By Dan Skip Allen

I started watching “Peaky Blinders”,  the Netflix drama series set in post WWI Birmingham, England, when  it started airing in 2013. It’s a show that  focuses on the Shelby family of Gypsy’s led by the ambitious Tommy Shelby. They are a crime family that is involved in gambling, throwing horse races, smuggling, amongst other things.They are criminals for lack of a better word to some like rival gangs and the local police but the thing about criminals, though, is that they are also heroes in some people’s minds. This series reminded me of gangster films like Goodfellas and The Godfather franchise, but the best comparison I can say is that of The Sopranos. Both Tommy Shelby and Tony Soprano have a lot in common, besides being gangsters and criminals. Steven Knight captured the world of early 1900s England perfectly. With the scope and scale of the series, it makes sense that he and Netflix decided to end it on a feature film.

The film picks up with Thomas Shelby (Killian Murphy) living a quiet life on a farm where he is writing a book about his life. The stories of his family in Birmingham, England. His sister Ada Shelby (Sophie Rundle) is an upstanding citizen in England society and keeps an eye on things. The Peaky Blinders themselves are now led by the son of Thomas Shelby Duke (Barry Keoghan). He is making a deal with some Nazi sympathizers to infuse the English economy with 70 million pounds of fake money, which will cripple their economy and win the war for Germany. England is the only standout in Europe who hasn’t fallen to  the Germans. Thomas Shelby doesn’t want to get involved with his son but when he gets a visit from the sister of someone he knew before it’s a sign that he must help save his family’s legacy and England. 

Steven Knight does the exact same thing he usually does with the series but instead condenses the story down to a two hour movie length format instead of 6 hour long episodes. The story is set up, and the motivation is clear. Once all the characters, some new and some old, are introduced, they film kicks into high gear. All the things that I and others love about the show are all evident here in the film. Tom Harper, the director, uses a similar style of filming. With natural lighting or lamps or streetlights to light scenes. The fog and smoke come out of the marshes and various furnaces and smoke stacks in the city. The look of this series is iconic, and it was smart of him to keep everything looking the same even when the film took place in the 1940s. The cinematography by George is amazing. This film captures the essence of what the series was all about. Also, add in the classic music with just one playing of “Red Right Hand” from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds” the theme song of the series. You can’t have a Peaky Blinders film without at least one version of this iconic song being played in the film.

One of the things that made the show so indelible for me was the inner turmoil that Murphy’s character always had. How every decision was agonizing to him because of who it may hurt or potentially get hurt or killed in the outcome. That inner turmoil is still here with this character. Murphy is able to exude the pain in his eyes and the struggle he has with every word he says. Add in a past traumatic event that is eluded to in this film from Season 6, and you have the perfect foil for this character. He is agonizing over what happened in the past, and it haunts him every waking moment. It’s as painful as a bullet wound for this man who has seen it all. That is why this character, for me, is one of the most iconic characters in television in this century. He’s on the level of Walter White, Tony Soprano, and Don Draper. That’s the Mount Rushmore of dramatic characters in television/streaming this century.  

Besides a few returning characters from the series like Johnny Dogs (Packy Lee) and Charlie Strong (Ned Dennehy), there are a few new characters that make the film what it is. First is Tim Roth, who plays Beckett, who facilitates the deal to bring the fake money into England through the Liverpool docs. He’s a nasty character who tries to put a wedge between father and son in the film. Roth is a great character actor and does a terrific villain turn here in this film. Barry Keoghan takes up the role of Erasmus “Duke” Shelby in the film previously played by Conrad Khan. He is trying to embody his father as the leader of the Peaky Blinders in a way while also being himself. The film starts off with a robbery of some arms that are meant for the frontlines. This doesn’t go over well with the locals, which also, in turn, doesn’t make them like him. Rebecca Ferguson plays Kaulo a gypsy, the sister of someone who Murphy’s character once loved. She brings a bit of confusion to him with her twisted words. She doesn’t exactly have his best interests at heart and spins a web of deceit. Stephan Graham also comes back reprising his role of Haydrn Stagg from Season 6 of Peaky Blinders. He’s a dockworker and helps his friends in this film. As a whole, similar to the show, this cast is exceptional. They are all doing great work here in the film.

