About the series “Sharp Blinders” learned quite by accident. I looked through the profile of Killian Murphy and saw that he was starring in this series. So I decided to watch.
At the moment, I want to say for sure that this is the best series for me. I didn’t find any drawbacks in it, only pluses. More about them.
The first is the Shelby family, led by the most beautiful Thomas Shelby. The actors are selected for 5+, the characters are very interesting, each with its own story, thoughts and cockroaches. Of course, for me, there is simply no equal to Thomas. Killian got used to the role, he so skillfully shows the character, his actions, actions. And the way he's silent and watching, listening to someone, it just fascinates me.
The second plus is England. Intelligent, gray, smoked England of the 20s. In my opinion, it is shown simply and tastefully. This is the kind of England of the 20s I imagine.
The third is costumes and music. Thank you so much for the music! Only managed to turn on Shazam while watching a particular series. But suits and hairstyles. Heroes look expensive, stylish, well-groomed and intelligent. All at the highest level.
I will also mention the characters Tom Hardy and Annabelle Wallis. I liked them as well as the main characters.
This series captivated me, it shows exactly what I expected to see. I am looking forward to the continuation, which will also be at the highest level. I have no doubt about that!
I really like high-quality movies about the mafia - the ones in which the plot is not limited to shootings and chases, but includes the social life of gangsters. Unfortunately, in series about the mafia, as a rule, various unnecessary trifles are paid too much attention, as a result of which the viewer loses the thread of the narrative and begins to frankly miss. A pleasant exception to this rule was the series “Peaky Blinders”.
Each season of Blinders is 6 episodes, each of which is perceived as a separate film with drama, suspense and intrigue. We are told in detail about the daily life of bandits, show high-quality staged battle scenes and keep in suspense until the very end.
Plus, it is worth noting that the action takes place in a completely unused era - in the 20s of the XX century, in Britain. The vast majority of bandits are participants in the First World War (which is reflected in the plot), and one of the puppeteers of what is happening is Sir Winston Churchill himself. Despite the fact that the series does not pretend to be historic, it still has a certain connection with the real story, which personally cannot but please me.
And, of course, the main actor here is simply magnificent. I remember Cillian Murphy from Nolan’s films, but it is the image of Thomas Shelby that suits him as best as possible.
“Sharp Blinders” is one of the best series of our time. No more, no less.
Let me be clear: this is not a series, this is a movie. I must add that it is not a good film, but an outstanding one. Outstanding from and to. Real British style. Aged like their whiskey. In the center of the story is the story of the Shelby family, under whose control in the 20s was Birmingham.
It's classic on paper. Corruption in all echelons of power, racketeering, merging each other with authorities. Not really. The writers did a great job. It's a rare case where there's not a single empty word or passage point at all in a movie. In the vertical of the plot there are many floors, each of which is paid close attention. Family values, honor and dignity, the attitude of power and people, the creators managed to embrace the immense, in the center of the whole structure - Thomas Shelby, a hero of the war in France, a handsome man who, with his appearance, is a man with a steel character and will. Viewers empathize with the hero. The hero is essentially negative, because without him it would be even worse, because he has just the concept of honor. Cillian Murphy this role puts himself on a par with the leading actors of the world, including his friend, who here gave a beautiful, largely comic role – Tom Hardy.
Acting work deserves a separate mention. Sam Neal is beautiful in the image of a vicious, sinister policeman, Paul Anderson and Joe Cole in the roles of the Thomas brothers, but the real diamond of the picture is the work of the already famous Helen McCrory, as Tom's aunt, treasurer of the company, and an unhappy mother who lost children. Cold play without seams, instant transitions from different states, this is a real old school of acting.
The main detail that brings Peaky Blinders to the rank of the best series of the last decade, along with Fargo and True Detective, is a love story. It's written phenomenally. Never in the whole film has love been turned into cranberries, the behavior of a man and a woman, all possible circumstances of joint happiness and unhappiness, so subtly psychologically disassembled, that a seemingly criminal film can become a tool for lovers, with problems and without.
I'm really looking forward to season three. This is a high style, as my friend, curator of the Roman Film Festival, told me, there are just good films, and there are unique ones, such as tasty. It's a tavern squared, and until you're given supplements, you're left to revisit the first two seasons. It's worth it. Bravo.
Bandit showdowns are a favorite topic of filmmakers, starting, perhaps, almost from the very beginning of cinema as such. And now, which year, there are a great many paintings devoted to this topic, which are willingly swallowed, thirsting for bloody spectacles, the public. An honorable place in the heap of such films still remains for paintings that refer us to the 20-30s of the last century, the years that can be safely called a kind of “golden age” of crime, which gave rise to countless truly chilling gangster fights. Chicago, Los Angeles became the home of a pleiad of directors who bring to us echoes of those “dirty deeds” that made the notorious criminal authorities of those times. And although most of what these films carry is far from the truth, the audience still rejoices. The writer of Peaky Blinders Stephen Knight did not follow the beaten path, cherishing a certain story told him by his father, who found this criminal flourishing only in Birmingham. This series deserves special attention as unique in its kind. And the viewer, who is pretty tired of the stories hovering around the same Mickey Cohen, can finally take a breath of fresh air in the smoky streets of post-war industrial Birmingham.
However, in addition to the above reason why I strongly recommend this series, there are a number of other very pleasant additional reasons that will decisively determine the fate of the next twelve hours of your free time. Namely, it will take so much to watch two seasons of Peaky Blinders, which is an absolute plus, because all the action is not at all prolonged and very dynamic. In general, throughout the series does not leave the feeling of carefully executed work, because not a single word is said in vain, and every step, every movement brought to perfection. All this suggests that the film crew worked as well as possible, and each completed his task 100%.
As we can see, the cast, although full of such eminent actors as Cillian Murphy or Tom Hardy, for the most part are not so famous British actors of the television format. However, you will never find any of them falling short of Killian Murphy’s level. And if a curious viewer decides to watch a film with an original soundtrack, he will hardly be able to restrain his admiration for the colossal work on accents.
But Peaky Blinders with typical Birmingham, and a couple of other interesting accents - not only joy for the ears, because the eye is happy. He has been doing this since the first minutes of the series. Of course, in many ways this is the merit of both costume artists and decorators. But still, it is the camera work with the personnel that captivates the viewer to the greatest extent. A juicy picture of “dirty” reality is an unexpectedly pleasant addition to an equally juicy plot. How well each angle is selected! And scenes of showdowns between gangs, it would seem, something immoral and disgusting, involuntarily want to admire and admire, because they are shot to the outrageous beauty.
In the best traditions of British TV series, all the action is accompanied by a well-chosen sound, then pumping, then exhilarating, then catching the strings of the soul. For some reason, it happened that it is the soundtracks from British TV series that fall into my soul, and, here, from others – pass by, as if there were none at all.
And only in the plot of the series you can find such an error as the predictability of certain moments. But involuntarily I want to close my eyes to this, because these notoriously well-known scenes are played immaculately, and the viewer still looks forward to them, as well as a decent share of truly unexpected and shrouded in mystery events. The plot, sometimes thought out and verified, and sometimes impulsive and spontaneous, as if echoes the character of the central character, is revealed and complicated with it.
It just so happened that Peaky Blinders is the only series that has captivated me since the very first series, and I didn’t have to force myself to watch the second series to get into the taste. I don’t know if it’s my passion for the golden age of crime, the perfect series, or the bottomless blue eyes of Killian Murphy? But this series became my favorite!
British crime drama, the BBC project, turned out to be the focus of all the good that can give a single work of the film industry.
