Ever since the shine started to go off his hip hop career, rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has busied himself producing pulpy thrillers – of which the ludicrous boxing drama Fightland (Sky Atlantic, 9pm) is the latest and perhaps silliest example. Taking place in the murky grey area between the worlds of boxing and organised crime, it’s an old-fashioned revenge caper – with bonus fisticuffs for the benefit of those with a penchant for the Queensberry Rules. It also doubles as a slice of latter-day Brit noir, with Top Boy actor Howard Charles taking on the role of wronged world champ Maduka “Duke” Kilroy. The story opens with Duke winning a world title in Vegas and putting British boxing back on the map – under the approving gaze of his promoter Kingsley Marshall (Nicholas Pinnock). Kingsley is a villain in a slick suit, as becomes clear when he tortures a journalist who asks too many questions about his links to the underworld and then sends two goons after Duke, who has been cheekily sleeping with the boss’s wife, Joy (Deborah Ayorinde).Duke defends himself but when his brother Calvin (Jurell Carter) dies while rushing to his aid, he blows his lid and kills one of the attackers – only to be caught red-handed and banged away by the authorities. Fast forward eight years and Duke is out of prison, back in Blighty and bent on vengeance. But Kingsley is missing and his hot-headed son (Charles Babalola) and canny daughter Cece (Anita-Joy Uwajeh) are pulling the strings. Joy is still around, too – though Duke is also drawn to Kim (Tahirah Sharif), a new ring girl working for Kingsley. Fightland: Howard Charles as Duke Kilroy. Photograph: Fightland 2025 Starz/PA But the thing his heart is really set on is getting his own back on the missing Kingsley. Luckily he’s already teamed up with rival gangland boss Amado Rodriguez (Miguel Álvarez), who wants to bring down the Marshalls and their empire. This suits Duke down to the ground and, having been hired as a boxing coach, he’s soon diligently at work trying to topple the cartel from within. Fightland is a lot sillier in practice than it sounds on paper – rather than the Guy Ritchie movie with boxing gloves that the premise suggests, it has the giddy energy of a soap opera with bonus violence. It knows what it is: a hyperactive melodrama, full of fisticuffs and piled high with unhinged plot twists and dialogue so soapy you could wash your face with it. You could say it’s made in the likeness of its creator 50 Cent: loud, boastful but fun provided you’re in the right frame of mind.[ Beat the Lotto on RTÉ One: A gripping tale of gamblers who tried to bend the systemOpens in new window ]