Peaky Blinders

In 1920s Birmingham, Tommy Shelby, a decorated and traumatised World War One veteran runs a racketeering gang called the Peaky Blinders from a betting shop from Small Heath. And while crime pays well, Tommy knows that legitimate business pays better.

"Thomas you're a bookmaker, a robber, a fighting man...you're not a fool."

The gang is made up of three brothers Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy)-the boss, Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson)-the oldest, and John Shelby (Joe Cole)-the thickest. The family is held together by Aunt Polly Gray (Hellen McRory) through sheer will. The boys also have two other siblings: a sister, Ada Shelby (Sophie Rundle)- who's literally in bed with the Communist Freddy Thorne (Iddo Goldberg), himself a nagging thorn in the flesh of both Tommy Shelby and the coppers of Birmingham, as well as a little brother, Finn Shelby (Harry Kirton).

"John was a good boy. Arthur tries. Tommy is different."

When a British Army shipment of guns and ammunition bound for Libya goes missing and falls into the hands of the Peaky Blinders, a no nonsense Matiang'i-like [derogatory] cop, Inspector Campbell (Sam Neill), is brought down from Belfast by Winston Churchill to recover the guns as quietly as possible.

Tommy, however, sees this as Peaky Blinders’ chance to legitimise their business (sounds crazy, I know), and leverages the return of the guns in dealing with the King’s men.

The backdrop is post-WWI Britain, and as the industrial hub of England with a highly hedonistic and corrupt society, Birmingham is the perfect playground for Tommy Shelby and co. Violence is their forte, and they wear it elegantly, or as Tommy Shelby once put it, “My suits are on the house, or the house burns down.”

The creator and writer of the show, Steve Knight pens literally some of the best lines of modern television which are deservedly delivered by an outstanding cast. The dialogues in the Peaky Blinders are its greatest strength, keeping you glued to the screen with intense scenes while maintaining a playful aura of suspense episode after episode.

The acting in this show is authentic, encompassing a truly talented cast able to deal with the difficult Birmingham and Irish accents perfectly. It's worth mentioning that actors like Cillian Murphy (Irish), for instance, pulls off a wonderful Birmingham accent, while Sam Neill (Kiwi), pulls off a flawless Irish accent—a true testament to the cast's professionalism, dedication and expertise. I also bet they were having fun filming because the on-set chemistry of the actors is quite brilliant, especially between Tommy Shelby and Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy).

The set design, wardrobe, pyrotechnics, action sequences, and carefully curated shots make for some truly visually inspiring television. The cinematography is absolutely magical, and the action scenes and stunts are exceptionally executed in line with the brutal gangster theme of the show while still maintaining an air of elegance. The unique blend of elegance and violence in the midst of opulence, all contrasted with good old-fashioned British working-man aesthetic, pubs and peasants all with a healthy dose of post-war trauma, is remarkable.

To cap it all off is one of the best theme songs to ever grace any show to date, "Red Right Hand" performed by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The music is in a league only shared by soundtracks like F.R.I.E.N.D.S theme "I'll Be There For You-The Rembrandts", and the Game Of Thrones theme by Ramin Djawadi.

It's very difficult to find anything of detriment to the show. It's greatest weakness is perhaps the intense dialogues which require a lot of concentration from the viewer. This is definitely not a show for the easily distracted, the impatient, or the daft. The first two seasons also concentrate more on the development of Tommy Shelby rather than the Peaky Blinders as a whole, but in the third and fourth seasons this is remedied and all characters’ arcs see massive development on screen.

To the fashion lovers this is a show that takes the style of the era very seriously, and the male actors in particular are always dapper in their signature three-piece suits and trench coats, accompanied by the trademark Peaky Blinder razor hats. The ladies, on the other hand, always stun with their elegant dresses, fur coats, hats, boots, and guns.

This is definitely one of the best shows on Television and I would highly recommend everyone to watch it.

Rating: 9.3/10

By Order of the Peaky Blinders

~D

Originally published on WordPress in March 2019: PEAKY BLINDERS starring Cillian Murphy,Paul Anderson,Hellen McRory,Joe Cole,Sam Neill,Annabelle Wallis,Tom Hardy,Sophie Rundle, Finn Cole,Adrien Brody and Aiden Gillen. – The Biased Film Review

Here's a link to my other publications: @doddymaru | Linktree