Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man review sees Tommy Shelby return from estrangement to save what’s left of his family. The Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man review explores whether this long-awaited movie delivers a satisfying ending for Tommy Shelby’s story.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Review
Peaky Blinders was one of the rare television series that grew into a cultural phenomenon the longer it aired. The tale of a Birmingham gangster family in the 1920s began as a local hit in England before Netflix globalized its impact, all thanks to the show’s unique blend of anachronism and old school suaveness.
Where The Immortal Man Fits After Season 6
The film picks up a few years after the end of the series. By the end of season 6, Tommy (Cillian Murphy) managed to defeat all his enemies, cleared his name by destroying his estate, and started anew, living like a Gypsy. Sounds like a poetic ending for the reluctant mobster, so what else could be mined out of his story?
Arthur Shelby’s Death and Its Impact
Apparently, his trustee brother slash right-hand man, Arthur, is dead sometime between the end of the last season and the beginning of the movie. (Details of his death, a key incident driving Tommy’s arc, are highly controversial. Those of you who watched it, what do you feel about what happened there?)
Plot Breakdown: Tommy Shelby’s Return
Arthur’s death left the Shelby family smaller and lonelier than ever. Ada (Sophie Rundle), now replacing Tommy at the Parliament, begs him to resurface from his self-imposed exile, especially in light of what his son, Duke (Barry Keoghan) has been doing with the Peaky Blinders. Tommy has left him in charge of the Peaky Blinders – but without any guidance, Duke falls under the wrong influence and gets involved with Nazi sympathizers led by John Beckett (Tim Roth). When another tragedy strikes, Tommy has no choice but to emerge.
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Tommy Shelby’s Arc Explained: “The Immortal Man”
Peaky Blinders The Immortal Man review
Continuing the theme of the series, Tommy still grapples with his place in the world. His depression has become so innate, but ever the reluctant king, he has grudgingly accepted that nobody holds the crown better. Still, it’s tragic how the man who perpetually wants to die is the one last standing in his sprawling family, the very family he strives to protect. The title The Immortal Man thus becomes ironically apt amid his cacophony of grief and trauma — set to the ever-reliable playlist of emo rock.
The Biggest Problem: A Missing Shelby Family
Peaky Blinders The Immortal Man review
However, with almost all of the original cast gone, one can’t shake off the film’s hollowness.
For all its gangster badassery and slow-mo stylish scuffles, Peaky Blinders is, at its heart, about the Shelbys. There’s barely any of them left now, rendering Tommy’s purpose of being nearly nonexistent. It thus becomes his journey to close his chapter, a swan song to tie up all the loose ends from the series finale. Still, things were already left poetically ambiguous by the end of season 6. In a way, it felt unnecessary to pull him back from retirement in this way. And bleak, even by Peaky standards. Family has always been at the center of the series; one pivotal decision Tommy makes feels completely out of character and undermines everything the series has built around him. And it wasn’t really clear why creator and screenwriter Steven Knights felt it necessary to take that road with Tommy’s arc, given that this is one character that doesn’t need any more trauma in his life to keep things interesting – he’s got a whole lifetime of it.
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Barry Keoghan and Tim Roth: New Cast Performances
Peaky Blinders The Immortal Man review
That’s not to say the new additions are lackluster. Barry Keoghan plays a prick so well, and it’s a compliment. His layered performance has you thinking he’s coming into the Peaky Blinders establishment woefully unprepared to fill Murphy’s large shoes. But it quickly becomes clear that he’s playing the character that way, a kid essentially wading into a big man’s game and realizing he’s in over his head. There’s a layer of vulnerability and kind of a pathetic yearning underneath the bravado.
Tim Roth is suitably menacing as he always does. Capable though he is, the role feels very perfunctory and offers not much else. He’s the Nazi sympathizer guy with the swagger of a Bond villain to match. However, he’s far from the league of Alfie Solomons and Billy Kimber amid the pantheon of Peaky baddies. Still, he tackles the pretty cut-and-dry role excellently with what little he’s got.
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Story, Pacing, and Writing: Does It Work?
Peaky Blinders The Immortal Man review
Though the plot is always teetering on shaky ground, Knights remains a damn good storyteller. The film keeps things brisk with fast-paced action, snappy dialogue, and cool character moments. While you’re in it, it is engrossing through and through. It’s only when you ponder it a bit more that you notice the fragile threads holding everything together.
Final Verdict: A Dark but Divisive Ending
Peaky Blinders The Immortal Man review
And so, the end of Peaky Blinders feels like a slow wagon crawl toward the misty horizon. A lumbering, if scenically dramatic ride to finish what has been one of the decade’s most affecting series.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Review Summary
Rating: 7/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆
Best Performance: Cillian Murphy
Biggest Strength: Emotional depth and character focus
Biggest Weakness: Lack of the core Shelby family
