I am now obsessed with Peaky Blinders

I had heard a lot about Peaky Blinders but for some reason it just sat on my ‘to watch’ list on Netflix for years while I obsessed over other things. I knew David Bowie was a huge fan and that was man with taste. So yesterday, I decided that it was about time I checked out the first episode and see what the fuss was about. Six hours later, I finished season 1. It is so fucking good!

The plot revolves around a group of gangsters in Birmingham in 1919. Led by the highly intelligent Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy) and his family, they are a dapper bunch in a rough and poor area. World War One had finished a year before and a generation of men were all a bit fucked in the head because of it. In addition to rampant crime there are also other groups, gangs and organisations all getting up to nefarious and usually violent things.

When the Peaky Blinders gang accidentally steal the wrong crate, they find themselves with a shitload of guns and ammo. Winston Churchill decides that it is essential that the weapons, which were bound for Libya, are retrieved and so sends a ruthless bastard, Chief Inspector Major Chester Campbell (played by Sam Neill) to get it back. There is also a ton of other stuff going on with bookmakers, gangsters, the IRA, and communists and so on but seriously, just watch it and find out for yourself.

I guess this isn’t so much of a review but more me just saying how much I enjoyed Peaky Blinders. It’s really well written, great acting and dialogue, and generally looks superb. Even the soundtrack, with music by Nick Cave, the White Stripes, and even Bowie, is highly recommended. I have only watched season one and season five is about to be released this year. At time of writing the first four series are on Netflix and BBC iPlayer. So good times! If you are already a fan, there is a twitter page with the latest updates on new stuff. In the meantime, here is a trailer: