Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man review – Big screen spin-off keeps a firm red right hand on proceedings

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A star rating of 3 out of 5.

At the end of the sixth season of Peaky Blinders, Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, was last seen riding away after making some questionable business arrangements overseas and getting involved with Oswald Mosley’s dangerous group. He was also deeply troubled by the recent death of his daughter and seemed to be on the edge of a mental collapse.

You know, time doesn’t always fix things, and when the story picks up again in 1940, my man Tommy’s been living in self-imposed exile, trying to sort through everything by writing a book. But honestly, the personal stuff weighs on him way more than the war that’s happening between England and Germany. He actually says it himself, pretty early on: “I’ve got a war of my own, inside of me ‘ead.” It’s that internal struggle that really defines him, more than any battlefield.

Everything shifts when Kaulo (Rebecca Ferguson) arrives – she’s the twin sister of the mother of his son, born back in the 1910s. She informs him that their now-adult son, Duke (previously introduced and played by Barry Keoghan), is causing trouble in Birmingham, compelling the elder Shelby to return home and regain control of the family’s operations.

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Duke has been using force and threats to steal weapons meant for soldiers fighting on the front lines. He’s now planning something even more dangerous: assisting John Beckett (Tim Roth), a Nazi supporter, in sabotaging the war by introducing £70 million in fake banknotes into the British economy.

Kaulo’s knowledge comes from Gypsy visions, a recurring element in Peaky Blinders used by creator Steven Knight to quickly reveal information and explore Tommy Shelby’s thoughts. Even after her death in season five, Tommy continues to hear the voice of his Aunt Polly, demonstrating this technique.

It’s not a particularly convincing explanation, feeling a bit like an easy way out, but the Shelby family’s supposed Romani heritage keeps resurfacing in their story. This is especially true in ‘The Immortal Man,’ where Keoghan’s character, Duke, strongly emphasizes his ancestry.

Tom Harper, the director, and actor Cillian Murphy (as Duke) manage to make the connection between Duke and Tommy’s past behavior believable. This highlights how the Shelby family’s core values – upholding tradition and remaining loyal to one another – have been passed down through generations, with Tommy seeing a younger version of himself in Duke.

I’m so glad Ada is back – Sophie Rundle is fantastic, and she really brings a moral compass to everything happening in Birmingham, now that she’s a Member of Parliament. It’s great to see familiar faces returning to support Tommy, like Stephen Graham as Hayden Stagg. He and a few others are completely loyal to the Shelbys, and that kind of unwavering support is exactly what they need right now.

Barry Keoghan brings a surprising tenderness to the character of Duke, balancing his tough exterior with a hidden vulnerability. His scenes with Cillian Murphy add genuine emotional depth to the film, preventing it from becoming solely focused on action and violence.

Throughout the story, Roth is a formidable opponent, starting as a quiet character but becoming truly frightening as his evil schemes come closer to succeeding. The impressive and detailed settings are even grander than those in the television series, vividly portraying the horrors of war and its devastating effects on everyday people.

Adapting a six-hour story for a shorter cinema release understandably means some plot points and character development are cut. However, the filmmakers still deliver a strong and complete narrative that doesn’t rely on viewers being overly familiar with the previous events of Peaky Blinders, maintaining tight control throughout.

Authors

Terry Staunton

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2026-03-05 17:34