'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man' Review: Cillian Murphy's Netflix Crime Hit Delivers a Brutal, Bleak Finale

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Published Mar 5, 2026, 9:01 AM EST

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It’s been four years since we last saw Cillian Murphy play Tommy Shelby, but seven have passed in the world of Peaky Blinders, with The Immortal Man taking place in 1940, in the middle of World War II. Tommy’s gone grey, living in a haunted mansion with Johnny Dogs (Packy Lee), and is spending his days in introspection, writing a book in an attempt to intellectualize his PTSD rather than confront it. The former King of Small Heath is tormented more than ever by his past, still dealing with flashbacks from Flanders but now also seeing visions of his dead daughter Ruby and talking to his family’s graves.

What Is 'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man' About?

In The Immortal Man, the Peaky Blinders are not as we know and love them. Tommy’s reclusive sabbatical has left Ada (Sophie Rundle) trying to uphold the family name as the local MP, but another Shelby is dragging it literally through the mud. Barry Keoghan’s reveal as Duke is excruciatingly teased. The camera follows behind his infamous peaked cap before we’re finally allowed to see the heir to the throne. Keoghan is a believable Shelby. He’s got the expressions, he’s got the “look,” as Ada quips, but he doesn't have the values held by the original clan. Is that truly his fault? Fueled by abandonment and a desperate desire to prove himself on his own merits, Duke resorts to what he thinks the Peaky Blinders are: fighting (“no f*cking fighting!”), stealing from the community, and accepting the allyship of whoever happens to be the highest bidder. And in the setting of WWII, the highest bidder is a fascist. What a stark contrast to Tommy’s leadership. From plotting to assassinate Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) in Season 5 to now siding with the Nazis — how bad can it get before Tommy comes home?

Tim Roth plays Beckett, a ruthless ex-member of the British cavalry, now poised to flood England’s economy with forged banknotes to engineer a crash and secure an easy “win” for Germany. He promises the naive Duke £70 million for his complicity. For all of Duke’s bravado in front of his peers, Beckett’s trust brings his yearning for a father figure to the forefront, and he is soon out of his depth. Roth plays a fantastic antagonist — just as memorable as any previous Peaky villain whose story has unfolded over a full season. He is brutal, he adopts a voice with an eerie cadence, and you’ll be desperate for his demise.

Tommy Shelby’s Isolation Takes a Long Time to End in 'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man'

The main reason any of us are going to see Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is to witness Tommy Shelby morph back into his old self and then walk in slow-motion with his coat billowing behind him towards the Garrison. Yet the sequel film makes us wait a long time before we get the wardrobe shot of the cap going on to a punk rock soundtrack or the tolling of the bell on Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand.” Nevertheless, it’s still immensely satisfying to see Murphy ride down the streets of Birmingham on a black horse with onlookers touching said coat in Christ-like fashion. How he gets to this point is less satisfying. Rebecca Ferguson stars as the enigmatic Kaulo, who takes it upon herself to lure Tommy back. Tommy has been suffering from debilitating PTSD and guilt over his family’s fate for years — and, for us watching, for the better part of an hour — yet after tangling up with Kaulo, he seems suddenly ready to return to Brum.

When he finally catches up with his son, the pair fight in the thick mud of a pig sty and end up plastered from head to toe. Barry Keoghan really masters Duke’s doe-eyes in these scenes, while Cillian Murphy plays the exasperated dad very well. Murphy does much of the heavy-lifting in terms of chemistry, but it is, after all, his story. It’s pleasurable to watch Duke get his comeuppance from the real leader of the Blinders, and the story keeps you guessing until the last moment whether his allegiances lie with his real father or with Beckett, who declares, on the nose, a few scenes earlier: “If you were my son, I’d cherish you.” That ambiguity keeps the narrative exciting, as we wait to see whether the Shelbys will unite to stop Beckett’s forged banknote ploy.

Knight has a knack for short, snappy dialogue that can be quoted for years to come, but some of the father-son exchanges here feel overt. Keoghan repeatedly insists that “sin is all [he] f*cking knows” and that “the world doesn’t give a f*ck about [him],” before the story edges toward the familiar trope: the father must kill the son, or the son will kill him. Thankfully, the final action is more nuanced than its setup.

'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’s Third Act Is High-Stakes Action

In order to stop Beckett and the Nazis, the Blinders head to Liverpool, where they employ an old ally, Hayden Stagg, yet The Immortal Man severely underutilizes Stephen Graham. The finale is pitched as Tommy’s chance to silently win the war for Britain, and Stagg is given an interesting exchange with Shelby, questioning why he has only just chosen to get involved when the Nazis have been persecuting his people all along. Graham is due a lead role, and he could have excelled with the same amount of screen time here as Roth. He does, however, lead a key action sequence, complete with a dramatic underwater sequence that ranks comfortably in the film’s top five moments.

Yet for all the satisfying action, you’re never far away from a reminder that Tommy is severely depressed and unsure of his place in the world. To reach the warehouse holding the forged banknotes, he must enter a blocked-off tunnel system that triggers his PTSD. As WWII bombs fall overhead, the tunnel partially caves in, forcing him to confront one of his deepest fears through violent flashbacks. It’s clear Tommy will always be troubled; there is no clean escape from his own mind — especially now, with most of his trusted family gone.

Fans of the Peaky Blinders’ shootouts won’t be disappointed by The Immortal Man’s culmination, but whether the film truly matches the spirit and excitement of the original six-season run remains debatable. There are strong lead performances from Murphy, Rundle, Ferguson, and Roth, and we’re reminded of those we’re missing — Helen McCrory’s Polly Gray and Annabelle Wallis’ Grace. Yet there’s no denying that The Immortal Man feels like one last hurrah for those still wanting to take part. It carries the essence of the original Peaky Blinders, but the victories don’t land with the same satisfaction when your lead character is so clearly wanting out. It's a fun way to go out, but unmistakably a bridge between its heyday and a new generation.

Cillian Murphy in thought against a blackboard in Steve

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is a haunting look at the legacy of Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby. The story relies heavily on familiar choices: the father must kill the son, a man has a revelation after a sexual encounter, and a villain stands in as the much-desired male role model. Does cliché matter, though, when it's Murphy playing the part? The Academy Award winner is as charismatic as ever, and his performance grips you until the very end. The Immortal Man, while obvious at times, also gives you everything you could want in a Peaky Blinders movie. There's angst, there's violence, there's sex, explosions, and swagger. If this truly is the end of the Peaky Blinders as we know them, it’s a devastating one, and it’s hard to imagine anyone taking up the mantle as effectively as the original cast.

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man comes to select theaters on March 6 and will release globally March 20 on Netflix.

Release Date March 6, 2026

Runtime 112 Minutes

Director Tom Harper

Writers Steven Knight

Pros & Cons

Cillian Murphy is as charismatic as ever in his return as Tommy Shelby and his performance grips you until the very end.
Tim Roth plays a fantastic antagonist, just as memorable as any previous Peaky villain whose story has unfolded over a full season.
It?s satisfying to watch Barry Keoghan as Duke, and the story keeps you guessing where his allegiance lies.
If this truly is the end for the Blinders as we know them, it?s a devastating one that will linger with you.

The Immortal Man carries the essence of the original Peaky Blinders, but the victories don?t land with the same satisfaction when your lead character is so clearly unhappy.
Steven Knight has a knack for short, snappy dialogue that can be quoted for years to come, but some of the father?son exchanges here feel overt.
The Immortal Man severely underutilizes Stephen Graham and he could have excelled with the same amount of screen time as Roth.

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