Show summary Hide summary
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man just dropped with a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, matching the original series. Cillian Murphy returns as Tommy Shelby in this World War II spinoff that’s now playing in select theaters.
🔥 Quick Facts
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93% critics, matching the original series’ highest rating
- Release Strategy: Theatrical March 6, 2026, Netflix streaming March 20, 2026
- Cast Additions: Rebecca Ferguson, Barry Keoghan, Tim Roth join Murphy and Sophie Rundle
- Setting: 1940 Birmingham during the Blitz, with Operation Bernhard Nazi plot at center
Tommy Shelby Emerges from Exile in Epic Film Debut
Set six years after the series finale, Tommy Shelby is living in self-imposed exile far from public view. The Birmingham gangster, haunted by his daughter’s death and traumatized by World War I, hides away writing his memoir and smoking opium. Director Tom Harper and writer Steven Knight bring him back for one final, explosive mission.
Cillian Murphy delivers what critics call an emotionally layered performance. Metro praised his work, stating “Murphy’s TV icon Tommy Shelby commands the big screen just as well.” The film opens with a bomb striking Birmingham, a catalyst forcing Ada Thorne to pull her brother back into the criminal underworld he abandoned.
Chuck Norris hospitalized after medical emergency in Hawaii, 86-year-old in good spirits
Tyler Perry sells BET+ stake to Paramount, service folds into main streamer
A Dangerous New Generation of Villains Emerges
In Tommy’s absence, his illegitimate son Duke Shelby, played by Barry Keoghan, has seized control of the Peaky Blinders gang. Duke is ruthless, chaotic, and lacking his father’s strategic brilliance. He becomes entangled with Beckett, a British Union of Fascists operative portrayed by Tim Roth.
Beckett coordinates Operation Bernhard, a real Nazi plot involving £350 million in counterfeit banknotes designed to collapse the British economy. The stakes feel enormous, personal, and tragically understandable. Duke‘s path toward treason mirrors Tommy’s descent decades earlier, creating an Oedipal tension that drives the narrative forward relentlessly.
Critical Reception Celebrates Series Legacy and New Direction
| Detail | Information |
| Release Date (Theatrical) | March 6, 2026 (select cinemas) |
| Release Date (Netflix) | March 20, 2026 |
| Runtime | 1 hour 52 minutes |
| Key Cast | Cillian Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth |
Critics consensus: The Immortal Man honors the series while offering fresh stakes. Consequence writer Liz Shannon Miller stated, “The Immortal Man captures what made the original series so watchable.” Screen Daily‘s Nikki Baughan called it “Propulsive and entertaining, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man has plenty to keep fans happy and a wider audience engaged.”
“Cillian Murphy brings an unexpectedly emotional flourish to the role, even after 13 years and 36 episodes. Once he gets into gear, The Immortal Man is an entertaining slice of British pulp that knows exactly what it is.”
— Damon Wise, Deadline Film Editor
Rebecca Ferguson’s Spiritual Mystery and a Haunting Past
Rebecca Ferguson enters the story as Kaulo, a Romani woman with psychic abilities. Kaulo is the twin sister of Duke’s deceased mother, providing mysterious spiritual guidance to Tommy. Her presence reintroduces themes of fate, destiny, and family curses that permeated earlier seasons.
Sophie Rundle returns as Ada Shelby, now an MP in Birmingham struggling with her brother’s political neutrality amid global war. The ensemble cast creates tension, loyalty, and betrayal. Stephen Graham, Ned Dennehy, and other returning actors anchor the film in the franchise’s familiar world while Harper’s directing brings cinematic scope previously impossible on television.
Can You Watch This Film Without Knowing Peaky Blinders?
The film works standalone remarkably well, though longtime fans will catch deeper nuances. Steven Knight‘s screenplay balances new character development alongside recognizable Tommy Shelby greatest hits. The World War II setting attracts audiences unfamiliar with the original series, offering espionage thrills alongside psychological drama.
Murphy’s performance anchors everything, depicting a man fractured by trauma yet incapable of true escape. From theatrical release today through March 20 Netflix premiere, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man positions itself as the franchise’s definitive farewell. Whether it concludes Tommy’s saga permanently remains cinema’s next great Birmingham mystery.
Sources
- Yahoo Entertainment – Netflix’s new Peaky Blinders movie debuts to rave reviews and 93 percent Rotten Tomatoes score
- Deadline – Cillian Murphy brings emotional flourish to Tom Harper’s handsome gangster series spinoff
- Rotten Tomatoes – Official Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man critics score and reviews
