Legends review: This brisk Netflix thriller finds Steve Coogan in his element

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A star rating of 5 out of 5.

It’s easy to see why Neil Forsyth’s latest thriller was greenlit. He previously wrote The Gold, a highly praised BBC drama about the fallout from the 1983 Brink’s-Mat gold robbery and the police investigation to catch the thieves and recover the stolen gold.

Netflix asked Neil if he had any other real-life stories about gritty organized crime from the same era that he could use for another successful show.

Nina Forsyth presents a dramatization of a surprising plan devised by British customs officials in 1990. Facing political pressure to curb heroin smuggling, they chose to send inexperienced officers undercover to penetrate drug trafficking networks.

Legends, the resulting six-episode series, really turns up the heat, with higher stakes, increased tension, and characters even more affected by the harsh realities of 1980s Britain under Thatcher. Forsyth has a knack for focusing on the most exciting parts of a story, making this series completely captivating.

Okay, so Steve Coogan is fantastic as Don, this really experienced guy who basically teaches a bunch of oddballs how to create completely new lives for themselves – what they call ‘legends.’ They’re sent undercover to some pretty tough places: rough neighborhoods in Liverpool and London, and even into the Turkish immigrant community, and Don’s the one prepping them for it all.

The movie Legends starts off amusingly with a training sequence where recruits are quickly dismissed for asking simple questions – a scene Steve Coogan could easily deliver. Coogan brings these eccentricities to life through subtle mannerisms, making his character feel distinct and providing consistent humor throughout the film.

Don’s experience also shows that this line of work tends to draw in people who are already struggling, rather than helping them recover. His own experience with going deeply undercover years ago remains a lingering and unresolved issue.

Don rapidly narrowed down the volunteers to just four people – all highly capable individuals who felt unfulfilled in their previous roles as customs officers, where they spent their time inspecting luggage or handling endless forms.

He dispatches Kate (Hayley Squires) and Bailey (Aml Ameen) to Liverpool. For the assignment in London, he chooses Guy, a man Don recognizes as someone similar to himself—another person who thrives on facing dangerous situations.

Tom Burke plays Guy with a compelling, slightly rugged charm that initially overshadows the other actors, but they all develop strong storylines as the show goes on. In the background, Erin (Jasmine Blackborow) appears shy, but she’s secretly a brilliant researcher who excels at finding information.

We’re familiar with these characters, we root for them, and we’re on the edge of our seats watching them try to pull off a risky, low-budget mission. If their true identities are revealed, it will mean certain death.

Guy unexpectedly enters London’s criminal underworld, a place where trust is nonexistent, especially for an outsider. Meanwhile, in Liverpool, Kate and Bailey watch a similarly brutal gang that’s deeply rooted in the local community and contributing to a growing drug problem.

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This isn’t a slow, character-driven drama like shows such as The Sopranos or The Wire; it’s a fast-paced thriller. However, the author still delves into why the villains act the way they do and keeps the core purpose of the story in focus. Several episodes open with a stark and upsetting portrayal of someone who starts using heroin and quickly spirals into addiction, never recovering.

What I really love about Legends is how quickly it moves. It just barrels forward with one thrilling scene after another, constantly putting its characters in impossible situations and then showing us how they cleverly get out. It works so well because you genuinely feel like anyone could die at any moment – they don’t feel safe, and honestly, it seems like not everyone will make it through. That constant danger is what keeps me hooked!

A close-knit group has volunteered for a dangerous, seemingly impossible mission – and they’re determined to make the most of it.

Authors

Jack Seale

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2026-05-07 10:36