“Peaky Blinders” can be ranked amongst the very best TV shows currently airing. For some reason, the Netflix exclusive doesn’t seem to have the fanbase its high quality deserves. Whether it’s acting, cinematography, writing, or use of soundtrack, “Peaky Blinders” excels.
In Season Five of “Peaky Blinders,” we rejoin the Shelby family just before the dawn of the 1930s in Great Britain. Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) has made Shelby Family CO a legitimate power but is still not quite able to shake his street gang origins. Tommy is the same gangster he always was, only now he has some of London’s elite backing him. While Shelby Family CO has prospered during the years between seasons four and five, that all changed with the crash of the American Stock Market as well as the rise of The British Union of Fascists (BUF).
While the American Gangster film has been well covered, the British gangster scene hasn’t been so romanticized for the most part. This is in large part due to how dire the effects of World War I were on the people of Britain. Many soldiers who fought in the war felt largely abandoned by their government, and this allowed BUF to gain more political favor. The similarities between 1930s politics in Britain and today’s America are uncomfortably similar, proving that while everything changes, it also stays the same.
Despite its 1930s aesthetic, the use of a somewhat modern-day soundtrack is brilliant throughout. Standouts this season were “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath and “Climbing up the Walls” by Radiohead. Each really enhanced their respective scene and is an example of using songs to enhance the emotion in a scene rather than manufacturing it. That’s without even mentioning the iconic “Red Right Hand” that opens and closes most episodes.
The show is also stunningly shot and stylized. Each episode contains some real gems in terms of cinematography; extreme acts of violence repeatedly rupture that beauty. While that violence is somewhat glorified, there are some fun action set pieces, there is always fallout from that violence. Although much of the gangster lifestyle has been romanticized in American Gangster flicks, in “Peaky Blinders,” we get to see the darker side of life. Each act of violence the Shelby boys commit hurts them almost as much as it does their victims – emphasis on “almost,” as they kill many people. But the Shelbys each long to find that in which they themselves deal. Death.
Season Five of “Peaky Blinders” is another strong addition to a criminally underrated show that continuously improves on itself. How Cillian Murphy hasn’t at least been nominated for an Emmy for his work is a mystery. He plays the king, fearful of losing his crown to perfection, and each season brings something new to the table. He and the rest of the show is set up for a compelling storyline for the next season. With its abundant talented actors, it will continue to be one of the better shows on Netflix or any other platform.
“Peaky Blinders” Season Five is awarded six tons of potatoes on the Sipps’ Potato Scale.
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