A return to Birmingham was always going to be a welcomed event for fans of the hit series “Peaky Blinders.” It’s titular star Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) secured his spot in the dude bro gangster idol hall of fame, and renewed the signature 20s and 30s style of peacoats and suits and newsboy caps. Something this iconic, firmly entered into the cultural lexicon was destined to return even if the ending of its final season left viewers with a bit of ambiguity but safely conclusive. “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man” is hindered by its medium transfer, feeling more like an extended series finale than a film surviving on its own merits. It has everything fans love about the show; the colorful characters, the larger than life villains, and more accents you can’t understand without subtitles.
It’s all there, and makes its conclusion a somber character study instead of a fleshed out episodic epilogue. “The Immortal Man” puts itself in a sort of medium limbo, a decent bookend movie that should’ve probably been a miniseries instead. When shows become this large, it’s almost impossible to deliver a satisfying conclusion that works for everyone. “The Immortal Man” wants to have its cake and eat it too, instilling its runtime with plenty of interesting subplots and side characters but rushing past them to get to its primary question: what actually happens to Thomas Shelby? It’s strengths and flaws collide to create a mixed bag that lands more on the positive side and earning some forgiveness for its missteps.
A Story Set in the Shadow of World War II
Taking place at the height of WWII, “The Immortal Man” sees Tommy withdrawn from the world and haunted by the grief and regrets of the past. He is writing a book and wishes to be left alone, but the constant bombing on England by Germany and his son Duke (Barry Keoghan) aligning with the worst of the worst in Beckett (Tim Roth) – a British official Nazi sympathizer – Tommy must return to the life he left behind to set things right and finally make peace with himself.
Can Tommy save what’s left of his family one last time? Does he find some good in all of the bad? Can he finally find peace? “The Immortal Man” asks this questions amid the destroyed buildings and city streets of Birmingham, and seeks to finally decide the fate of the gypsy king once and for all. The film also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Stephen Graham, Sophie Rundel, and Packy Lee.
“The Immortal Man” has nearly all the things that make the show great
Steven Knight returns to write his (presumably) final script for his show, with Tom Harper tapped to direct. “The Immortal Man” has nearly all the things that make the show great. Incredible production design invites viewers to feel at home in these familiar places despite the landscapes being almost unrecognizable.
At its core, it’s a Thomas Shelby film. One that really attempts to dig deep into the psyche of a man torn apart by his own life. Murphy spends most of the time aura farming, riding on a horse down the street at one point just being cool as hell and the townsfolk hailing him. And while he seems disinterested, I think he’s actually dialed into a broken shell of a man wanting to die but not before he can make up for the worst of his misdeeds. “The Immortal Man” is very much a character study, and answers plenty of unanswered questions both for and from the character himself.
New Characters and the Expanding Cast
All of the additions are great in their respective roles. Keoghan feels like he should’ve been a part of the series from the beginning, and is very believable as Tommy’s lost and last remaining son. Ferguson continues her heat check appearances, making a meal of her limited screentime and severely underdeveloped character. And seeing Tim Roth as a smarmy, ruthless sociopath with a smile is always welcomed. But “The Immortal Man” dispenses with all of these characters as quickly as they appear. Not that everyone dies – there are no spoilers or fates revealed here – just that their plots and significance are rushed through in the framework of a feature film. All of them would be much more impactful if they were allowed to breath more in an episodic format, and while they’re integral to the story overall they are simultaneously unimportant.
The Perfect Villain
Roth is a great example of this. He’s the perfect new villain to introduce in a new season, but “The Immortal Man” never really knows what to do with him. He disappears as quickly as he arrives, and we’re never given a true sense of his brutality, motivations, or cunning. These are pillars for a good “Peaky Blinders” foe, and a film serving as an extended ending struggles to give us any of those things.
Roth seems to know this and does as much as he possibly can with what little he’s given. “The Immortal Man” may be restrained with a quiet stirring of emotion beneath the brief moments of action, but it does move at a pretty brisk pace throughout. Again, it’s a gift and curse, getting us in and out and wrapping things up in a nice bow but moving so quickly you never truly feel like you’ve grasped the significance of each piece.
Final Thoughts on Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
Overall, “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man” gives fans more than enough to enjoy even if it stumbles in its own format choices and storytelling pitfalls. There’s certainly a worse version of this, so we can be thankful that there is genuine love for the characters from cast and crew alike and a concerted effort to give fans one final return to the world they love. It may be constrained and even at times, forced, but it will remind you of why you fell in love with the show in the first place and even evokes some emotional moments as we say goodbye one last time.
By order of the fookin’ Peaky Blinders, “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man” is pretty good.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
“Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man” is in select theaters March 6th and will premiere on Netflix March 20th. You can watch the trailer below.