In the timespan of the show, the Peaky Blinders spanned the early 1900s to now the 1940s. A lot has gone on in this time period. Murphy ‘s character has dealt with Irish constables, corrupt politicians, other gangs, and even Winston Churchill. He and the family have faced many obstacles in the years lead-up to this point in his life. Even quite a bit of family drama. This can be as equal to the other drama he has faced in his lifetime. His military service always seems to pop up as well. He constantly has dreams of digging ditches and tunnels during WWI, which are nightmares to him. Flashbacks in the series have always been a thing, but in the film, they have a deeper meaning. The show is an event involving his brother from Season 6 of the show. This weighs heavily on his mind. The film shows the levels of storytelling, and it has as much depth and layers to it as the series had. The writing is exceptional, but so is the acting to sell the storylines.

With all the great dramatic characters of this century, there is an inevitable ending to them all. The shows end because they must. How they end is a key to whether or not they are considered successful or not. I wasn’t a fan of The Sopranos ending at first but as I thought about it more over the years I liked it more but the ending of Mad Men, Breaking Bad and now Peaky Blinders were done in a masterful way. This series has always shown the Thomas Shelby character as the matriarch of the family. The bedrock the family stood on, and he’s that once again in this film. He takes up his mantle of leader and does what he always does. The right thing regarding his family, town, and country. He has been the bigger man in multiple situations in the past, and he does here as well. A perfectly layered plan with a few hiccups as usual ends this film. There is bloodshed and explosions to boot. As used, expect from a fight with some Nazi’s.The progress of the series has been intelligently dealt with throughout the existence of the show. This is just another example of how great this series has been in its over a decade run. 

Two particular scenes in the film that I thought were very well done were as follows. After a fight between father and son, Murphy’s Thomas Shelby gets a black horse from a stable and rides into Birmingham like a hero. He is swarmed by the locals and welcomed with open arms as the hero of the people. This was very significant because in the first season, he’s riding a white horse through town. I’ll let you know that the readers determine what you think this means. It’s a key to his overall character development in the film. The second is a scene where Murphy’s Shelby goes into a bar called the Garrison, owned by his son, and stops the music that is being played there. which, in turn, stops the dancing. He is confronted by an English soldier who is trying to have a good time, but he does know who Murphy’s character is. Once he says his name, everyone in the bar shutters to silence. He then pulls a grenade out of his coat pocket, pulls the pin and hands it to the soldier, and the soldier runs out scared. An explosion happens outside the doors of the bar. This is who this man is, and that’s why I love this character so much. This was a brilliant scene acted out as perfectly as any could be.

“Peaky Blinder” The Immortal Man has a two-fold meaning. It’s the title of the book Thomas Shelby is writing about himself, his family, and their history. Plus, it is about a man who has survived many encounters with death. He seems to be like Teflon in a sense. Death washes off of him and onto others. With the ending of the series in the form of this film, that may be an inevitability. The film will help the viewer decide that . It’s a perfect conclusion to one of the best shows of this century. I have no problem saying that. Because I truly mean it. Everything about the series is basically incapacitated in this film. It’s the way it should be. Any fan of the show will surely love this film. It encapsulates everything I’ve loved about the show to perfection.The inner turmoil of the characters and the world they exist in is executed perfectly. I couldn’t think of a better way to end this show than how Knight and Harper ended it in this film. A must-see for any fan of the series or those who have never watched the show. It’ll get you into it and get you to go back and watch it on Netflix. 

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is in theaters for a limited run right now and will be streamed on Netflix on March 20th

5 stars