Peaky Blinders
2013
Original language: English
- drama
- crime
The story
A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.
What it’s like
Smoky, hard-edged period grit: sepia-tinted interiors lit by gaslight and coal fires, rain-slicked cobbles, brick terraces under low grey skies, and a palette of ochre, slate and deep bottle green. The camera moves with restless intent, with sweeping tracking shots through smoky pubs, slow push-ins on faces, and sudden handheld lurches during fights. The score is the signature: a pounding, anachronistic blend of rock and electronic drive over chanting or hushed piano, so the period feels modern and urgent. Violence is frequent and often sharp and bloody, with beatings, shootings and occasional brutal killings; there is drug use, sexual content, cruelty and dread, though the gore is stylised rather than gratuitous. Pacing is brisk and serialised, with long-simmering rivalries paying off in bursts. The tone is coiled, cynical and operatic, with a flinty ambition at its core, following a ruthless family man whose hard decisions keep pulling him deeper into the darkness. It suits a late-night binge for people who want stylish, muscular crime drama with a strong sense of place and a soundtrack that keeps the pulse up, not for anyone seeking something gentle.
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