Peaky Blinders 2013-2019

A five year deep dish series about a British crime family whose ascent from Gypsies to brash crime and murder big wigs is what I have been watching of late on Netflix streaming. Based on a real life gang and set in Birmingham beginning in 1919 these on the rise small time hoods are on the make led by the two heads of the family Tom played by the compelling actor Cillian Murphy and his aunt Polly played magnificently by the great Helen McCrory. Basically they are a psychotic group of miserable souls with none more miserable and psychotic than the oldest brother Arthur acted with scary realism by Paul Anderson. They deal in gambling, booze and anything else that comes their way with fast money written on it. The whole clan are unbearable and brutal great looking and  sexy as hell and brilliant to watch. Their name Peaky Blinders supposedly come from the caps they all wore with razor blades in the peaks ready at a moments notice to blind their opponents, but some historians call that inaccurate but do note that they were indeed fancy dressers.  The entire cast is great and special note will be made for the stunning cameos by Aidan Gillen as a fellow Gypsy criminal and the great always surprising Tom Hardy here playing an Orthodox Jewish gangster and leader of a ruthless crew of Jewish mobsters. Seeing is believing. The only failed performance for me was by Adrian Brody channeling Al Pacino as a vindictive New York Mafia boss out for revenge who travels all the way to Birmingham to get it. We get it also and man that bad Italian accent. The makers also place some real life people in the series including a brief Winston Churchill and a deeper appearance by Oswald Mosley the British Fascist leader in series 5, played with devilish delight by Sam Clafin. There are also some terrific unknown to me actresses who play sisters, molls, girlfriends and wives and know how to wear a dress well. The accents are thick and sometimes hard to understand, but you get use to it because the series is so visually reverting with thick skin plots that constantly surprise you. There are lots of stunning set pieces and watch how the cast walk and strut their stuff amid the dirty streets and rough and tumble factories and bars that they also run. The series makes use of contemporary music instead of time centered pieces and is highlighted by the title song by Nick Cave.  The makers are particularly careful and accurate when it comes to the rich production details and the costumes. The whole thing is a sit up and take notice smack in the face show but not for everyone, the violence is unrelenting and bloody the betrayals are everywhere and then there are those haircuts.