Raïssa Botterman’s mob war docuseries drops today

Stern & Wild filmmaker Raïssa Botterman’s fantastic true crime Netflix docuseries MOB WAR: PHILADELPHIA VS THE MAFIA is available to watch on the platform from today.

Picked by Guardian critic Phil Harrison as one of the seven best shows to stream this week, the unflinching three-part series investigates the bloody mob war that overwhelmed Philadelphia in the 1990s as veteran crime boss John Stanfa and rival upstart Joey Merlino battled for control of the city's organised crime syndicate. It features first-hand accounts from former mob associates, law enforcement officials, prosecutors and journalists who witnessed the war unfold, and examines the FBI’s incredible operation to end the carnage.

“There’s little of the tawdry glamour sometimes associated with mob life on display here,” writes Harrison, “it’s a grim and gritty story”.

The series is a Raw TV production for Netflix. It is directed by Grierson nominee Raïssa, whose previous credits include BECOMING MATISSE (Brook Lapping for the BBC), MY DAUGHTER’S KILLER (Rogan Productions for Netflix) and MURDER IN THE PACIFIC (Oxford Scientific for the BBC). Exec Producers are Tom Sheahan, Dimitri Doganis and Jon Liebman.