"Sharp Blinders", "sharpened caps" - so in the 20s of the last century was called a criminal group that traded in Birmingham, where the series unfolds. The colorful name is associated with one of these versions: a gang members sewed sharp blades into their tweed caps, b) one of the mandatory elements of their wardrobe were caps with narrowed (acute) visors. Personally, I prefer the first option. More romantic, if that word fits here. In fact, the debate about how to understand the term "peaky blinders" is still ongoing: whether it was a separate group, or a generic term that refers to the aggressive youth subcultures of Birmingham at the time. Anyway, all this became an excellent material for authors who were able to create a first-class product on its basis.
In the center of the story is the Shelby family, which seeks to strengthen its position, confronts a new cop who has arrived in the city to restore total order, fights with rivals and tries to legalize their family business. One of the brothers, smart, cold-blooded, dispassionate Thomas Shelby, is the unofficial leader of the Peaky Blinders group, he is actively assisted by Aunt Polly, acting as a “gray cardinal”. The role of Tom is played by the famous Cillian Murphy.
This is one of those cases when the attitude to the actor can seriously change during the viewing: from indifferent (in my case, even slightly to the minus) to more than positive. Murphy is endowed with a specific appearance, it can not be called unpleasant, but it is able to repel. Therefore, I always thought that he was most suitable for the roles of maniacs, as in “Night Flight”, or, in extreme cases, a pesky-principled cop, as in the movie “Time”.
Tom Shelby... A hero who can not help but cause at least a slight sympathy. Despite the fact that he is a gangster who should be calculating, cunning and sometimes cruel, Tom Shelby does not awaken negative emotions in the audience. He is really “cool”, and this is the most appropriate epithet, combining a number of his qualities. In general, the modern hero has undergone certain changes, and today it is not a hundred percent positive character, but partly an antihero: a talented doctor with a bad sarcastic character, a chemistry teacher, forced by circumstances to engage in an unsightly business, or an attractive, authoritative mafia, not only with a sharp mind, but also not without the concept of justice and a good sense of humor.
Murphy says audiences, including himself, love characters like Tom Shelby for their strict adherence to their moral code, relationships within the family and unconditional respect for each other. And for their sense of style and cool clothes, Murphy jokes.
If we talk about "Peaky Blinders" in general, "they got everything": a unique atmosphere, stunning beauty of the scenery and costumes, historical background, magnificent soundtrack (N.B.!), maximum plausibility of the actor's performance, unobtrusive and even pleasant love line, luxurious British accent ("bloody hell!) and more...
But all good things, especially the very good ones, end sooner or later. If the first season is an extravaganza and an explosion of emotions, then the second is a dull spectacle. Only the last series was able to rectify the situation. And although due to the unsuccessful second season, I can no longer play the previous 10, I highly recommend watching the first one.
Apparently, on the Peaky Blinders, I exhausted the limit of feelings, experiences, love given to me for February - in short, all those romantic feelings released enough for every girl. Completely drowning in the history of noble bandits, who are not alien to everything human and completely immersed in the history of the Shelby family.
It seems that by the end of the second (and so far this is the last) season I had become part of this gypsy family, and it does not matter that there are not a dozen cold-blooded murders on the account of every such romantic thug. Here the eternal idea works well, more than once covering up the most terrible crimes: The end justifies the means.
And let him justify it, I agree. I'm willing to watch them shoot, fight, knock out their teeth, their brains, if it's done so beautifully, choreographically and with hands, with the face of Killian Murphy.
Don’t accuse me of being sadistic, all these crimes are just a metaphor that is fictional on the screen and will remain there. But it was brilliant.
Watching the second season, I finally realized that this is not about crimes, division of territory, men’s games with self-assertion. It's the same House of Cards, just in the last century and without Capitol Hill. And Thomas Shelby is the same man struggling to climb, a brilliant strategist who can calculate any situation and get away with it. He could be called the “great combinator” – but it would be trivial created in the series image.
Of course, in the center is the figure of Tommy Shelby. Everything revolves around him, all the family strings are in his hands and there would be no him - the family would collapse, business would not grow. During the first season, the camera can not admire either Killian Murphy. A lot of close-ups of the face, expressive eyes and signature cheekbones of Murphy, for which he is adored and cannot be forgotten.
It’s natural for a good girl to fall in love with a bad boy and then break his heart. And everything will be beautiful. But it is not necessary to write, but to watch.
Peaky Blinders can formally be called a “gangster series”, because it is dedicated to the everyday life of Birmingham gangsters in the twenties. In a sense, he can be called a follower of the famous “Underground Empire”, picturesquely telling about the crime of that time on the other side of the ocean. But in fact, the visors are much better.
First, an unexpected topic. We have heard a lot about the Russian mafia, Italian or Irish, about gangsters in the United States made a lot of films, and even the bandits of the Soviet Union got a worthy reflection in the movies and on television. Their island "colleagues" were less lucky - somehow the audience does not associate prim England with crime. "Sharp Blinders" convincingly prove - crime was, and what else!
Secondly, the atmosphere in which you immerse yourself with your head, as in a pool. The gloomy industrial outskirts of Birmingham, horse racing, bars where the sluggish English get drunk to insensitivity, echoes of the First World War - and so on, you can't count everything. In the thick of the events - strikingly elegant for the bandit hero Killian Murphy. Somewhere nearby is Sam Neal's character, not as handsome but much more complex. In his impressive manners, you can feel a kind of imperial grandeur.
Third, it feels like a truly British approach to the story. Relatively short seasons – only six episodes – are extremely eventful and do not sag for a minute, except when you need to admire the views of Britain or the hairstyle of Killian Murphy. Melodrama does not interfere with the criminal saga, which is pretty enriched by side stories - family squabbles, drug addiction, the struggle for independence of Ireland.
The main - and perhaps the only - disadvantage of Peaky Blinders is directly related to their success. In my opinion, the second season was a little less successful than the first. In any case, it is not the same freshness, despite a number of great turns and new heroes. I don’t think the third season will reach the same heights. But I'll look forward to it.
The series "Sharpened caps", or "Sharp visors"? There is no clear translation option, but it does not matter. It makes sense in both cases. For a long time, I had my eye on this series, but everyone was waiting for the opportunity to get acquainted with it. After watching season 2, I can only say one thing: Delicious. I was waiting for an average TV series to spend a couple of evenings on, and I got something exciting, stylish and exciting mind. Undoubtedly one of the brightest British series.
“173rd Engineering Company. Sergeant Major Thomas Shelby.
The series takes us to the 20s of the last century, in Birmingham and tells about the Shelby family. The signature difference of the Shelby family was the blades sewn into the caps. None of the ordinary people could even think to start daring members of this family. Their authority is indisputable, and they are untouchable. The family is led by men of the Shelby family who returned from the war in France. They are brothers in blood and arms, they are a gangster family that goes to the top of the criminal world.
“What have you done with your medals? Thrown away?
Three brothers, John, Arthur and the main brain of the family - Thomas (Cillian Murphy). They are hard and uncompromising towards their goal, but as always, difficulties await them. Officer Campbell arrives in their town, sent to investigate the disappearance of national importance by none other than Winston Churchill himself. The officer immediately does not like the lawlessness reigning in the city and he immediately begins to act, building all sorts of machinations "Blinders". And there it will spin: betrayal, murder, family problems and love. Each character is written in such detail, so competently that you begin to truly empathize with these people. Especially happy that the hero Murphy is not paid too much attention and he does not have time to get bored (In the “Underground Empire”, this is pretty annoying). Because of this, you feel not one main character, but the whole family as key characters. This contributes to the excellent work with the script, which was written not by anyone, but by Stephen Knight himself, the director of the film “Lock”, by the way, Tom Hardy will also appear in the series, in the image of a Jewish boss, whom he perfectly played. His appearances are always associated with humor and brilliantly presented monologues/dialogues. Tom didn't fail, as he always does.
