape his family's criminal business with his own company, but due to unexpected events in his life, Alex slides further and further into the global criminal world of dirty deals.

The series has a very interesting premise, but doesn't really know how to handle it. Unfortunately, the series is just extremely average, even though it could have been so much more. The story was just stretched too far for a miniseries. You have the feeling that you hardly get to see the main character of the series and most of the time you're just following secondary characters. This quickly causes boredom.

The acting from many of the characters here is very good, but the main character's acting is pretty much non-existent. He almost always looks as if he had only read the script during the break before the scene.

You should also be aware beforehand that you have to read a lot of subtitles in these eight episodes because a foreign language is spoken most of the time.

In summary, it can be said that the series is not bad, but not particularly good either - it is just no more than average. There are plenty of better crime series to watch instead of this one.

Firstly how are other people giving this a 10? When I saw this I thought are the watching the same series and are they seriously putting this on the same level as the Wire, The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire and Billions...come on! The main issue is that the main character is wooden, whenever anyone or anything is said to him there is a pause, always a pause and then a deadpan response. I know what the actor and director are trying to convey, that Alex is cool...but he is no Daniel Craig (Layer Cake). And this is what they were going for and they fail miserably. And when the lead is poor it somehow infects the rest of he cast. And as for the airport scene between Vadim and Alex at the end of Episode 5...what was that all about. So this is definitely a bit of style (not a lot) over not a lot of substance. So very average...sorry, and particularly sorry as I paid to watch this...you live and learn

Well. as they carry me away on a stretcher, I have to say that I didn't intend to binge watch the entire 8 episodes... it just happened. What's the weather like out there? Having just finished a book by Bill Browder and then reading "Stalin, Waiting for Hitler" I was turned on to this series by a friend who told me it was a cracking show.

He didn't lie to me, just a superb project all round, classic British TV although Britain seems like a foreign country to me now that I've been away for so many years.

Be warned that you can't watch it without being totally absorbed!

There's no doubt in my mind that this is pulled from real life in London as we speak. The money from Russia has been flooding in since the fall of communism and the tap is still wide open, so it's not too much of a stretch to make a very believable fictional series like this.

Acting is flawless and the use of subtitles, with Russian being spoken on screen, is just brilliant.

It's quite interesting to see how Russian capitalists are portrayed as having so much more cultural taste than your average blingy Western billionaires but it's really astounding to see how much money they have amassed in such a short space of time. How can you get away with making that much money and not expect to be offed at some point? There's enough fodder here for more than a few seasons, as there are so many players in the international world of crookery. Book me in for three days straight to watch the next season! Bravo for a great piece of work!

I really enjoyed the first two episodes of this show. The subject matter of the russian oligarchs I find fancisnating. The show is very well done and very intresting. Its has that realistic and genuine vibe. After wataching two episodes i was craving the next episode but, i had to wait a week. The cast is superb and james norton really shines. A top tier thriller. 9/10

Good premise and plot but dragged out way too much and Norton absolutely kills the show with wooden terrible acting.

I'm concerned for the longevity of this show as it's really only going to appeal to intelligent and educated adults. Just look through the reviews for yourself and you can see that's entirely self-evident between those who appreciate it and those who do not.

The pacing and subtlety of the show make for a taut and realistic interpretation of the intersecting worlds of crime and business in the 21st century. It's wonderfully understated with just the right balance of suspense and realism that provides a really nice suspension of disbelief. I certainly hope we can get a few more seasons out of this. It's not often we see shows of this quality come along. If being spoon fed pablum from the networks is your idea of good entertainment than this certainly isn't for you. If, however, you long for more and appreciated high quality and intelligence, than this may be right up your alley.

First off all. Finally they use actors that can actually speak the language they are supposed too. Russians spoke Russian and Israeli spoke Hebrew and so on. It makes it ao much more believable and authentic. Acting is superb. Story original yet familiar. Just loved it and can not wait for season 2 .

Ugh. What a disappointing show. There's no point investing into a big budget, complex story and a genuinely interesting idea if the characters are boring as hell. They are literally cardboard cutouts that I do not care about whatsoever, and that's not helped by the flat acting. The only thing James Norton seems to be able to do is flash that annoying smile. Point is, if I don't care about the characters, why should I care about the plot?

McMafia also feels like it tries to make the plot seem as complex as possible when it really doesn't need to. A complex plot is well and good, but McMafia gets so buried in the mundane complexities that it forgets to tell an actual human story. It should learn storytelling from American shows like Breaking Bad, because it's not enough when making a show about real issues to simply show those issues. It matters HOW you show them, the presentation style. Breaking Bad, for example, added humour to otherwise mundane tasks like cooking meth in a number of ways, including interesting camera angles and adding an ironically cheery song. McMafia should learn how to make boring things interesting.

Every country has its share of gangsters, sadly, but in Russia there's a criminal elite that first robbed the old Soviet state, and is now tightly emeshed with the new one. This should make for an interesting drama; but unfortunately, 'McMafia' isn't quite it. Firstly, its a tale of international drug smuggling, in glamorous locations, but there's not much detail in its portrait of Russian politics, which I might have found more interesting. Secondly, the idea of the quiet respectable gangster, who loves his beautiful family, and has others do his dirty work for him, is all very well, but when every character fits the same archetype it makes for a flat story Thirdly, the hero - a suppodesly clean banker who is drawn into the dark web of his criminal family - is unconvincing - we need to believe in his purity before he goes over to the dark side. Overall, this didn't come to life for me - a shame given the potential of the scenario.

After finishing McMafia I cannot help but feel cheated. In theory and according to press releases, this should have been an edge of your seat thriller; the reality is that I've never slept as well as the week that I binge watched this series. This was not a sleep born of contentment at the end of a pleasurable watch, but one of utter boredom. It really is that dull.

The plot itself is complex and intriguing. Where McMafia falls short is the characters themselves: terrible accents combined with a complete lack of character development and a sprinkle of below par acting results in a cast that really fail to capture the imagination. The subplots become completely irrelevant (and actually rather irritating) when you experience no empathy for the characters involved. James Norton, once tipped to be the next Bond, manages to portray a character with zero charisma, charm or personality. I can't quite decide whether this is due to poor acting or a terrible script. Either way, 007? A position presenting the news seems more appropriate after this performance.

Unless you are on the hunt for a short term cure for insomnia, I would avoid McMafia.