Peaky Blinders, The Immortal Man, film review: Tommy Shelby’s daftest mission yet Tommy Shelby’s son Duke, played by Barry Keoghan, takes the reins of the Peaky Blinders with unrelenting violence in the latest film adaptation of the BBC series. The film, a spin-off of the long-running drama, thrusts the iconic gangster into a World War II setting, where he reluctantly joins forces with British intelligence to combat Nazi operatives. While the premise offers a grandiose twist on Shelby’s character, the execution feels uneven, leaving the franchise’s legacy in question. The story unfolds in 1940, 22 years after Shelby’s return from the Great War and seven years after his dramatic exit from the Peaky Blinders in the final season of the TV series. Now in exile, Shelby wanders the moors of England, haunted by the deaths of his daughter Ruby and brother Arthur. His only companion is Johnny Doggs, a loyal but weary associate. Meanwhile, in Birmingham, his estranged son Duke has taken control of the gang, operating with ruthless efficiency and little regard for morality. Shelby’s sister, Ada, a Labour MP, attempts to draw him back into the fray, appealing to his sense of duty with lines like, “You have family who are not ghosts.” Shelby’s response—“I was not a father, I was a form of government”—captures his complex relationship with power and legacy. The film’s plot centers on Shelby’s reluctant return to action when Nazi sympathizer Beckett, portrayed by Tim Roth, recruits Duke to assist in a counterfeit currency operation. Roth’s performance brings a charismatic menace to the role, while Keoghan’s Duke struggles to balance the character’s physicality with emotional depth. Despite his charm, Duke remains a two-dimensional hoodlum, lacking the gravitas to justify his role as a potential heir to Shelby’s legacy.#barry_keoghan #cillian_murphy #peaky_blinders #birmingham #tim_roth
