The Westies Review
Director: Alan Taylor
Date Created: 2026-07-12 23:43
3
The Westies Review: Directed by Alan Taylor and created by Chris Brancato and Michael Panes, MGM+’s latest crime drama stars J.K. Simmons as Eamon Sweeney, Tom Brittney as Jimmy Roarke, Stanley Morgan as Mickey Flanagan, Sarah Bolger as Bridget Walsh, Titus Welliver as Glenn Keenan, Hamish Allan-Headley as John Gotti and others. The show has 8 episodes, and till now, the first two are out.
The Westies Review
Set around Hell’s Kitchen during an era where the Irish mafia has to fight for its existence within the shadow of the much more dominant Gambino mob. MGM+ series The Westies revolves around Eamon Sweeney as he struggles to retain an unstable alliance with the Italians and make a fortune by building the Javits Centre. But maintaining peace becomes quite difficult due to his impulsiveness and the fact that the people of his crew keep threatening to cause a gang war. Alongside this, corrupt cops, FBI raids, IRA ties, and personal loyalties create a tightening noose for everyone.
While watching MGM+’s The Westies, one gets a feeling that there are all the elements to make a great gangster show, except that all these elements were never put together. This is because the plot of the show itself is fascinating, as it is not just another mafia show, which depicts how one makes it in the business. In this particular instance, the theme of the show revolves around a gang that clearly knows that they will not be able to defeat their opponent by any physical means.
The bond that develops between Eamon and Jimmy is soon what gives the story an emotional edge. Although Jimmy does not make any overt attempts to usurp his boss, he goes against everything that his boss stands for. Jimmy’s unwillingness to murder Mickey causes the entire trajectory of the story to change and results in a spiral of consequences. It was nice to see Jimmy being shown as a loyal character who does not behave impulsively. Despite the fact that the choices he makes result in further complications, he always stays true to his convictions and does not act out of greed.
Perhaps Mickey Flanagan can be considered one of the most unexpected characters of the show because of his unstable psyche, which is the result of his terrible experience in Vietnam. Nevertheless, the series also makes him a decent enough person that he was never perceived by me as a lunatic. The fact that he loves Erin, the difficulty he has in handling violence because of the fact that he does it himself, and even his behaviour in the disgusting body disposal scenes prove that Mickey has way too much emotional stress to carry than he shows to others.
In this way, Bridget has surprised me more than I thought she would. At first, she seems like an observer within the activities of the gang, but the deeper she gets involved with her old IRA friends, the new plot thread develops and may develop into something much larger. I found it very interesting that her dilemma is not based on two lovers, but on two ideologies which she is still attached to. The risk around the shipment of weapons becomes even more serious.
Unfortunately, while the individual stories develop rather effectively, the greater plot isn’t always able to keep up that momentum. This show presents several interesting angles, including the FBI inquiry, the corruption within the police force, the delicate balance between the Irish and Italian communities, and the ties between Bridget and the IRA, but it constantly jumps back and forth between them before giving me time to get involved in any one particular storyline.
The pacing is also inconsistent at times. For example, there are certain instances, such as Mickey kidnapping Vinnie and the gang’s attempt to hide the murder, that provide the suspense I thought would be provided by a mob thriller. The scheme where the gang cuts off Vinnie’s hand, stages robbery scenes, and makes up evidence is amusing enough to keep the audience entertained, but at the same time, it shows how far the gang will go in their desperation. However, once the plot turns towards investigations and politics, everything becomes much slower.
In terms of performance, Tom Brittney takes the cake for me. Jimmy gains both strength and weakness through Brittney’s portrayal, becoming a character who seems to have the potential of being a great leader without trying to make him one too soon. Sarah Bolger certainly does a great job of bringing out the emotional side of Bridget, especially with how her past starts coming back. On the other hand, while J.K. Simmons is subtle with his performance as Eamon, I wanted a bit more intimidating in a leader of a criminal gang.
On a visual level, The Westies series effectively captures the rugged ambience of Hell’s Kitchen from the 1980s. The presence of bars, warehouses, construction sites, and smoky conference rooms helps to establish an authentic environment for the series while keeping the environment from becoming too refined. The violence portrayed in the show may be graphic, yet it is effective at serving the plot, rather than simply shocking the audience.
MGM+ The Westies Review: Summing Up
Overall, the 2026 The Westies series was able to engage my attention due to its characters rather than the storyline. In my opinion, the individual experiences of Jimmy, Mickey and Bridget are unique, and I became intrigued with how their stories will turn out in the future. Nevertheless, there is still something missing in the general plot that is needed to make an outstanding gangster story. There are many elements which can be used by the creators to make the series more interesting. At the moment, it is quite an entertaining crime thriller which has good actors and a fascinating premise.
