Tommy Shelby returns this week. The highly anticipated Peaky Blinders movie The Immortal Man hits cinemas, with a Netflix release to follow shortly. So, thirteen years after its original release and with many accolades later, what is it about the Peaky Blinders that keeps us coming back for more?
Well, as a premise it is undeniably enthralling. A ruthless but compelling gang (the titular ‘Peaky Blinders’) garner power and money through various illicit activities, battling criminal and political rivals in the process. The show is set in 1920s Britain and captures its strange zeitgeist perfectly; with tension between the classless camaraderie of the trenches and the return to strict social hierarchy post-war. The early seasons of the show are brilliantly hinged on this conflict as the main character Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is both a decorated war hero and a wanted gangster. The political intrigue only builds as the seasons progress and the stakes become higher. The show is maximalist in style and abundant in romantic entanglements, family disputes and razor-blade violence — it is distinctly unafraid of its own melodrama.
The Peaky Blinders are a family business and it is their dynamics that create the best moments of the series. The familial relationships are well-established and loveable, creating moments of tenderness amongst the chaos, and rooting the characters’ motivations in loyalty and love. The show is able to build such a dynamic and likeable set of characters because the cast is utterly flawless. There are some standout performances, of course: Tom Hardy is eccentric and hilarious as the iconic Alfie Solomons and Helen McCrory is wonderful as the show’s compelling matriarch Polly Gray, but it is Tommy Shelby that is — of course — the star of the show. The power of Cillian Murphy cannot be overstated; the undeniable charisma of his Tommy Shelby is what draws you in and what keeps you coming back for more. I often feel that the brazen nature of Tommy’s charm means that his character is one wrong line delivery away from becoming a cringeworthy caricature, but Murphy pulls it off and then some; everyone is captivated. That is the reason that Peaky Blinders remains such a staple of popular culture and why so many viewers will be tuning in to watch the latest Peaky Blinders installment: Tommy Shelby is simply irresistible.
“Peaky Blinders – Bhim2” by Douglas Tofoli is marked with Public domain mark 1.0.