First two episodes reviewed.

*Minor spoilers for season 4 below*

At the end of Peaky Blinders‘ thrilling last season, I was a bit worried about where the show would go next. After featuring the Mafia as villains and Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) becoming an MP, I was afraid that the story would go completely over the top this season. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about. Without giving much away, the first two episodes are a back to basics approach to the show while also focusing on Tommy in his new role.

The new season picks up two years after season 4 and sees Tommy finding balance between being a formidable gangster and a socialist MP. All of this (including a new rival gang) adds different flavours to the character. We have all seen his dark side before but now we get to see him use his position to pose as a man of the people. Cillian Murphy is as fantastic as ever in the role but you get the sense that he is really enjoying it now.

The cast around Murphy also continue to excel, including standouts Helen McCrory as Polly and Paul Anderson as Arthur. New cast members Anya Taylor-Joy and Sam Claflin also impress while Aiden Gillen’s newfound moustache steals the show. It is impressive that after five seasons, the series continues to mix fantastic acting with great production values and historically accurate period detail. Not to mention the ridiculous amount of slow motion walking scenes.

Under the watchful eye of show runner Steven Knight, Peaky Blinders has slowly morphed from an entertaining diversion into one of the best things on TV. It remains refreshing to see how the show keeps you caring about the central characters despite everything else going on. It will also be interesting to see where the rest of the season takes us from here. However, one thing is for sure in that Tommy Shelby remains as unpredictable and intriguing as ever.

Disclaimer Notice: Any thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely my own. Any images (copyrighted or otherwise) have been used according to Creative Commons and if needed, have been referenced to the best of my knowledge.

© 2020 Kelly’s Film Guide