Premiering on MGM+ July 12th is the new crime drama ‘The Westies’, which stars Oscar winner J.K. Simmons (‘Whiplash’), Titus Welliver (‘Bosch’), Tom Brittney (‘Greyhound’), Jessica Frances Dukes (‘Ozark’), Stanley Morgan (‘Argylle’), Sarah Bolger (‘The Lightkeeper’), and Hamish Allan-Headley (‘Daredevil: Born Again’) as John Gotti.
Premiering on MGM+ July 12th is the new crime drama ‘The Westies’, which stars Oscar winner J.K. Simmons (‘Whiplash’), Titus Welliver (‘Bosch’), Tom Brittney (‘Greyhound’), Jessica Frances Dukes (‘Ozark’), Stanley Morgan (‘Argylle’), Sarah Bolger (‘The Lightkeeper’), and Hamish Allan-Headley (‘Daredevil: Born Again’) as John Gotti.
J. K. Simmons in ‘The Westies’. Photo: MGM+.
Premiering on MGM+ July 12th is the new crime drama ‘The Westies’, which stars Oscar winner J.K. Simmons (‘Whiplash’), Titus Welliver (‘Bosch’), Tom Brittney (‘Greyhound’), Jessica Frances Dukes (‘Ozark’), Stanley Morgan (‘Argylle’), Sarah Bolger (‘The Lightkeeper’), and Hamish Allan-Headley (‘Daredevil: Born Again’) as John Gotti.
Related Article: Titus Welliver Talks ‘Bosch: Legacy’ Season 3 and Ending the Series
Initial Thoughts
(L to R) Titus Welliver and J. K. Simmons in ‘The Westies’. Photo: MGM+.
Based on a true story, ‘The Westies’ is an epic crime series that feels like a cross between ‘The Wire’ and ‘The Sopranos’, two of the greatest shows of all time. With several different storylines being told at the same time, not every one of them works completely in the first season, but the subplots that do work are compelling and the others at least lay the groundwork for interesting conflicts in future seasons.
But it’s the characters and performances that really make this series shine, led by veteran actors J.K. Simmons and Titus Welliver, who both deliver some of their best work to date. Tom Brittney is also excellent, as is Hamish Allan-Headly as notorious gangster John Gotti. The show’s production design and musical choices really puts the audience in 1980’s New York City and captures the feel and despair of the Big Apple at that time.
Story and Direction
J. K. Simmons in ‘The Westies’. Photo: MGM+.
Set in the early 1980’s, ‘The Westies’ follows the growing conflict between the Irish and Italian mobs in Hell’s Kitchen, New York. Eamon Sweeney (Simmons), the leader of the Westies, has made a deal with Paul Castellano, the leader of the Gambino crime family, to help them build the Javits Center and Sweeney will do anything to keep that agreement in place. However, tensions begin to grow between Castellano’s top lieutenant John Gotti (Allan-Headley) and members of Sweeney’s crew including Jimmy Roarke (Brittney) and Mickey Flanagan (Morgan), over the city’s drug trade, which Castellano wants no part of.
Meanwhile, down on his luck policeman Glenn Keenan (Welliver), who grew up with Sweeney and is still on his payroll, is contacted by FBI agent Birdie Polk (Dukes) to join a task force to bring Sweeney down and use him to arrest Castellano. However, Keenan’s estranged son Danny (Aidan Wojtak-Hissong) is currently working for Sweeney, and Keenan takes this opportunity to try and protect his boy. Keenan uses his relationship with Sweeney to work both sides, but eventually will have to choose between his loyalty to his neighborhood and his son’s future.
The series is at its best when it’s following the conflict between the Westies and the Gambino’s and Keenan and the FBI’s hunt to arrest Sweeney but struggles with other storylines like Jimmy’s girlfriend Bridget Walsh (Bolger) being involved with the IRA and trying to assassinate the people responsible for killing her parents. It is interesting subplot, but takes away from the more pertinent storylines.
Created by Chris Brancato and Michael Panes, the series perfectly captures the crime, despair, and racial tensions of New York in the early 80s with its costumes, production design and needle drops. The series also mirrors the real-life events competently well, staying true to the story but having the freedom to explore the fictional characters so the audience cares about them enough to be fully invested in the series.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Jessica Frances Dukes and Titus Welliver in ‘The Westies’. Photo: MGM+.
While ‘The Westies’ has a great cast, it’s the performances of the two veteran leads, J.K. Simmons, and Titus Welliver, and watching them face off against each other that really makes the show work. Simmons, who was a journeyman actor until he won an Oscar for ‘Whiplash’, gives a commanding performance as Sweeney and is completely believable in his role. Sweeney is cold and calculating, but thinks he’s doing what’s best for his community, and Simmonds plays the role with a relaxed gravitas.
Welliver, who was also a journeyman actor until the success of Prime Video’s ‘Bosch’ and ‘Bosch: Legacy’ made him a household name, gives an equally impressive performance. While both cops, Glenn Keenan couldn’t be further away from Harry Bosch, and it really demonstrates how good an actor Welliver is to be able to play such drastically different characters back-to-back. Welliver’s performance is nothing short of astonishing, and he continues to be, in my opinion, the best actor on television. The series is at its peak when Welliver and Simmons are on screen together and their chemistry adds to the characters’ “cat and mouse” game.
(L to R) Stanley Morgan and Tom Brittney in ‘The Westies’. Photo: MGM+.
English actor Tom Brittney brings a lot to the role of Jimmy, and his work compliments Simmons and Welliver. Jimmy’s blind loyalty to Sweeney plays a big role in the first season and Brittney holds his own on screen opposite Simmons. Actor Stanley Morgan also shines as loose cannon Mickey Flanagan, and his role is as fun as it is pivotal to the story. While most of the characters in the series are fictional, actor Hamish Allan-Headley has the difficult job of playing someone we’ve all heard of, the notorious gangster John Gotti. The role could have easily become a caricature, but Allan-Headley brings real emotion to the part and is a standout.
Jessica Frances Dukes plays Keenan’s FBI handler Birdie Polk, and while she has some great scenes with Welliver, there wasn’t enough time in the first season to really flesh out her character. Hopefully they’ll have more time to explore her in a second season. But a lot of time was spent following Bridget Walsh’s IRA subplot, and while actress Sarah Bolger was solid in the role, that storyline seemed like a distraction and had no real impact on the the main story.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Hamish Allan-Headly and J. K. Simmons in ‘The Westies’. Photo: MGM+.
In the end, ‘The Westies’ is an exhilarating and compelling new crime drama led by two of the best actors working today, J.K. Simmons and Titus Welliver. While the first season may have bit off more storylines than it can chew, the series is a stylish and nostalgic throwback to classic shows like ‘The Wire’ and ‘The Sopranos’.
‘The Westies’ receives a score of 90 out of 100.
(L to R) Tom Brittney and Sarah Bolger in ‘The Westies’. Photo: MGM+.
What is the plot of ‘The Westies’?
In 1980s Hell’s Kitchen, New York, two men (J. K. Simmons and Titus Welliver) who knew each other from childhood take differing paths in life with one a police officer and the other a member of the Westies criminal gang.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Westies’?
J. K. Simmons as Eamon SweeneyTitus Welliver as Glenn KeenanTom Brittney as James “Jimmy” RoarkeJessica Frances Dukes as Birdie PolkStanley Morgan as Mickey FlanaganSarah Bolger as Bridget WalshAllen Leech as Brendan CahillHamish Allan-Headly as John GottiVincent Walsh as Eddie BreenHilary McCormack as Erin Malone
‘The Westies’ premieres on MGM+ July 12th.
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