“From now on, this place belongs to us! Skinny Blinders!
Dynamic presentation of what is happening and modern soundtrack, it would seem, does not fit into the style of the series. But damn it, that's what the show takes! Unusual serving! And the music in the 20s? The White Stripes, Brother Dege. Jack White, and for the Johnny Cash scene, I'm ready to stand up! I am delighted that many filmmakers have begun to use the concept from The Great Gatsby, adapting the cozy environment of the 20s to modern music. This technique causes real ecstasy from what you saw on the screen. Great move, though not quite new.
Separately, I would like to mention Paul Anderson, the performer of the role of Arthur Shelby. To play such a psychopath, and play like that! It's just indescribable. My audience prize goes to him.
In total, we have a great series, telling about the English gangsters of the 20s. For me, "Sharpened Caps," bypassed "Underground Empire," even though it's only season 2. Let’s see what happens to the Shelby family.
I look forward to the second season finale. My expectations were met. To be the third season!
British TV series, as we all managed to notice, differ in a small number of episodes. On the one hand, it is a pity, because the picture of such skill wants to look endlessly. On the other hand, you can be sure that the series will not turn into ' Santa Barbara'.
In my humble opinion, ' visors' in the second season is not inferior to the first. On the contrary, they are superior, because we have the opportunity to fully reveal the character of each character.
I wrote about Murphy in the previous review, so I would like to mention the secondary characters.
Tom Hardy
Oh, how he manages the roles of despotic scumbags. In the second season, he does not appear often, but very confidently and as always charismatic. Talent.
Charlotte Riley
I can’t say that this is a diverse actress, but the role of beautiful, tender, passionate, suffering and strong is her role. Whether it is 'Wuthering Heights' or 'Pricoupe' or 'Blinders' is absolutely her image. Honestly, I wouldn't even want to see her in another role. This is how she handles the above.
The rest of the characters that we have known since the first season are being revealed more and more.
Polly (Helen McCrory) is very impressed.
You can envy her power. At the same time, you have compassion with her. A typical female (in a good sense of the word) who will bite at the family, sacrificing herself. A very vivid image.
Summing up, I want to say that ' Blinders' is emotionally strong, in terms of entourage stylish and beautiful. The casting is amazing. It's a very worthy picture. Recommended viewing.
Great Britain is blossoming on the field of cinema with a lush color.
Rumor has it that British TV shows are evil, because not every producer will decide to have a maximum of 8 episodes per season. But, as you know, they take their quality. No wonder some British TV series receive remakes from American counterparts on television, such as 'House of Cards' and already announced adaptations 'Utopia' and 'Broadchurch'.
This series is the British answer to 'Underground Impriya' Martin Scorsese. It is also based on real events around the Shelby family, which carried out the seizure of power in Birmingham in the 1920s. Of course, all this is very, very difficult: here you and the IRA fighting for the freedom of Ireland, the Communists who are going to stage a revolution, the guardians of order led by the inspector who brought order in Belfast, and of course the larger fish, who are not satisfied with the growing influence of the Shelby family. But the family itself is also not a bald Shito. On that they and Peaky Blinders - 'Sharpened Blinders' where their trademark weapon is a hat with a sewn sharp razor, which can safely cut the face of anyone, which is demonstrated in the series. They are ready to bother even Winston Churchill himself.
The atmosphere of the series is completely saturated with the exciting actions of the Shelby family. Britain itself of those times is perfectly shown: smoking factories, dirt and fornication at every step, horses and cars, and of course, not without political correctness - a black priest with dreadlocks named Jeremiah, but he does not spoil the general atmosphere, so everything here is forgivable. The coolness of the series adds its excellent soundtrack. Watching the showdowns of the criminal underground of England of the twentieth century under the songs of The White Stripes is a hell of a huge share of explosive adrenaline for the atmosphere of the series, consisting of only 6 episodes.
I just want to add that recently released the second season, which stars Tom Hardy. The series is really gaining momentum, and the end of the first season clearly shows that. You see, the scale will increase to America.
This topic is one of my favorites in cinema. Martin Scorsese’s films, The Godfather trilogy, Once Upon a Time in America, The Underground Empire (another gem of modern television, but that’s a different story) are everything! But the gangsters on the screen we mostly see in the context of America of the 20th century, “prohibition” and a man with a scar named Al Capone, and in the “visors” we see England of the same time, which is little known and very interesting – this is the first of the advantages of the series.
The events of the film are intertwined with the facts that are really happening at the time: the post-war crisis, the development of criminal structures, the war for the independence of Ireland, and it is against the background of all this that the half-Gypsy Shelby family fights for unofficial power in the city of Birmingham, near London. In the second season, the action moves to the territory of "Cockney".
The atmosphere in the series worked out perfectly: a strict English style of appearance, smoked pubs, gray streets and the predominance of physical contact over shooting, what distinguishes English crime of that time from American. Everything looks very convincing, immersion in the series at a hundred percent level.
One of the main advantages of the series is the excellent performance of the actors. Cillian Murphy, who plays the main role, put all his talent into this role, which he, in principle, does in all his works. The antagonist, a royal agent who is trying to end Shelby’s career on a sad note, is played by Sam Neil, who is very interesting to watch in such a role. All the actors cope, in each series their game looks as it should look. Characters evolve and actors develop roles with them. And yes, the appearance of Tom Hardy in the second season can not but please, as I consider him a very worthy candidate in the list of the best actors of our time.
The musical accompaniment is selected successfully, it is mostly quiet, restrained in English. There are no claims to the sound, the hearing does not cut anything.
The only small disadvantage of the series I consider small deflections of the plot string, a little intrigue and speed of plot moves.
In general, the series is mandatory to watch. I haven’t seen the second season yet, but I’m looking forward to the third.
9 out of 10.
The series Peaky Blinders takes place in post-war England in the early 20th century. Smallhit is a district of the large industrial city of Birmingham, which is famous for its military factories and is the second largest city after London, the place where the Peaky Blinders criminal group was born. Blinders became one of the famous youth groups at the time when the emergence of such street subcultures began. The Shelby family controls the Peaky Blinders, in which during the war, while the men fought in France, Polly Shelby took over the leadership, and on the return of her nephews - the Shelby brothers - from the front, one of them - Thomas, as befits the leader, is charismatic, intelligent and purposeful.
The role of Thomas was chosen by one of the best actors of Irish origin – Kylian Murphy. He more than has the intelligence and charisma, as well as the talent to play the head of the gang, who can be cold-blooded, calculating, extravagant, and even romantic. To help him, the creators of the series picked up a young English actor Paul Anderson, who with great enthusiasm plays the crazy Arthur Shelby, one of the brothers, as well as the cool Helen McCrory, on which the role of Aunt Polly sits as infused.
The antagonists, however, are much weaker in the series, in my opinion, despite the fact that the role of Inspector Chester Campbell, who became a pain in the ass for Thomas Shelby, went to another Irish actor, familiar to every decent moviegoer, Sam Neil. This character is somewhat annoying with his imbalance and sometimes frankly sucked out of the finger motivation. Actually, it is also much weaker than the main male characters and female, with the exception of Aunt Polly. All of them like cats walk around Thomas Shelby, performing, especially in the second season, the main task of the writers is to lengthen the timekeeping. No, of course, women in the series are necessarily needed, you need to somehow mitigate the lawlessness that boys arrange, breaking into the high light or just like that, out of boredom, but in my opinion, none of them is ready to make that duet of Killian Murphy, which could be called roof-bearing and one of the best in gangster cinema.
