(Review updated after Season 6).
Birmingham, England, 1919. In the aftermath of WW1, the Shelby family are making a name for themselves as bookmakers, racketeers and gangsters. Nominally the head of the family is the oldest brother, Arthur, but the real brains, ambition and drive in the organisation lies with Tommy, the second oldest. He will carve out an empire for himself that will stretch beyond Birmingham. This with the aid of his family and his gang, the Peaky Blinders.
Superb drama, created and written by Steven Knight. Gritty, realistic, intriguing and highly entertaining. Some great machinations, subterfuges, plots and counter-plots plus a good amount of action and human drama. Think The Sopranos set in the UK in 1919.
Some very clever storylines and plot developments. They sometimes threaten to become implausible and random (especially as the series goes on) but have a way of fitting together and all making sense at the end.
Great work by the main performers: Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle and Joe Cole. The secondary/guest performances include some big names: Sam Neill, Tom Hardy, Aiden Gillen, Adrien Brody, Noah Taylor. Tom Hardy is the pick of the bunch, as Alfie Solomons.
Great soundtrack too. Though set in the early-20th century, the music is mostly rock, and it works. Despite being anachronistic, the music works, giving the series an edgy feel. It starts with the theme track - Nick Cave's excellent 'Red Right Hand', a song that seems to fit Tommy Shelby perfectly. It continues with the scene-specific music and includes some great tracks. For example, in one episode alone you have Radiohead's 'Climbing Up The Walls', Joy Division's 'Atmosphere' and Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs'.
In addition, the show went out on a high, while it was still quality viewing. By Season 5 cracks were starting to appear: the plot in Season 5 was a bit loose and unfocused and ends rather clumsily, compared to previous seasons. Still great, but not as good as previous seasons and a sign that it had run its course.
The worry then was that Steven Knight would just phone it in for a few seasons to milk more money out of it and just end up ruining the legacy of the show. However, Season 6 is a great finale: focused, short and sharp, wrapping things up in style.
