Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man

For those suffering from serious Tommy Shelby withdrawal, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is here to remedy that. Four years after season six ended, the titular gangsters are back for an explosive tale of vengeance courtesy of the deft hand of director Tom Harper.

Set in the 1940s during the Blitz, Tommy (Cillian Murphy) has settled into rural obscurity, battling the demons of his past. Meanwhile, his estranged son, Duke (Barry Keoghan), begins flirting with fascism due to the allure of Beckett (Tim Roth), a British Nazi sympathiser and go-between for the Berlin autocracy. Following in the gangster movie tradition, Tommy has “one last job” to fulfil for the Peaky Blinders.

Murphy is a commanding presence, imbuing Tommy with his trademark frailty, which is further embodied by his greying looks. Perhaps drawing on the myriad tortured souls from his character roster, Keoghan excels as a young man battling conflicting allegiances. New addition Roth plays up his Machiavellian role with scenery-chewing vigour, perhaps spoofing an odious character like Beckett due to his own familial background (his father, a WWII veteran, was a communist who changed his surname in solidarity with persecuted Jews). Much like the show covered the rise of Oswald Mosely as a timely allegory for a post-Brexit Britain, there are allusions to the current political climate via the fascistic Beckett. And, as always, the excellent Stephen Graham is a notable standout.

As with the series, it engages in Scorsese-esque glamorisation of gangsters. Emerging from darkness, Tommy dons his famous cap and rides into town on his stallion against a slowed-down rendition of the iconic theme song Red Right Hand. On that note, it continues its tradition of anachronistic rock music blaring louder than the air raid sirens, with the likes of Amyl and the Sniffers and Fontaines DC contributing to the soundtrack. Such scenes are flashy and undoubtedly visually engaging, particularly for fans of classic gangster flicks. However, it all feels a tad stagey and played out, rehashing the tropes of both the genre and the TV series itself. Moreover, Tommy and Duke’s relationship – and, indeed, the latter’s paternal stand-in via Beckett – could have benefitted from further exploration.

But for those looking for an action-packed, cooler-than-thou revisit to Shelby Distillery, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is enjoyably climactic viewing. By order of the Peaky Blinders fans, the film is a satisfying addition to its lore.