What pleased the series, except for the magnificent or, in simple words, the fucking addictive of his game Killian (who, by the way, I noticed after Breakfast on Pluto, and who equally cool can play positive, negative, and ambiguous characters), is the atmosphere. Oh yes! This charcoal-dirty gloom of soot, which the crown of the European pioneer of the industrial revolution stuck to the walls of many English cities, these authentic haircuts and shortened trousers, caps of English laborers, stuffed with their visors, every corner is saturated with England of the early 20th century. You inevitably find yourself on the other side of the screen, cringing at the drenched blackness of the streets of Birmingham and feeling the smell of good old Irish whiskey on your lips.
The second, or rather the third, virtue of Peaky Blinders, which has already been called Chamberlain’s answer to the American “Underground Empire,” are some minor characters who, with admirable shamelessness, steal the fame of the best performer in the series from Killian himself. And the best part is that my favorites play them. The same Scotsman Tom Flannaghan, who is immensely dear to my cinematic heart, appears in one of the episodes of the first season, I will not reveal his character, but even the short time that he is in the frame, he manages to use 100%. The second volume, which, like the first, I did not expect to see in the series, as I watched it spontaneously, without first paying attention to the cast, made me even more excited. But I didn't expect anything else from him. Tom Hardy as the head of the Jewish crime community Alfie Solomons is a rattling mix. The violin voice, frantic eyes, incredible vocabulary, and the signing scene between Alfie and Thomas is one of the best for both seasons, such a heat of passion, hidden behind the tenacious calm of views and, as it were, an inadvertently changing percentage figure, deserves applause. Tom is like the pepper that gives even an unpretentious dish a spicy taste.
And another, perhaps not inferior to the previous, the dignity of music. Nick Cave once again confirmed that his hits are doomed to success for many years to come. And the drive of such artists as The White Stripes, Arctic Monkeys, Tom Waits and other no less pleasant musicians, provide “Blinders” the attention of viewers who are not indifferent to the right music.
So, the advantages of the series a lot, they, I believe, will outweigh in any case, those flaws that are almost all modern films. The creators decided on the third season. Well, let’s see, the unevenness of the first two is a little depressing, but meeting with the characters, firmly settled in the list of those that please the eye from the screen at any time of the day and year, give hope for a worthy continuation and completion.
8 out of 10
I don’t think I’d have a word that accurately names this series – they will sound too trivial and tasteless, like a stamp – not at all like a series.
You can talk about it for a long time.
To begin with, I personally, who had not seen Killian Murphy in roles with such a strong dramatic load, was directly amazed. Just a few scenes where all his attention is drawn by his disarming and all-expressingly deep gaze - and now you are ready to continue watching, even if there is only a white screen beyond this look. But, fortunately, Murphy not only does not eclipse the whole background - no, he looks on it and decent, and organically.
What do you call a background here? In general, the highlight, as you might guess, again in the atmosphere of the 20th - not pompously pretentious and pathoshy arrogant, but industrially dirty and hopelessly criminal; nevertheless, allowing equally sublime to convey to the viewer the idea of intelligence, honor and strength of human character.
In general, here you can draw the second (and probably the last) parallel with the “soft” Downton: A person is determined not by his status or position in society, not even by the business he is engaged in. But the principles, fortitude of spirit, system of values, decent respect - that is what distinguishes a decent person in its own way, even if a blade is sewn into his cap.
Very brutal.
And at the same time, intelligent.
Incredibly stylish, with attention to the little things that make up the right atmosphere. Music, camera work... But style isn’t the only thing the series relies on.
The second it seems that now will begin to drag some standard plot - everything changes dramatically, and, damn, how beautiful and thoughtful at the same time the writers everything turns out!
The first series is intriguing, but the second is already shooting right through. After her - shock, admiration, incredible love for British accent and British stamina Murphy.
But the subsequent series seem to be trying to get closer to such a high standard, and although Tommy Shelby’s image is still strong and flawless, they cannot match the intellectuality of actions, the expressiveness of what is happening, or the extreme emotionality of the key moments. And so until the last episode, which, of course, is another hour of an almost perfect mixture of all of the above.
By the way, yes. I have always admired the ability of creators to give a moment a touching touch that does not turn into sentimentality; it is so gemful to create emotional tension without spoiling the deep beauty of the illustrated thought, without lowering it to the level of stupidly pathetic, obvious primitiveness.
Despite the strange ending, the plot is quite organic, and the entire short first season is a carefully thought out story. So, no matter what the sequel that has just started carries, the chances are high - it will not disappoint.
8.5 out of 10
Your eyes may behold
But the story I'm told
Is your heart as black as night
Recently, the quality of the series has increased significantly. As noted by the notorious Valery Todorovsky, many filmmakers move to the series, feeling more freedom and more money. Few people want to risk the box office by filming what they want. And here we are witnessing such a situation - the time has come when the word "series" sounds prestigious, because many are quite worthy of a big movie. There are no longer any associations with the "Rich Cry Too", the Latin American "Clones" and the Russian "Carmelites". Because recently the series were just like that. But the Air Force, in my opinion, never exchanged for small things. All, a hundred produces this company, the highest standard well or just I did not stumble upon another.
The new brainchild of this channel has already managed to become quite successful, as extended, and Tom Hardy promises to join the already star cast in season 2. And the success of the serial opus about bloody showdowns somewhere in England in the spirit of the Godfather is not surprising. “Sharp Blinders” will find something to amaze you, since each frame is absolutely stylish. Whichever way you look - the shooting itself, dark colors and clear lines, Shelby hats and British people dressed with a pin in stunning costumes, with cleaned shoes - no speck of dust on anyone or anything. Even whiskey glasses sparkle. Such a concentrated atmosphere makes you smell this whiskey! Filmed divinely: such angles, sometimes very unusual, and sometimes classic. But this is a classic, and you can't argue with it.
The plot of the film is quite simple and simple: the city is ruled by a family, fishing illegally on horse racing. They have real power. They have both money and influence. Along with the jumps, they stand on the wall with other areas, often reaching blood, and sometimes even murder. Before us are former soldiers who have passed the First World War, who have not played in the war until now, or simply do not know another life, do not know what life is like without enmity. People who are used to violence and associate themselves with it. A detective chases them, sending the girl to get into the trust of the group. The scheme is simple: fall in love with a guy and thereby weaken him. The girl leads a double game, but is unable to overcome her love, suddenly flared up by her and her victim. The whole story does not look very good, but it develops so dynamically that it is impossible to break away. All the characters are so well worked out, all the psychology that excites from every dialogue does not let you get bored with the study of the human nature of each hero. And most importantly, there is room for reflection on the most interesting performance – Tommy Shelby. All actions are logical, motivated, emotional. The dramatic part, along with the military theme, cuts to the bone.
The acting part consists only of well-known and venerable professionals, headed by Cillian Murphy with his bright blue Irish eyes. He's the central character. He is feared and admired. Contradictory personality: cruel and vulnerable at the same time. Principled, loyal to his family, broken by the war - this is how the slightly mysterious Tommy Shelby appears before us. Killian Murphy has a wealth of film experience and I didn’t think he would ever appear on the show. I don’t know if it will be long-term or not. But in any case, for Murphy’s career, it’s another way to remind himself of himself and refute his role in Hollywood – a maniac or a murderer. And a haircut! He's finally got a perfect haircut. Nothing suited him like that. Mature Killian Murphy kills no worse than young Killian Murphy. I can’t believe he’s almost 40 years old.
he's a god,
hi's a man,
hi's a ghost,
hi's a guru.
