Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, 2026.
Directed by Tom Harper.
Starring Cillian Murphy, Rebecca Ferguson, Barry Keoghan, Tim Roth, Stephen Graham, Sophie Rundle, Ned Dennehy, Packy Lee, Ian Peck, Jay Lycurgo, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, Sam Baker Jones, Kasper Hilton-Hille, and Thomas Arnold.
SYNOPSIS:
During World War II, Tommy Shelby returns to a bombed Birmingham and becomes involved in secret wartime missions based on true events, facing new threats as he reckons with his past and rising national stakes.
Somewhere between Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) epilogue and potential new beginnings for more seasons with the presence of estranged son Duke (Barry Keoghan), Tom Harper’s Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (with a screenplay by showrunner Stephen Knight) uses that to its advantage to tell a World War II set story that finds a middle ground between standalone story and clean up for those who invested into the show.
As someone who falls into the newcomer camp, having seen only some of the first season years ago, there is something to appreciate that the film works on its own. It is especially helpful that, if the scenes of a self exiled Tommy Shelby wandering around a remote manner of sorts with only the company of serving Johnny (Packy Lee), paying respects to family gravestones, grieving a daughter clearly lost far too soon in some tragedy, and generally encapsulating world-wearied depression as a broken shell of a man torn down by the sins of his past, which doesn’t mean a whole lot to someone with my almost nonexistent relation to the show (although it is still exceptionally conveyed by Cillian Murphy, so as that keeping one engaged), there is focus elsewhere on Duke, an entirely new character, taking over the titular gang.
Described as more violent and reckless than Tommy ever was (most likely a given to anyone before the press play considering he is played by Barry Keoghan, who excels at playing low level criminals), Duke has accepted to be a part of Nazi John Beckett’s (Tim Roth) scheme, rooted in history, involves smuggling large quantities of German counterfeit money into Great Britain to win the war by causing a financial crash.
Aside from an end-credits dedication to British munitions factory workers who worked tirelessly even during air raids, the story has little to do with history. If anything, this narrative is deceptively simple and boils down to a father – with some encouragement by his sister (Sophie Rundle), and Rebecca Ferguson playing a character who won’t be spoiled – making a grand return to attempt to alter the dangerous course his son is on. It’s about whether or not this lad can be saved.
In keeping with the style of the TV show (most TV shows, really), much of the storytelling and action is amplified through a combination of licensed and original songs, often making the proceedings feel like a music video. Sometimes, it also comes across as a shortcut for eliciting an emotional response, which is questionable and arguably betrays the trust of the acting talent on hand. A couple of these moments (and an unnecessary amount of third-act preamble) cause the film to drag, but the core through line that father and son are working through their pain is enough to carry it before the inevitable barrage of action.
Cillian Murphy drawing an audience who hasn’t seen the show through sheer emotive talent is yet another mark of what a treasure he is, but what separates Barry Keoghan’s performance here from his others is that it’s not one-dimensional psychopathic behavior; there is a palpable inner conflict driving that drama.
For fans of the show, there are also entire scenes dedicated to Tommy, providing more context for past events that might have been muddied. Meanwhile, everyone else has a slight but thrilling piece of family crime drama that is unquestionably elevated by its central performers, especially when they interact. With an ending bound to satisfy loyal fans, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man also shows that there might be immortality here and more to do with Stephen Knight’s creation with a new generation.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
