Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Band of Gold

Top positive review

Intense, excellently acted drama

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2001

I don't know how the show is fitted into this video. I actually didn't know a second season of Band of Gold existed until I saw it recently on a semi-alternative station. While the first was excellently acted, the second graduates from the realistic to the atmospheric, with the central characters, two prostitutes (Cathy Tyson, Geraldine James),one semi-prostitute (Barbara Dickson) and a mother of a fellow streetwalker slain in the first season (I can't remember her name) trying to change their lives through having established a cleaning service. This doesn't last, as they are caught in a spiral of corruption, murder, drug use, heartbreak, suicide, and finally, some semblance of a happy ending for at least one of the characters (Tyson). The performances by Tyson,James,Dickson, Samantha Morton, Tony Doyle, David Bradley, etc. are excellent.This drama is very intense, grim to the point of depressing, yet demonstrates two things: how difficult it is for prostitutes to leave "the lane" and start a new life; that the best dramatic product in the English language does,basically, emanate from the U.K.

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Top critical review

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uneven, unrealistic, unpleasant

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2016

This "series" ran for 3 seasons in Britain. Or ran for three "series," i.e., three years. It can get confusing, because what we call a "season" in the U.S. is called a "series" in Britain. In any event, it ran three years, six episodes per year. So this box set contains 18 episodes total.

It's an uneven show. Some scenes are gritty and mean-spirited. Sometimes the show tries to be heart-rending and heartfelt. Then at times it's more of a comedic farce.

You have a former prostitute who loves her grandkids, and is terrified of losing them. Other prostitutes with kids, whom they love. Another who's trying to track down the kid she gave up for adoption. Some of these prostitutes try to form a cleaning business. A serial killer prostitute, whom we're supposed to sympathize with, because her father abused her as a child.

Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) is in eight of the episodes She plays a dominatrix. She veers from cold, to quirky, to loving, to friendly, to business-like, to tear-struck. No emotional consistency. Ditto most of the other characters.

Headey's dominatrix is in love with a prostitute, who commits suicide. Soon thereafter, Headey is making goofy faces in a kareoke bar, as if she has not a care in the world. Sometimes Headey smokes opium in a public restroom. Other times she's all cleaned up, looking pure and innocent. Overall, her character looks too clean. No signs of living a hard, drugged-addicted life on the streets -- although her character allegedly ran away from home at age 12, and has been living on the streets for, oh, the past 10 years.

There's a nasty, borderline psycho cop who's insanely in love/hate with a prostitute played by Cathy Tyson (who seems to be replaying the character she played in Mona Lisa. Tyson's prostitute, like Headey's, is all over the emotional map. At times Tyson appears to be acting in a serious drama. Then when a former client leaves her money, Tyson acts all goofy and silly, as if she were in a sitcom version of Pretty Woman. Especially farcical is how the dead client's nephew tries to legally void the Will by entrapping Tyson in sordid acts, and Tyson's wacky retributions. Then she suddenly stops being selfish and materialistic, and defends the rights of working girls, as though she were in Norma Rae.

Another prostitute is a mean-spirited thing, until she's unexpectedly recruited to be a social worker. Then she's all public-spirited, sacrificing for the good of others.

There are a couple of shocking murders (filmed as serious drama), followed by farcical attempts to hide the body. Ha ha.

I guess there's supposed to be a feminist theme that runs through this show. The men are worse than the women. We're supposed to root for the prostitutes, but they're a pretty sordid, unpleasant bunch. Which should clue you in as to how sordid the men are. (Corrupt cops, child molesters, sadistic clients, violent pimps, murderous ex-husbands, etc.) If you're a man, and you want to see how horrible you are, this is a good show to watch. If women are awful, then bad men are to blame. Women, no matter how criminal or deceitful or violent, are victims of male malevolence.

I did learn some English terms. In Britain, a John is called a Punter. And a Pimp is called a Ponce.

This is an overall ugly series, with uneven, unrealistic characters. No, I've never known a prostitute, or a pimp, or even a social worker or a cop. But I assume that, like all human beings, they each have some emotional consistency. Which is widely lacking among the characters of this series. The tone and themes of the show are all over the map. Of course, I don't blame the actors. The writers and directors are to blame.

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From the United States

Excellent as a drama on the lives of prostitutes but only fair as a thriller

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2012

Intelligent if slightly awkward melding of a gritty, sad drama of life of the street for working class
prostitutes in the UK, and a somewhat more melodramatic and soapy (if sometimes quite tense)
serial killer thriller.

Unlike `Klute' where the world of hustling and thriller melded seamlessly, here there is a bit more
schizophrenia between the elements. For me, the crime sections, while sometimes effective, were
also quite familiar, and felt like TV and movies I'd seen many times before, whereas the portrait of
the day to day lives of hustlers felt like much more interesting and less often explored in a
non-exploitive way. The killings and investigation feel oddly grafted on.

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From other countries

F. R. Lewis

Fine Feminist Film Noir

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2016

Verified Purchase

Crime is the basis for this exploration of the lives of desperate working-class women in the north England industrial city of Bradford, now de-industrialized. Economic difficulties lead them to prostitution. The traditional Jack-the-Ripper story is viewed from the point of the view of the women, not the detectives or the killer. The series is modern film noir as the victims work by night, are at risk from the killer, but also cannot trust the police and are ignored when not scorned and abused by society. In fact, the women find the killer each time themselves - the police show up only after the fact. The second and third series illustrate the difficulty of trying to leave prostitution for a normal existence. Although the series can be enjoyed by any mystery fan - allowing for strong language and some sexual situations - those of left-wing views will be impressed by the illustration of the effect of Thatcherism on the lives of people at the bottom of the heap. There is a feminist theme as well as the women are subjugated by various patriarchal institutions and social structures, but they struggle mightily against them. Fans of "Prisoner: Cell Block H" (1979- 86) and the new "Wentworth" (2013- present) will enjoy "Band of Gold."

7 people found this helpful

amanda sugden

Great

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great watch haven’t seen it for years

Jaromac

Great

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2014

Verified Purchase

It was great to watch this series again. I had watched it when shown on TV. Look forward to watching them all over again at some point.

Mum of two

Good blast from the past

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2013

Verified Purchase

Really enjoyed watching this. Becomes a little bit dull by the end, but great overall. Thought it was quite expensive for such an old series though.

Eileen

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

Delighted with the set - still as gritty & raw as it ever was

kerrie east

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 21, 2015

Verified Purchase

Brilliant series second time around 😁

alfmeister

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2013

Verified Purchase

Looks a bit dated to when I last watched it but then again.. what doesn't..
Still really enjoyable second time around with great script and cast

david daysh

Well worth watching. Good cast and very good value from Amazon

Reviewed in Spain on September 19, 2014

Verified Purchase

Enjoyed the series when on TV and again on DVD. Life on the streets in the 90's I guess!Pity it was only the one series

gritty northern drama.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2015

Verified Purchase

My husband bought this for me and it has been great reminiscing on the great characters in the series. Brought back lots of memories and fully enjoyed having the box set so I could watch one after the other.
I didn't remember how 'gritty' some of the storylines were!

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