In addition to Killian Murphy from the movie celebrities, Sam Neal and Helen McCrory, known for the role of Narcisse Malfoy in the series of films about Harry Potter, played here. Sam Neal as always in any film brings justice, catches criminals, but McCrory acted very characteristically. A wise aunt of a gangster with a male character (you have to be a grandmother, since there are only badboys and troumans around, and they all conduct business together) is strong and very even. The main female image went to an unknown to me Anabelle Wallace. She is a mysterious lady for the plot. Comes, all this beautiful and feminine lady, to the den of criminal gangs in Birmingham, to get a job in a pub. That's where she meets Tommy Shelby. It fascinates him and what people usually call Love with a capital "L" happens. The episodes feature Joe Cole ( "Skins", "Now is the time"), Aimee-Ffion Edwards (all the same "Skins") and Natasha O'Keeffee ( "Misfits").
The series, in addition, just mind-blowing Soundtrack. It features the White Stripes and Nick Cave. And the lyrics - so wonderfully fit into history! And in general, a lot - this is still to put it mildly. The albums were like Cave and Jack White. It just falls in love with itself when the superb visual part merges in ecstasy (sorry to be candid) with the superb musical part. Combo, comrades.
"Sharp Blinders" - a voluminous drama series with a completely different face and the necessary dramatic intensity. Constructed in a typical English style, it is difficult to accuse him of some falsehood or incompleteness and superficiality. Season 2 will probably be more than the other updates of the series that I watch.
Your lips may be sweet such that I can't compete
But your heart is as black as night.
9 out of 10
Romanticizing the underworld has always attracted filmmakers as a method. The most striking example of this is the famous trilogy The Godfather by Francis Coppola. It was with this inimitable criminal saga that I associated when watching the mini-series Peaky Blinders, the first season of which was released on television in the autumn of 2013.
An exciting, "sharp" plot, excellent music (performed mainly by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and The White Stripes), "juicy" camera footage, stylized costumes, the organic atmosphere of post-war Birmingham (the action unfolds in 1919), a well-chosen cast - all these components of the English series pretty much bribe the sympathy of the audience, forcing already from the first series to empathize with a gangster gang led by a young and charismatic Tommy (Cillian Murphy).
Thomas Shelby is a strong, smart and ambitious guy, the hope and support of the whole family. Thanks to his charisma and leadership abilities, he easily takes over the leadership in Peaky Blinders, delicately ousting his older brother, an unbalanced Arthur, from this position. Tommy changes significantly after the war, which he and his brothers and friends volunteered for. At least that’s according to Polly’s aunt (Helen McCrory), who replaces his mother (she ran the family business while her nephews sniffed World War I gunpowder). Thomas returned home already mature and experienced fighter, ready to conquer the world and unconditionally deal with competitors. From time to time, only he has nightmares - exaggerated memories of the tunnel where he and his friends were sent to track down the Germans. Tommy's heart is incredibly hardened, but he remains true to his family and his principles.
Inspector Campbell (Sam Neal) is the exact opposite of Thomas Shelby. His appointment to Birmingham was connected with the disappearance of a large number of firearms, which were intended for the service of the British army. Winston Churchill himself was very saddened by this trouble and worried that the guns would never go to the Irish Republican Army (IRA). By the will of fate, the weapon falls into the hands of the leader of Peaky Blinders, whose people stole the wrong boxes. All suspicions already fall on Thomas Shelby, but there is no concrete evidence. If the newly appointed inspector does not find the notorious disappearance in the established lines, he will be eliminated and dismissed. This is the driving force of filmmaking.
What sets Tommy apart from Campbell is honesty. The leader of the Peaky Blinders (by the way, this name of the gangster clan is similar to the peculiarity of their wardrobe - caps with blades sewn into the visors) knew how to keep his word and even dealt with enemies decently. For an inspector, it costs nothing to break a promise: to achieve his goal, he is ready to do anything. An illustrative example is the torture and abuse that local policemen began to arrange to prisoners on the orders of their superior.
The conflict between Campbell and Shelby is further aggravated when a girl who works undercover as a barmaid in Tommy’s tavern and leaks all his secrets to the inspector, eventually falls in love with the main character, and Campbell refuses his marriage offer. Tommy, too, has feelings for Grace (Annabelle Wallis), but he's in for a bitter disappointment. The love triangle is particularly brightly outlined in the last two episodes, but so to the end and not allowed, leaving intrigue for the next season.
A colorful and extraordinary character is Freddie Thorne (Iddo Goldberg), who is the leader of the Birmingham Communists persecuted by the authorities. Together with Tommy, he was in a war where he once saved his life. In addition, he loves his younger sister, Ada Shelby (Sophie Rundle), who reciprocates him, and eventually gives birth to a child. The chief policeman arranges a real hunt for Freddie, blackmailing Thomas Shelby, who is ready to show where the weapons are hidden, as long as they do not touch his sister and husband. But it's not that simple. The plot of the series is developing very rapidly and even to some extent unpredictable, and I see no sense in retelling it.
The drawbacks of the first season include the improbability of individual scenes (especially the final skirmish of “Blinders” with the gang of Billy Kimber), the caricature of the characters (for example, Inspector Campbell), the annoying and constantly repeated picture with smoking and alcohol consumption. In addition, the Shelby family is presented in an immensely idealized plan, which was already noted at the beginning of this review. The image of Thomas Shelby in the brilliant performance of Killian Murphy, in my opinion, lacked “dirty”. Yes, it is “dirty”, because the leader of the criminal group appears in a very romantic light.
In general, the criminal drama “Peaky Blinders” is a very colorful and entertaining series that will not leave indifferent true fans of cinematic art.
9 out of 10
Historical films, series are always, at least for me, more interesting and intriguing. " Peaky Blinders", a short 6-series series, from the first minutes literally "glued" me to the computer monitor.
The series takes place in 1919, in Birmingham around the gang "Peaky Blinders". The leader of the gang, Thomas Shelby, turns a series of actions, helping his family get back on their feet, competes and conflicts with other similar groups and falls in love, without suspecting it, with a charming barmaid who is not really who she claims to be. Bad guys turn out to be good people.
In "Sharp Blinders" the plot is well thought out. There are many actions and turns, but everything is interconnected and logical. If you do not look at the beginning carefully, the end of the series can not be fully understood. But, in fact, everything that happens on the screen is so interesting and fascinating that it is even unwittingly impossible to tear off attention. There are no long scenes, unnecessary descriptions, reasoning, boring and unnecessary dialogues. It's business and concise. For the series we can watch a mini-movie, and, of course, within the framework of the best series, at the end of the series is a very mysterious epilogue. The main character, Thomas Shelby, performed by the inimitable Killian Murphy, shows the character of a real man, he develops, makes decisions and conquers with his masculinity and intelligence. Murphy is a great actor and Thomas Shelby is one of his best roles.
This series also enjoyed the rich musical accompaniment. As such, there is no one main musical composition, but for a series of 5 or 6 slices fall into the soul.
Since the series describes the 20s of the last century, the costumes, respectively, are also outstanding. Men’s costumes, women’s dresses, hairstyles, accessories, along with rare cars give a special chic and gloss. Involuntarily imbued with the atmosphere of that time. Sometimes you feel like you were born in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bravo to costumers and decorators.
"Sharp Blinders" describes a delicate love line. It's not new and not
original... and not finished. The viewer has questions and doubts that can dispel only season 2. I’m looking forward to it now.
