If there’s one thing television does not lack, it’s shows about criminals. If there’s one thing Netflix doesn’t lack, it’s acclaimed BBC dramas. “Peaky Blinders” fills both of these criteria. The BBC’s slow-burning drama about life for one gang in post-WWI Birmingham showcases life and criminality in what is undoubtedly one of the dirtiest cities I have ever seen (on television).
“Peaky Blinders” follows Cillian Murphy’s Thomas Shelby, leader of the Peaky Blinders, as he guides the gang and his family to bigger and better places. It’s great to see Murphy in a role Christopher Nolan is not involved with—he’s Scarecrow in the “Dark Knight” trilogy—and he does not disappoint. He fleshes the hell out of what is essentially Cockney Tony Soprano, adding life and strife to the Shelby patriarch. Sam Neill and Helen McCrory round out an excellent cast who don’t need to fake their accents to seem at home in post-war England.
As great as the cast is, though, the story and interwoven elements of the period are what really set “Peaky Blinders” apart. The show takes place in 1919, soon after the end of the First World War. As such, most of the male characters are veterans of the Great War, and from the very beginning, the war casts a long shadow over the characters and their lives. “Peaky Blinders” gives a lot of insight into how veterans felt after the war ended, and more than one character is haunted by their time in France. In fact, World War One plays such an important role it’s almost the main character of the story. Shelby and others turn to drugs and alcohol to dull unwanted memories, and almost everyone remarks on how he has changed since coming home from France.
“Peaky Blinders” also accurately depicts the political situation of the period. Communism, not organized crime, is the main antagonist of Birmingham’s police force. The specter of the Bolsheviks is everywhere, from robberies to murders to garden-variety sedition. Neill’s character is sent to Birmingham to track down some weaponry that may have been stolen by communists, and his objectives are mostly directed around destroying their influence in the industrial city. Freddy Thorn, Tommy’s best friend and comrade in France, turns to communism as a result of his military experience, and “Peaky Blinders” uses his character to explore the hardship political dissidents went through in England after the Russian Revolution. There is also a significant Irish Republican Army presence in Birmingham and at the height of their power, they pose a threat to anyone who might stand in their way.
However, like any television program, the show has its faults. While it generally is excellent at portraying the time period and the nuances within, sometimes one gets the impression that “Peaky Blinders” knows how good it is, which is never something you want from a show. It’s hard to put your finger on when or why it happens, but there are moments within the show that seem too caught up in themselves to truly be effective. It also falls into many of the pitfalls of historical dramas, mostly by adding historical figures to the plot that have no business there. For instance, Winston Churchill plays a role that is altogether too large—there’s no reason he should be so directly involved in the minutiae of Birmingham’s events.
Still, “Peaky Blinders” is an exceptional television program, and when the second season premiers on Netflix in November, it will certainly pique my interest.
Is Jake missing out on any other criminal dramas on Netflix? Let him know at smasal@wisc.edu.
