Warning: Spoilers ahead! Do not proceed unless you’ve watched the “Peaky Blinders” movie, “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.”
Now streaming on Netflix, “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man” is a movie that ends the saga of Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby.
It’s a definitive ending, which – spoiler alert! – means killing him off.
Tommy Shelby has had many brushes with death, and even held a gun to his head in a previous season, so it’s not a huge surprise. It’s a finish that feels inevitable, similar to Walter White’s end in “Breaking Bad.”
For six seasons, the hit British show (which first premiered in 2013) followed the iconic character from the 1920s to the 1940s, as he rose from mob boss to politician.
Murphy’s star also rose during that era, and he eventually won an Oscar for “Oppenheimer” in 2024.
At the start of “The Immortal Man,” Tommy is living in self-imposed exile, after all the trauma he’s faced during the previous six seasons, including the death of his daughter. From the start of Season 1, Tommy has been depressed and suffered from PTSD after his experience in World War I.
Over the course of the show, he also endured countless traumas, from the death of his first love, Grace (Annabelle Wallis) to the death of his aunt Polly (Helen McCrory), to the death of his sister, Ada (Sophie Rundle). He also killed his cousin Michael (Finn Cole) and his brother, Arthur (Paul Anderson), which weighed on him.
Tommy has been ready to die for a long time. But, “The Immortal Man” gives him one last job.
As Tommy is living alone, away from society, his estranged son, Duke (Barry Keoghan), is now leading his old gang, the Peaky Blinders, and sowing chaos.
Tommy gets roped into returning to Birmingham, to stop Duke.
Kaulo (Rebecca Ferguson), Duke’s aunt, tells Tommy that she will help him find “peace” after he helps Duke.
Initially it seems like Duke might relish killing Tommy. He’s angry at the world after feeling abandoned, since Tommy never raised him.
But, father and son eventually mend fences, and become allies.
Later, Kaulo gives Duke a bullet with Tommy’s name inscribed on it. She tells Duke that he must shoot Tommy, as the only way to bring him “peace.” Yikes!
Duke is visibly distraught. Tommy eventually confronts Kaulo, and reveals he’s aware of her plan. In typical Tommy fashion, he’s annoyed, but not overly bothered by it.
Later, during Tommy’s showdown with the “Immortal Man” villain, Beckett (Tim Roth), Tommy gets shot in the gut multiple times. He then stands in front of Beckett’s speeding car, intending to let it hit him.
Before Tommy is able to do “suicide by car,” Duke tackles Tommy, saving his life.
Tommy then embraces Duke, tells him to kill him, and presses the gun into Duke’s hand.
“I am a horse, you’d do it for a horse,” he tells Duke, referring to the common practice of killing a horse if it breaks its leg.
Tommy goads Duke into shooting him in the chest as they hug, and Duke weeps over his body.
So, technically Tommy gets killed by his son. But, he practically forces his son to do it, and Duke isn’t happy about it.
Tommy’s last words are, “in the bleak midwinter,” a phrase on the show that signifies the acceptance of death.
The final scene is Duke giving Tommy a funeral, as Murphy’s voiceover talks about how Tommy will now join his dead family members, “in whichever place will have us.” His voiceover says, “burn my body, let the ashes blow. I’m free.”
It’s a grim end, but all things considered, it’s an appropriate swan song for the gangster.
Tommy had wanted to die since the beginning of the show. He also lived a violent life, and it wouldn’t feel right for him to reach old age and die peacefully.
Netflix has announced that there will be a “Peaky Blinders” sequel series about a new generation of Shelbys.
Although Keoghan hasn’t been announced as the star, “The Immortal Man” acts as a definitive ending to Tommy’s story. It’s also a clear set up for Duke to now carry the torch.
Read the full article here