It seems that the British slowly but surely capture the primacy in the production of serial films, and take not quantity, but quality. And the main component of this quality is a perfectly calibrated, alien to any pretentious or deliberate style. Suffice it to recall the brittle sophistication of Downton Abbey, the piercing grace of Hills, and now the exquisite brutality of Peaky Blinders. Those who thought that only gangsters with Italian names in costumes from “Brioni” and “Armani” could be stylish, violently broke down when they saw how perfectly tweed pants, vests, jackets and, of course, caps with sharp blades sewn into them, which can always be used as weapons, sit on members of the Shelby gangster family from Birmingham.
However, the style of the series does not create a single fashion - a special attention deserves and a sound series in which the first violin is played by Nick Cave with the luxurious ballad "Red Right Hand", which is complemented by strong, like Irish whiskey, compositions of Tom Waits, White Stripes and Jack White. Along with slow-motion shots, these compositions, under which the characters step like models on the catwalk, create a very special atmosphere of the film.
Having chosen the era between the two world wars for the series, directors Otto Bafurst and Tom Harper went the hard way, balancing on a thin line, crossing which you can offend the Irish, and the British royalists, and communists, not always shown from the best side. However, for the directors, as for the main characters of Peaky Blinders, first of all, loyalty to their own ideals and service to personal interests is more important. This is the timeless and sometimes moral value of this film, which consists in faithfulness to one’s word and the priority of the interests of relatives over all other points of view. Your brother may be wrong, but he will still be your brother.
After returning from the war mentally crippled, Thomas Shelby and his brothers and friends decided that they had given enough to the country, which turned them into cannon fodder and then threw them away as unnecessary. Possessing not too high moral foundations inherited from several generations of ancestors engaged in racketeering, blackmail and horse racing machinations, they managed not only to win their place under the sun, but also began to successfully pave the way to the top of society, or rather to the law-abiding part of the population. And, of course, the center of this forward movement is Thomas Shelby, the second of the brothers, brilliantly played by Killian Murphy. More than once drew attention to how well he manages to portray the instant change of moods of his characters, instantly transforming from a man to a woman or from a cute young man to a cruel killer. Here and here he can simultaneously look like a frightened boy and a tough, and sometimes cruel man, one look of which causes fear and respect among opponents.
Having passed the fire of the First World War and emerged from it unharmed from the outside, but burned from the inside, he assesses the strength of his opponents precisely by whether they were in the war and quite reasonably chooses for further negotiations the tactics of pact or intimidation, while almost never missing. Almost because the weak point of every man is often his love for a woman. Here, as if gradually developing love story bears the character of Murphy tangible losses, but leads to the rebirth of the hero, his growing up and leaving the habit of dividing the world into black and white.
Of course, other members of the Shelby family, Thomas’ brothers and sister, and especially Aunt Polly, who, like an Italian mother, is the spiritual and moral center of the family, deserve attention. Beautifully torn between duty and love, Grace, Thomas's lover, the charismatic Inspector Campbell, brilliantly played by Sam Neal. But it is best to see them with your own eyes and make your own opinion, because this series and all its characters are undoubtedly worth it.
9 out of 10
Which one of us didn't sell? All of us somehow twist to live.
The first scene in the film makes it clear how much the film is imbued with the English spirit of the post-war period: narrow streets, where poverty reigns, everyone “struggles in the mud” to somehow survive. People who came after the war were left with nothing, someone working for pennies, someone, going crazy, washing down his grief with alcohol. Of course, there is another “side of the medal” in the series, that is, the “higher” layers of society who profit from this situation happening in the country.
The author shows us the gang “Peaky Blinders”, just existing at that time. Delightfully presented style of clothes, hairstyles, customs and principles of this family. The main distinguishing feature of the "highlight", are sharpened blades in the visors of the caps of the main characters.
The main plot is intriguing, and do not let go until the very end. The writer is constantly trying to keep the viewer in suspense. In addition, there are many secondary storylines, which with each series capture more and more.
The atmosphere of this film is simply "overwhelming". Stunningly matched music that sets the tone of mood from scene to scene. The city itself is filled with bars, Chinese salons, piers and factories. Chasing, fighting and shooting, all this is just the “wealth” of this film.
10 out of 10
P.S. I was very impressed with this series, I look forward to continuing!
In the fall of 2013, two TV series were released on television - "City of Gangsters" and "Sharp Blinders". They had a lot in common and in addition to the release date - a six-part format, a common theme and time of action, references to real historical figures and actor Iddo Goldberg. But if one told about the struggle of police with gangsters, the other about the fight of gangsters with police. That's what we're talking about. Let’s go from afar.
The Irish mafia, although not very popular in popular culture, has taken root on the tolerant democratic body of the United States no worse than the Italian. O. Henry wrote about ideological differences, but in cinema and literature, valiant regulars of pubs are not as popular as “pasta” and often play second roles. Outside the criminal context, the Irish were portrayed simply as strong guys, lovers of strong booze, strong words and strong muzzle. A comprehensive view of them can be found in the anthology of criminal stereotypes of the American mass culture GTA IV, where the main character will have a long time to cooperate with one “typical” Irish family.
In the mini-series Peaky Blinders, we watch the formation of one Irish crime family named Shelby. Yes, as for the Italians, family ties are extremely important for the heroes, even the plot is involved in this. The numerical advantage in the skirmishes of the Shelby family is provided by friends-hires and distant relatives from the category “on the seventh water jelly”, and is run by a certain Thomas Shelby, the middle of the brothers (for the eldest is a weak-willed drunk, and the youngest is just a stupid big guy). Shelby has her own godmother, Aunt Polly, the family’s self-directed conscience. And so this family is muddying the water and business, slowly climbing from the bottom of the social and criminal ladder, until one day it helped them to heat the handles raking on state property. The property is so important and secret that a specially trained inspector Campbell was sent to their soul.
From the first series, when the priorities are not yet set and the author's vision does not invade the frame, you expect a brave confrontation between two minds - a seasoned urban and no less experienced police officer, full of intrigue, drama, betrayal and warning shots in the back. But then it begins to peck exactly what the author's pitch: sympathy for the Shelby family and personally Thomas (played by Killian Murphy), dislike for Inspector Campbell (Sam Neal), who is tangled under his feet, doing his job and fighting, in fact, terrorism. Despite the fact that the image of the inspector does not really allow to reveal the timing, every conversation with Thomas is a feast for the eyes. But the rest of the time, the directors try to draw him devilish horns and put him in a disgusting light.
And here's the Shelby crime syndicate in reverse -- five minutes to saints. In the frame, they practically do nothing illegal, and if someone is inflicted serious bodily harm, then only for the cause. Reminiscent of an old joke about the image of a one-eyed humpback king in profile, with a sighted eye, with a fluttering cloak hiding a hump. Meanwhile, the list of their crimes is very large and includes machinations at races (fraud), threats, blackmail, robbery, robbery, resistance to the authorities, bribery of officials, not to mention simple human lies. All the negativity of a petty-criminal lifestyle remains behind the scenes, and the viewer is only supposed to admire the easy romance of the hero’s reflections about “the boy goes to success.” The most interesting thing is that all the cunning machinations of Thomas with set-ups, reconciliations and betrayals are eventually exposed and he, along with his family, should be paid what he deserves from the powerful. However, in the well-deserved climax, the playful hand of the “god from the machine” intervenes, rewriting the script in openly naive favor of favorite heroes. Even Stanislav's "I don't believe!" gets stuck in the throat. Why long preparations and ingenious plans, if in the end everything is decided by blind chance?
Immediately, in the final episode, Aunt Polly pushes a monologue about conscience and what it represents for this family. But here’s a funny fact: the conscience of the family is silent when the family beats someone, robs, cheats, kills and threatens to achieve their goals, but if someone does not do well (fairly or not – it does not matter) with family members, so it is here: remembers, does not forgive, does not accept. There is something else in nature that is easy to take for conscience, but from the outside it is clear that it is not at all her – selfishness. It is selfishness that drives. The Shelby family are not brave Robins Hoods, saints of the people, robbing the living rich, they are ordinary organized Gopniks, replacing their own interests with some abstract morality.
