Peaky Blinders is a British historical crime drama inspired by the real Peaky Blinders, a street gang, based in Birmingham, England from the 1880s until the 1920s. The BBC show ran from 2013-2022 and became a cult classic.
The series follows Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, the leader of the Peaky Blinders, who learns Winston Churchill sent his underlings to try and dismantle all street gangs across England. Over the course of six seasons, the Peaky Blinders find themselves at the center of various political and criminal issues. The film is no different. Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is inspired by the November 19, 1940, bombing in Birmingham. The film uses this event as an anchor to tell a tale of guilt, penance, and legacy.
Don’t Think Too Much
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is an okay movie. Everyone brought their A-game, and I’m thankful that the cast for this film has excellent actors. If this wasn’t a Peaky Blinders film, I’m afraid this film would’ve been a box office stinker.
It’s been a while since I watched Peaky Blinders. Returning to this film made me wonder if the show was always a testosterone-filled macho man’s gory dream. It always was, but the cast I grew to love over the course of 6 seasons let me look past it. Watching Duke, Tommy’s son, run the Peaky Blinders on his own didn’t let me look past it. It was easy to hate this guy for partnering with Nazis. It was made easier when he said his reason was because his dad never loved him. The guy is a loser. Watching him try to run a gang made me roll my eyes and wish for Tommy to come back and beat some sense into him.
However, Tommy won’t do that because he’s in his house, writing a memoir. He’s also seeing the ghost of his dead daughter run around his property. It’s sad, and no one can talk some sense into him. Just when all hope is almost lost, the twin sister of a woman he slept with decades ago, enters his home begging him to set Duke straight. He refuses, but she manages to convince him with a quick romp. Yes, it’s ridiculous. Thankfully, Cillian Murphy and Rebecca Ferguson are excellent actors, or else I never would’ve bought that plot line in any other film.
It takes a whole hour for Tommy to make his return. Once he does, the world locks back into place. Well, almost everything.
Where is Everybody?
The film suffered greatly from not having the entire cast to fill the energy. Over six seasons, we were used to Arthur, Ada, and the rest of the Peaky Blinders running around causing amok in and outside of Birmingham. Without them, the film felt like walking into an empty ballroom when all of the party guests have left, and you have to clean up on your own. It’s a reflection of the emptiness Tommy feels throughout the entire film. The emptiness of the ballroom can’t be filled by one person alone.
Tommy Shelby was always a larger-than-life character, and this film brought him down to Earth in a way. I can’t help but think back to the final minutes of the season six finale as Tommy stands in the doorway of his home, taking a moment to gander before walking off-screen. For four years, I kept that mystical man in my head. Now, this film comes around and reminds me that the man is not a legend, but a man. Despite how I feel about the film’s emptiness and odd choices, I won’t deny it was great to see Tommy in action again.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is now streaming on Netflix.
