The Peaky Blinders Movie Brings Tommy Shelby's Story To A Fitting Close — Read Our Review, And Grade It!

It's been four years since we last saw Tommy Shelby on "Peaky Blinders" — and it's nice to see him back in the saddle one last time.

Cillian Murphy returns as the iconic gangster in the new movie "Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man" (now streaming on Netflix), reprising his lead role from six seasons of the acclaimed period drama. To longtime fans, the movie might feel a bit different, with so few of the original cast returning and a wave of new actors joining the mix. But it still has plenty of that old "Peaky Blinders" magic, blending hard-hitting action with probing psychological depth and building towards a grand conclusion that will hit home for anyone who's been following Tommy's long journey all these years.

"The Immortal Man" jumps ahead to 1940, in the thick of World War II, with German bombers targeting Birmingham factories and blowing innocent workers to bits. Tommy is older now, with a head full of gray hair, and isolated on his crumbling country estate. But his sister Ada (a returning Sophie Rundle) warns him that his illegitimate son Duke (now played by Barry Keoghan) is terrorizing the town as the new head of the infamous Peaky Blinders gang. Tommy is busy battling his own demons — "I've got a war of me own, Ada. Inside of me head" — but we know it's just a matter of time before his finger is back on the trigger.

The "Peaky Blinders" movie seems to have a significantly bigger budget than the TV series — the Birmingham bombing alone is on a grander scale than anything we've seen before — but it still boasts the impeccable cinematography and pounding rock soundtrack we've come to expect. (Series creator Steven Knight wrote the script, with series vet Tom Harper directing.) The Shelbys are few and far between, though: A large part of the show's original cast is missing from the movie, either due to storytelling choices or real-life tragedy. (Helen McCrory, who played matriarch Aunt Polly, died in 2021.) As such, we don't get that old familiar "Peaky Blinders" family feeling here — but the movie is writing a new chapter, and it's a solid one.

Barry Keoghan is a firecracker with a lit fuse as Duke, who's now running the Peaky Blinders like a young Tommy. He's turned the old bar The Garrison into a sleazy flophouse, he has a serious violent streak, and he doesn't like when people ask about his father: "I'm in charge now." He also strikes a deal with a Nazi sympathizer played by Tim Roth to flood the British market with counterfeit money, happy to commit treason for a big payday. "Peaky Blinders" has always only been as good as its bad guys, from Sam Neill's cop Chester Campbell to Adrien Brody's mafioso Luca Changretta, and Keoghan and Roth are more than capable of filling that void.

"Peaky Blinders" did fall into a melancholy funk in its later seasons, as the deaths began to pile up, and "The Immortal Man's" early scenes continue that grindingly grim tone, with Tommy moping around his estate. But a mystical gypsy played by Rebecca Ferguson, who is the twin sister of Duke's mother, encourages Tommy to stop brooding, and we know he'll snap back into action at some point — even if he takes his sweet time getting there. (He has sex with her, too, of course, because it wouldn't be "Peaky Blinders" without Tommy Shelby sleeping with another woman. It's tradition at this point.)

We know Tommy Shelby is a haunted man. He's haunted by the vicious tunnel warfare he had to endure in World War I. He's haunted by the death of his daughter Ruby. He's haunted by everything, pretty much. But it is thrilling to see him get back into his classic Peaky Blinders outfit, complete with his signature newsboy hat, and go back into Tommy Shelby bad-ass mode. Cillian Murphy is fantastic here, letting a lifetime of regret play across Tommy's world-weary face as he gears up for one final mission. (I know he won an Oscar for "Oppenheimer," and he deserved it, but is it blasphemy to suggest that Tommy Shelby might be his greatest role?)

After Tommy suffers yet another tragedy, it sends him on an old-school revenge tour back to the streets of Small Heath, and he proves he can still command a room like the old days, with the familiar strains of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Red Right Hand" playing. "The Immortal Man" evolves into a Shakespearean family drama, weaving in clever echoes of the original series as Tommy exorcises his demons for good. It all culminates in an epic showdown with plenty of bloodshed, in classic "Peaky Blinders" fashion, and a grandly moving emotional climax.

I won't reveal Tommy's ultimate fate, but the movie's final moments play out like the end of a chapter and also the beginning of something new. (Netflix has already ordered two seasons of a "Peaky Blinders" sequel series.) If this is indeed the end of the "Peaky Blinders" story as we know it, it's an immensely satisfying one: a poignant, masterfully crafted bookend that honors everything we love about the Shelby family saga.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: "Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man" is a must-watch for fans, wrapping up Tommy Shelby's story in grandly satisfying fashion.

"Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man" is now streaming on Netflix — give it a grade in our poll, and share your thoughts on it in a comment below.