Unfortunately, the audience spends too much time alone with this family. Involuntarily you begin to imbue them with sympathy, especially since the creators made the task of empathy as easy as possible, removing all doubtful elements from view and awarding the hero with post-traumatic syndrome, as a result of which he dreams of a narrow earth tunnel and the knocking of shovels behind the wall, digging the passage. And it seems that even Batman would not touch this family (and not at all because they do not climb into Gotham) – a good one, keeping true family values and just dreaming of her own business. But in fact, we have only another romanticization of the criminal way of life, seductive also by the fact that the heroes succeeded and they did not have anything for it.
Over the past few years, Peaky Blinders has become the third series (of the series I know), the action of which unfolds at the beginning of the XX century. Before that I managed to appreciate and love "Underground Empire" and "Dancing on the Edge". You can also call the recent film adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" that made a lot of noise. If I were asked to look into the minds of the creators of these projects, I am sure that one of the main reasons for the appeal was the desire of directors and screenwriters to plunge the viewer into the romantic and cruel era that arose after the coup that occurred in the minds of people who survived the First World War.
It is very tempting to look at that time luxurious women, desperate shooters and notorious thugs, frantic, needle-dressed guys, recently returned from the War and trying to integrate into a changed world or change the world for themselves, engaged in the redistribution of territories with special charm and chic. That time from our present on the one hand is not too far away, and on the other hand - it is already some antiquity, because almost a century has passed. And this is not quite ancient, but has already become the property of history, the era attracts people who, perhaps now, as then, only, fortunately, without a world war, are trying to settle in a rapidly changing world or arrange it.
I have repeatedly thoroughly and ornately admitted my love for projects BBC, in a sincere and mutual love (I do not remember the film disappointments associated with this company), so this time I will limit myself to one mention that in Peaky Blinders, the inimitable British style (by the way, as a more true sign of Britishness, as for me, than not everyone understandable humor) is sustained to the last pin, to the last pint of beer. It is the style that catches a lot in this series. It forms a single atmospheric space, it drags the viewer into this gray, at first glance, devoid of any colors small world, in which, as in a garbage dump, develop their boiling activity of rats.
And then the space begins to gradually expand. Screenwriters carefully from the eyes of the viewer, as from the eyes of a particularly sensitive and nervous horse, remove blinders, allowing you to see more. And this "more" comes from all sides, from all angles, and the viewer realizes that what he first took for a dump and a rat race - something more, much more complex organized and thoughtful - is a real empire. This is an empire built by the kings of the mob, knocked out in people thanks to razor-sharp visors, heavy fists, ferocious glances and witty and dangerous brains. And all this is multiplied by the terrifying school of survival in the face of war.
Many people compare this series with “The Underground Empire”, they say it is something like “our answer to Chamberlain”, that is, the answer of Chamberlain, given that the film was made by the British. But for some reason I immediately came to mind The Godfather. Also a very strong and close-knit family, also the boss is not the eldest of the sons.
It is worth noting the game Cillian Murphy. I think I've got another favorite Irish actor coming up after a long-standing attachment to Colin Farrell, the gift of being one-year-old. I’ve known Murphy for a long time, but before that, I’ve seen mostly episodic roles. And here... what type, what size, what a knee! I was surprised he was 37 years old. In character, 25 maximum. He created a very interesting character along with writers, make-up artists and costume designers (oh, his costumes are a separate song!). Perhaps he slightly lacks inconsistency, slightly lacks a wormhole, which must necessarily be the leader of the not the most peaceful pack in the world. Even his episodic outbursts of anger don't make him worse in the viewer's eyes. I think it will be fixed in the next season.
England, industrial Birmingham, grey and cold beauty, horses, expensive costumes, vintage cars, weapons, fights and danger, family and adventure, beautiful and strong women and Cillian Murphy. If you like at least something from this list - rather watch the series, however, if you do not like - also watch.
10 out of 10
Peaky Blinders is another little masterpiece of British television, six hours of pure pleasure. This is the story of the Shelby family, which struggles to "into the people" in the gloomy, almost apocalyptic Birmingham of the beginning of the last century. Kulaks and batons are used, workers are striking in parallel, Irish revolutionaries are flashing, and the British police are struggling not to be corrupt. And somewhere safely hidden a large load of weapons, with which you can turn into hell any particular area.
There's no highlighted gloss in the series - it's not "Underground Empire." Much of the action takes place in slums, in the industrial areas of Birmingham, where the flames of stoves burst straight into the streets. Tom Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is a handsome, intelligent, ruthless, but very family man. The main character of the series is literally woven from contradictions, which, together with the appearance of Murphy, gives a stunning effect. It is impossible to resist!
In addition to a rich, dense atmosphere, Peaky Blinders can boast a fascinating plot - it is really unpredictable. Mandatory elements of any series, such as a love line, are present, but the main place is devoted to the true drama of characters - strong characters. Luxuriously turned out mustachioed police officer rank Campbell (Sam Neal), very good almost caricatured, but unexpectedly courageous revolutionary Freddie (Iddo Goldberg), impressive zealous Catholic Aunt Paul (Helen McCrory). All of them, and not only them, are faced in such a way that every moment of the series is literally electrified.
Peaky Blinders is not just the story of a criminal war on the streets of Birmingham and one secret police operation. I think you can learn the history of England after the First World War from an unusual point of view, of course, but it should turn out quite well. This is another reason for the pride of the creators.
The series takes place in a dirty industrial Birmingham, just after the end of the First World War. A gang of Shelby brothers, street thugs and thugs known as “Sharpened caps”, takes on the expansion of spheres of influence.
From the first minutes, thanks to camera work, the viewer is immersed in the gloomy, depressing atmosphere of industrial Birmingham. Smoky rooms, smog on the streets, light that for a brief moment blinds, but does not shine and does not warm, dirty streets, small, crippled houses - all but highlights the poverty and despair of the post-war city. Deliberately blurred footage - the viewer seems to see Birmingham through the eyes of a hangover resident of the city. And it is no longer surprising to see the Shelby brothers' brutal showdowns with competitors. What else to do in such a city is only to drink and fight, and even then, not for fun, but for survival. And the bandits themselves are far from unambiguous characters, for all their cruelty, everyone has a personal drama behind them, they are all former participants in the war in France, who returned home mentally broken people, hiding from nightmares with the help of alcohol and opium. And the military past is what unites them more than the gangster present.
The series would not have been so successful if the cast had not been so successful. Thomas Shelby - not the oldest, but the most important in the gang plays charismatic and fantastically talented (and the girls will add - stunningly beautiful) Cillian Murphy. His Tommy is cruel, but honest, ambitious, but loyal to the family, unbending difficulties and danger, but, like any person, is subject to the choice of his heart. Thomas's opponent is no less worthy and colorful - Inspector Chester Campbell (Sam Neal), who arrived in Birmingham on the assignment of Winston Churchill. And as a result, we see a duel of two strong characters, a duet of two great actors.
I would like to note not only the painstaking work of costumers, who carefully studied the costumes of that time (gangsters turned out very stylish, you can not take your eyes off), but also the musical accompaniment, for which you could give another plus ten points. What better background and complement to dark gangster stories than Cave's hangover ballads and White's nervous chords?
