Classy Crime
Peaky Blinders is a TV series which focuses on a crime gang of the same name, set around the time after the First World War in Birmingham, England. The show captures the rise and fall of big business empires and the drama associated with it all extremely well.
The Peaky Blinders are a gang who sew razorblades in the peaks of their caps which they use to blind members of rival gangs, hence the name. Their operations are mainly set in the horse-betting business but they also branch out to various works such as providing protection for shops/pubs, assassinations, etc. Despite being in the same business, they are a stark contrast to the Mafia depicted in various film noir movies/TV shows in the sense that they emanate a sense of raw, disorganized brutality in whatever they do.
The cast is super classy and it's always entertaining to see them elegantly pull off despicable acts of crime. Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is one of the most cunning protagonists in recent memory. The audacity of his character is testified by his increasingly risky moves against his rivals in the show. An example of this is when he is seen interacting with his arch nemesis, Inspector Campbell (Sam Neill). The two share a very unique rivalry. On one end, Campbell harbours righteous intentions while making it very clear that he is willing to do whatever it takes to put a stop to crime. This sometimes sees him bordering on the insane as his corrective measures amplify out of control. On the other end, Tommy is a calculative risk taker who likes to live close to the edge. Think the rivalry between the Joker and the Batman with their affiliations to law and order intact while swapping out the dangerous aspects of their personality.
The setting is brilliantly portrayed through excellent costume design and set creation. The whole series has a colour palette of grey and bottle green which represent the time of the advances in industry and the conflict in society brought about by the existence of various political factions. Law and order is lax and criminals run rampant in the streets without fear of repercussion. It is a very dark twist on the era; however, it is also grounded in reality.
What intrigued me the most is that the show does a wonderful job of highlighting how rapid expansion of organizations can prompt them to crash and burn. The Blinders' overly ambitious plans and how they are counterbalanced by retaliation from other factions who have their own motives is always interesting to watch. I was always second-guessing what mind-blowing strategy Tommy would cook up in his mind to overtake his more powerful counterparts.
Peaky Blinders is a show that has gone relatively unnoticed under the swarm of the industry heavyweights. It truly deserves more attention as it is one of the best TV shows I have ever watched. Do give this one a go.
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