The Outlaws starring Stephen Merchant and Christopher Walken

[SpeedBash]

Starts Monday 25 October 2021 @ 21:00 on BBC1.

[dukeboy749r]

Just read about this on the BBC news site.

I think it’s going to be worth a watch.

[tardelli]

I enjoyed this.
Christopher Walked is Good at playing the kind of man, who would help a pensioner to cross the road on his way to murder someone.

[Fundoreen]

This was quite good and funny in parts. Bit too much drama thrust on the youth element though.

[CountVacillate]

I’ve just watched the two episodes with my OH.

It was ok, I strangely enjoyed it and found it irritating at the same time!!?

[Kevin Cozner]

CountVacillate said:

It was ok, I strangely enjoyed it and found it irritating at the same time!!?

As did I. The woman who plays Rani is very good. John's initial character establishment was very poorly acted (direction: "do a bad impression of Al Murray's Pub Landlord"). The rest were all a bit meh but raised by Walken's presence.

[MC Bodge]

I thought episode 1 was good.

Quirky.

[jules_s]

CountVacillate said:

I’ve just watched the two episodes with my OH.

It was ok, I strangely enjoyed it and found it irritating at the same time!!?

Same here - watched the first - expecting a few laughs - but it was too deep/tense to be 'funny'

Interesting scenes across Bristol though

[Old Man Peabody]

jules_s said:

Same here - watched the first - expecting a few laughs - but it was too deep/tense to be 'funny'

Very much this.

There was some clever humour in there, but why did it need some convoluted drama that just left you shaking you're head?

'I know, I'll steal my dad's sign written van, including home address and follow a bloke I've only just met and help him get away from an armed robbery!?'

Oxford Uni would be proud, lol

And don't even get me started on the gun going back and forth all day!

No amount of humour will save it if it carries on its current path.

Christopher Walken though

[MC Bodge]

We should possibly try not to forget that it's not supposed to be purely gritty realism. It's fantasy set in the modern day UK. Doing community service possibly isn't that funny or dramatic every day and how often would Christopher Walken be there?

The sign-written van was obviously a way to develop the story.

[V8covin]

I thought Walken was poorly casted.
Can't see me sticking with this for long, it's pretty crap.....and I'm a big fan of Merchant's stuff usually

[JimmyConwayNW]

Very average.

[Fundoreen]

How recently was it shot?
The pushy asia/european parental dynamic seems very Raducanu to me.
Apologies to the Raducanu's who seem very nice.

[Scrump]

Watched the first episode and was interested in spotting the Bristol locations.
Was not left eager to watch the next episode straight away. Will watch it at some point to see if it gets better.

[Evil Jack]

The trailer makes it seem like it's going to be hilarious.
It's just not.

[Randy Winkman]

I quite liked it. The woman in charge was funny and the Darren Boyd character was very Pistonheads.

Not sure about the social media woman but I bet she turns out to be important as the story develops.

[MC Bodge]

Randy Winkman said:

Darren Boyd character was very Pistonheads.

Ah, that's why the responses on here have been lukewarm?

[Doofus]

I thought it was fine, apart from Walken.

He can't/won't act for toffee and he makes my skin crawl. Always has. He has the same effect on my wife too, so it's not just me.

[anonymous-user]

Randy Winkman said:

I quite liked it. The woman in charge was funny and the Darren Boyd character was very Pistonheads.

Very much this, I thought exactly the same thing about John the 'right wing blowhard'. It was good that he was a properly developed character, and very sympathetic in many respects, he is motivated by supporting his family and not letting his father's business fail.

Myma 'the militant lefty' is a proper Bristol archetype (I've lived in or near Bristol several times in the last 20 years) and again not overdone, her accusations of prejudice against John regarding Christian (the reluctant gang member) proved to be ill founded, even though he is motivated by trying to protect his sister from the local gang.

I didn't realise it was going to be a drama rather than broad comedy but is arguably the better for it, there is some real emotional resonance in some of the performances.

[mcpoot]

Doofus said:

I thought it was fine, apart from Walken.

He can't/won't act for toffee and he makes my skin crawl. Always has. He has the same effect on my wife too, so it's not just me.