They lived in the mud of Birmingham streets, in the post-coital convulsions of World War I, on the eve of the proletarian revolution. They inhaled the exhaust of steel mills, looked cautiously over their shoulders, and counted thirty moves ahead. They looked down, hiding sharp razors in their caps. Every morning, they started with a family meeting and ended up counting the profits they made at the races. Every day, they put the interests of the family above their own, concluding marriages of convenience, making deals with the police and trying to snatch a bigger piece from life. What might now be called “authority in the neighborhood” guaranteed a certain level of security and well-being. And not for profit, not for vanity, but the Shelby clan was on its head and earning itself a criminal reputation.
The series begins with a kind of castling within the family: Tommy, second in seniority in the male line, takes the unofficial place of the king, having performed a simple machination at the races. Tommy is the first person the cameraman will see, and the only one who will stay in focus throughout the six episodes. The linchpin of the story, the true head of the family, Tommy radiates power and power that can both protect or kill. From the very first shots, Killian Murphy declares himself, creating the image of not a man, but a lion, confidently combing through the possession and rendering honor with his smile, handshake, greeting. The camera takes him from afar, often from the back, drawing not the person, but the owner of the position. The cap tightly closes his eyes, hiding any manifestation of emotions.
Only later, when the older brother Arthur finally gives up his rights, we will see the real face of Tommy. Exceptional insight, a visionary mind capable of calculating successes and defeats, the stubbornness of the bull and, oddly enough, a spirit broken by war. Nobility, selflessness, honesty on the one hand; inaccessibility, ruthlessness, inclination to violence on the other. Murphy managed to play a dangerous criminal who causes respect and awe, whose personality is truly multifaceted and deserves a multi-part approach.
The story, told in the first season, develops from several conflicts at once, which ultimately tie into a snake tangle of contradictions. From London comes Inspector Campbell, a kind of Javer, a fighter against crime and bribery in any form. He is tasked with ending the Shelby group, and it is his fiery speech in the first series that triggers a pendulum of doubt in the viewer - who to give his sympathy to. Together with Campbell, the measured life of the Irish family is violated by Grace, a new barmaid who tries to get into Tommy’s trust and reports his every move to the police. To despise her for her duplicity, or to fall in love with her with Tommy, is another dilemma that can only be solved with a point-blank shot. In the background, charismatic characters were placed in their own way, complicating the already difficult life of the criminal leader. Sister Hell fell in love with the sworn enemy and brought a child in the hem. The father, who has long left his family, returns to steal all the money earned. Aunt Polly always goes out of her own business and teaches about the heart. The stolen machine guns that everyone wants to get are falling on their heads. And in such and such a scenario we have to think about how to bypass the criminal authority Billy Kimber!
It is nice that all the characters turned out to be voluminous, that you never have to state falsehood or tension. The actors gave their roles to the last wrinkle, proudly pulling caps with sharp visors on their eyebrows and probing a charged colt behind the sinus. The level of staging is absolutely amazing. For a television series, such a detailed recreated reality, such realistic costumes and scenery, such a “licked” picture is a rarity. The only thing that stands out from the general range is the soundtrack, but here the choice of the director did not shake up. What do the White Stripes and the Irish mob have in common? But Thomas Shelby, walking down the street under ‘I Think I Smell a Rat’, gets as close as possible to the audience’s consciousness, completely overturning the concept of style dissonance.
Peaky Blinders is without exaggeration the best series of 2013, almost reached dramatic perfection. Visual refinement, script impeccability and brilliant acting work harmoniously attack any bias on the part of the beholder, causing the most sincere applause under the final credits.
Welcome to the criminal world of Birmingham in the 20s. On the threshold of this oppressed town, we are greeted by the crowded Shelby family, which has become one of the most violent and influential gangs of the postwar period.
This is one of the few shows in recent years that has consumed me completely and fully! This is incredible!
Over the past 5 years, I have not been so hooked by TV series, not to mention the cinema, which recently does not please either from the point of view of morality or from the point of view of providing the viewer with at least some worthwhile food for thought.
I really liked the atmosphere, the music, the acting team and, of course, the game. Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby is simply divine!
A special delight caused the quality of filming and elaboration of details, a scene with a horse, the singing of a girl, military themes.
It should be noted that the antagonism of the two main characters Thomas Shelby and the formidable police chief is not accidental - this allows you to see the real nature of each of them, a little rough, masculine. And every looker finds something in these heroes. I saw in Thomas Shelby not the head of a gangster family, but something more complicated and complex, which clearly does not fall into the framework of stereotypical thinking about people of this “type”.
The series is stylish, emotional, forcing both to worry and think.
Each series is so interesting to watch that you do not notice the hours spent behind it! The picture turned out well-coordinated, logical and finally just amazes with its emotional fullness. I am glad that the end of the season is promising and, nevertheless, realistic, like life, which is not sewn with white threads.
Life is what you do, and the side you will fight for is your choice, your vow, your burden.
Try to separate the grain from the chaff.
Sometimes British television gives such a high-end product that you understand why it exists at all, and produces TV series in particular. Such products can and should include the project "Peaky Blinders"
The series tells the story of the Shelby gangster family, which is trying to regain its authority in the period after the First World War. Accidentally, a whole arsenal of various weapons falls into the hands of the family. This fact allows them, as they say, to dictate their conditions in the city.
In search of the missing weapons, the government sends Detective Campbell, at first glance, a reference, albeit tough, representative of the law, which does not support corruption and gangster notions.
Having outlined a clear vector of the plot development in the pilot episode, the authors develop dramaturgy from series to series, throwing new tasks to the head of the family (not by age, but by authority) Thomas Shelby, with whom he copes not without grace. Despite the fact that individual plot moves can be predicted in advance, the scriptwriters led by Stephen Knight (" The Vice for Export, Dirty Charms) surprise in those places where this is not expected at all, and the actors, thanks to such a high-quality script, are extremely comfortable to play in such conditions where everything is thought out and logical, but at the same time there is a place to turn around. Apart from the excellent
Not forgotten in the series and about the side storylines (communists in factories, love line sister of the protagonist, etc.), which are relevant and interesting, and also help to reveal the images of secondary characters, which is often forgotten in many other projects.
The main gem of the series, without which it would not be exactly what it turned out, beyond any doubt is the incredibly talented Killian Murphy. His Tommy turned out to be a deep and multifaceted character, in which determination and ruthlessness coexist with justice and boundless love, not ostentatious and pretentious, but sincere and honest. On Murphy's charisma, the series goes from just good to excellent.
It is impossible not to mention Sam Neal, the same one from Jurassic Park, in the image of Shelby’s main rival, principled and tough, not shy of dirty tricks to achieve his own goals. In general, Neil looks decent against the background of Murphy, encouraging him to play even better.
To fully immerse yourself in the dirty industrial England of the early XX century, the creators of the series meticulously recreated post-war Birmingham, soaked in smoke and alcohol, pouring there rivers.
In terms of musical design, the authors found an original solution in the form of a crazy cocktail from the compositions of Tom Waits, Jack White (" Love is blindness) and Nick Cave (the author of the title theme of the series), which surprisingly organically fit into the overall tone of the project and give it a special charm.
“Sharpened caps” is often compared to “Underground Empire”, which in itself is flattering, but I dare say that this comparison is not in favor of the American hit.
P.S. I’m tired of praising the show, and I’ll say the last one is the best series of 2013.
A stunningly beautiful series, perfectly conveying the atmosphere of that time, while building the plot with colorful scenes. Dreary beliefs and pink dust, a white horse in a poor quarter, a ball and much more - perfectly add to it even more expressiveness. Each series is bright and unforgettable. Of course, the actors, matchlessly played their roles, for this they worked hard together with the rest of its creators. A beautifully selected music crowns this masterpiece. A series that captures immediately.
Pearl. I would love to see it again while enjoying the painting.