Peaky Blinders – The Real Story review – how a pop crime sensation became a network-hopping brand
This patchwork tribute to a cultural phenomenon that sent Cillian Murphy’s undercut hairstyle global is a rather unambitious affair
Given the global reach of the Peaky Blinders, next month’s Netflix-backed movie threatens to be as momentous as a new Downton or Bridgerton, only with razor blades concealed about its person. This week, that anticipation secures a pay-per-view release for this hour-long meat-and-potatoes primer, fashioned by Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s dad, Robin Bextor, out of much the same combo of talking heads, drone shots and fair-use clips you would normally encounter on free-to-air Channel 5.
Uppermost in the edit is a recognition that Steven Knight’s creation was one of those peak TV shows that blurred the televisual and cinematic. Heaven’s Gate, The Godfather and Rio Bravo provide contextualising material; critic Michael Hogan positions the show as Knight’s answer to Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, the 2002 Shane Meadows comedy.
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© Photograph: Publicity image

© Photograph: Publicity image

© Photograph: Publicity image