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An Insight Into The World Of The Scumbags

Customer Rating:

"Ross Kemp on Gangs" I believe was an honest surprise to everyone as upon first hearing about it I expected it to be a typically dreadfull affair in which Grant Mitchell, minus his terrible acting "talent" presents to us some generally unpleasant gangs who we would just want dead because we hate poor people. Instead what he managed to give us, along with his talented filming, sound and research crew was a genuine insight into the plight of the worlds pack of murderers and drug dealers. As he would interview them in his typical "ows ya fava" cockney accent, asking them stupidly probing mindless questions, then reiterate what he's being told for the middle class viewers at home who are struggling to even read the english subtitles of the foreigners they're laughing at. Although the slightly obvious fact exists that Ross Kemps head looks like a dried up old condom, there is now doubting he is good at pretending he did all the investigative and research work. He's also very good at keeping the fact that the only reason he got this job was because he's the loveably violent cockney geezer from Eastenders under wraps. Now he doesn't even have to pretend that's not the reason he got the job, after all it is now a Bafta winner for it (take that Danny Dyer, who's the biggest cockney now?) Throughout the series' Ross has interviewed a number of different gangs who seem to be in competition about who is the most violent in the world. Most of them tell of heart wrenching stories of how they face constant battles to control their turf from invading neighbours. Apparently the people of Jamaica and East Timor aren't familiar with the concept of a free country and rather than be educated about it they would much prefer to shoot each other. Two of my particular favourites, which may say a lot about me are the delightfully thugish football fans of Poland and the shoestring, tongue in cheek racist Russians. Don't get me wrong, aside from my general sarcasm and initial hatred for Kemp I do genuinely like the program. It is insightful and genuinely informative if at times a bit propagandist in favour of the gangs as it tries to express that it is not their fault, more the fault of their society. This is assuming that the people of Jamaica, Poland, Brazil, Russia etc. etc. signed away their free will at birth. Otherwise you can be excused for shouting at the screen "THEY'RE JUST SCUM AND NOTHING ELSE" as is the general custom of the perfect UK citizens. It was hard to get used to at first, but Kemp does become that supportive older brother you always wanted. He is at times a bit patronising, not just towards the loveable villains, but also to the viewer as he constantly feels the need to give you a recap of every scene. Yes, we get it. The gangs become a bit infuriating at times and although Kemp does try to get in their heads, you find them struggling to justify their actions yet living in the security that they are in the right and there is nothing else for it. After watching the past few series it is hard to imagine it without Kemp, but can only wonder how many gangs he has left to invade before people start asking him what else he does for a living. The background music and sound effects become quite irritating as he tries to appeal to the younger demographic. Listen kids, a gun firing, how interesting, keep watching and you might see a gun just like the one under your bed. If he is making this program with the possibility of being labelled a serious journalist, then he's a bit crap at that as he insists on thrusting upon us his thoughts about the gang. Although the news does try to hypnotise us with flashy photographs and constant uses of the words paedophile and murder, this isn't what I would expect from a documentary of this kind. You probe the gang and allow the viewer to make their mind up, after all Ross, you're not "The Sun" although the viewers are primarily "Sun" readers. All in all it is a good yet forgettable documentary and would only really recommend the DVD box set which I'm lead to believe is a bit of a rip-off, to my chav friends or someone without a job which coincidentally are the same people.

3stars are for the misleading box-set tag rather than the fantastic series which gets 5stars..

Customer Rating:

Now i know this boxset is yet to be released,but i have seen the shows on sky-hd and they are fantastic, shocking in places but gives a good insight to the life of gangs and its members, anyway i thought id let potential buyers know what the box-set contains as amazon have left no such details... Ross Kemp and his award-winning team seek out the world's most notorious gangs, gaining rare access to notoriously impenetrable mobs. El Salvador: Ross travels to this tiny country of earthquakes, volcanoes and gun rule to find out how MS13, considered by the Americans to be 'the most dangerous gang in the world', operates. He meets leaders of MS13 as well as the foot-soldiers, those gang members living in such perilous surroundings that the bottom of their road is a no-go-zone. Cape Town: South Africa's ferocious Numbers gang thrives in the country's overcrowded prisons. Nowhere is their power more potent than Cape Town's Pollsmoor High Security Prison. Here, Ross learns the fearsome power of the Numbers who subject new arrivals to violent attacks and gang rapes as part of their brutal initiations. St. Louis: St. Louis is home to one of America's most active and aggressive gang cultures making it one of the five most violent places in the US. Here Ross meets families dealing with gang violence, a man trying to leave gangster life behind him, and the police who are trying to deal with this culture. Moscow: Ross Kemp gets inside Moscow's vicious Neo-Nazi gangs and discovers who is behind the recent racist attacks. He joins one Neo Nazi group during their training and, through a series of tests (which include him being set on fire), he gains their trust and gets to meet some seriously disturbing individuals while uncovering the heart of their violent organisation. Jamaica: In Kingston, the murder capital of the world, gangs were historically aligned to Jamaica's two political parties. Ross discovers the gangs have moved away from their political roots and now engage in a bloody turf war, funded by drugs and driven by tit-for-tat reprisals, that has spawned a new generation of even more violent gangs. Poland:, Polish Neo-Nazi football hooligans have become some of the most feared gangs in Europe. Ross joins an elite police riot squad as they escort a notoriously violent hooligan gang and travels to Gorzow, a depressed and forgotten town, to meet the leaders of the brutal Stilon Fighters. Colombia: In a country ravaged by war and synonymous with drugs and violence, Ross meets the people involved in the long and bitter guerrilla fighting - including the most secretive of them all, the Sicarios. These small groups, mostly under the employ of the paramilitaries, operate as 'hit-squads', killing whoever is considered a threat. East Timor: More than two-thirds of Timorese youth are believed to be involved in gangs, ranging from martial arts groups to cult-like animist gangs. In the barrios of downtown Dili, Ross meets Sacred Heart and Seven Seven, two gangs in the midst of a deadly conflict, and witnesses their bizarre rituals, strict training and terrifying arsenal. what about london.. la.. new zealand.. not much of a boxset in my opinion as its missing some series. there is nothing worse than a incomplete dvd-boxset.. this shouldnt even be called a box-set.. great series.. but if you want the complete set. then you will find yourself buying this and a few seperate dvds to complete the collection.. all in all a great tv series. but be warned this set isnt the complete series.