I write this as someone that dealt with the "real life" characters on a daily basis. Back in the 1980's I worked in "their" bank branch of choice.

This program perfectly matched the menacing undertones of everything they did and their complete disregard of wider society.

The acting is superb and can't be faulted although the props department messed up when relaying a scene from around 1984 and they had a GnR appetite for destruction (1987) flag in the background.

I actually got to serve the guy that played Mal in the late 1990's and by golly did we have a good chat when I mentioned that I worked in Richmond in the mid '80's and had to attend to who his character was based on. Will never forget that chat :)