The last time Cillian Murphy played Tommy Shelby in ‘Peaky Blinders‘, he rode away alone, stripped of illusions and finally free from the ghost of his own death sentence.
It felt like an ending. Quiet. Almost merciful. However, peace was never an option for a man haunted by his own mind. Now, his return brings the darkness of his own blood.
Peace Never Suited Tommy Shelby, And Now War Is Back
The initial trailer of ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’ throws Tommy back to 1940. He is in Britain, shuddering under the spectre of Adolf Hitler and the looming Second World War. Bomb explosions shake Birmingham. The air feels heavier. And again, people are seeking him. Tommy says he is not that man anymore. And we are tempted to believe him. Almost.
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And there’s something hauntingly poetic in this turn. The first series began in the post-World War I period, when traumatized soldiers sought to find meaning in their shattered lives. The mud of the trenches made Tommy ambitious, cruel, and brilliant. Now, history circles back. World War II is not a mere background noise; it is personal. Tommy Shelby is a man made by war, and peace has never rested well on his shoulders.
The teaser implies that exile has not made him soft; it has just made him dormant. Like a weapon locked away. ‘The Immortal Man’ now seems loaded with the title. Tommy has already evaded death. He has survived competitors, fascists, gangsters, and even his despair. However, immortality is not living forever; it is living long enough to see the next reckoning. And this time, the enemy isn’t just political. It’s global.
Why World War II Is The Perfect Final Chapter For Tommy Shelby
There are also returning faces, such as Sophie Rundle as Ada and Stephen Graham as Hayden Stagg. This further grounds the story in the family ties that always complicated Tommy’s ambition. The newcomers, such as Rebecca Ferguson and Barry Keoghan, promise unstable new dynamics, and, judging by Keoghan’s previous performance, chaos is coming.
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The film, directed by Tom Harper and written by series creator Steven Knight, is not just a straightforward continuation. It’s more of a final argument. However, though this may be the end of Tommy’s chapter, the Shelby name will not be. The BBC has already established a spin-off for the next generation, set in the 1950s. This proves that the myth has grown bigger than the man.
Still, when the bombs drop and war is called again, one cannot help but feel that this film brings the story to a full circle. Tommy Shelby started as a soldier who was unable to get out of the war. Now, war may be the only thing he has left to face.
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