Mobsters, murderers, thugs, blackmailers, crooks.  There’s gangs of them, vividly plying their notorious trade, in Guy Ritchie’s “Mobland,” streaming now on Paramount+.

For Pierce Brosnan, Conrad Harrigan, head of London’s scariest, toughest and most brutal clan, ranks among the darkest characters he’s ever played.

“Conrad is a psychopath in some regards,” a relaxed Brosnan, 71, allowed in a Zoom interview. “He’s a businessman. An Irishman who heads a family empire with his wife, Maeve (Helen Mirren).  The family is pretty much a mangled bunch — but that’s what drew me to it!

“That and the writing of Ronan Bennett and Jez Butterworth, who really enhanced the drama, and Guy leading it off. So yeah, I had a great time working on the character. But he’s definitely a twisted soul.”

As this gang is under siege by rivals, there are those who see steely Maeve, not Conrad, as the real boss. Would Brosnan agree?

“Well, yes, she certainly has that Lady Macbeth quality to her — and we did discuss that. So you have the kind of Scottish play,” he said, referring to “Macbeth.” “You have the crime boss being Conrad myself — but behind him is Maeve. She’s always whispering in his ear, and he’s thuggish, brutal, instinctive. He’s an animal.”

There’s a bit of film history here between the two. Brosnan’s film debut was the 1980 sleeper hit “The Long Good Friday” in which Mirren, in one of her first notable roles, co-starred.

“It was my first movie, a great gangster movie. My agent said, ‘You’re playing Killer Number 1.’”  His brief time on set meant they never met.

“Helen and I did our first time acting together last year, a movie called ‘The Thursday Murder Club.’ When I was shooting that, I read ‘Mobland’ and said to her, ‘Look, I’m doing it. I want to come back to London and work with Guy Richie.’ She read it and said, ‘I’m in!’ And we were off to the races as Maeve and Conrad Harrigan.”

But why do these terrible people and their dangerous ilk remain enduringly popular?

“It’s a good question. I’m not sure if it’s easily answered,” Bronson said. “But look at any dramas from Shakespeare or Jacobean tragedies, you have these devious families. In this case, the Harrigans.

“They’re sexy. They’re dangerous, And people like sex, violence and good drama. And when it’s wrapped up by Guy and his team, it’s watchable. People want to be turned on by it! And this is a show that really moves fast.”

“Mobland” is streaming on Paramount+