'Peaky Blinders' goes 'The Godfather' way as Thomas Shelby shows darker shades of Don Corleone in Season 5
"No, I'm not God. Not yet," Thomas Shelby says in the first episode from season five of 'Peaky Blinders' after his son is visibly disturbed by the death of a horse. The Shelby leader may not be God, but he is Godfather indeed! As the show marches ahead, Cillian Murphy paints vivid shades of gray on celluloid and dips it into Al Pacino's portrayal of Michael Corleone from the iconic 1970 film franchise.
Doused in gray, the lines between black and white are blurred in 'Peaky Blinders'. A hero, an anti-hero or just a villain — who really is Thomas Shelby? The question comes in waves as the series progresses with its catastrophic violence and drama. For hard-core fans of 'The Godfather,' watching the episodes is like a flash from the past. Tommy Shelby and Michael Corleone have too much in common.
Leaders of their clan, neither of them are the eldest in the family. In 'The Godfather,' Michael's elder brother Fredo is a forgotten face and in 'Peaky Blinders,' Arthur unrelentingly fails to exude command and needs Tommy's assistance in every decision. Both, Tommy and Michael are manipulative, smart, belligerent and know how to pawn off alliances to reach their far-fetched goals.
"Everyone’s a whore, Grace. We just sell different parts of ourselves," Tommy has an acumen for the business like no other. So does Michael. War veterans, both fought for their country like valiant comrade-in-arms. Their selfless service to the nation opened a new path of acceptance in the eyes of law. For Michael, it was when the cops twitch before hitting him and for Tommy, it came across in season three when Winston Churchill strikes a direct deal with the Shelbys.
"I made him an offer he couldn't refuse..." — 'The Godfather'-like vibes were in the air ever since the first season of 'Peaky Blinders' aired in 2013 but with the fifth season, its intensity has only increased. You can feel the déjà vu in the scene when a journalist comes to interview Tommy and is cross-questioned instead: "What is your newspaper more afraid of? Is it evolution or revolution?" Thomas Shelby threatens him in a way that sounds pleasing to the ear and eyes. It comes hardly as a shock when the Shelbys ultimately take his life.
The scene is a brilliant juxtaposition of how powerful men show their good side while keeping the bad and ugly hidden. Not only does it remind of Michael Corleone but slowly, Tommy's superiority catches a slight flavor of Vito Corleone's portrayal by Marlon Brando. Then there is the scene where he snatches the Catholic sister head's glasses and stomps it on the table. Demanding for her to put the broken glasses back, he orders her: "Look at me!" Cillian's act will make your heart stop!
Both, Tommy and Michael are bosses in their own right. They do have a killer streak but they'd rather keep their hands clean and pass the job to someone else. If the list of coincidences were not enough, here's another strange tragedy in both their lives. They lose their loved ones in a revenge plot meant for them. In 'The Godfather,' a bomb blast meant for Michael kills Apollonia while Grace is shot by a bullet meant for Tommy.
Eluded by sleep, they seek comfort in death and destruction. Underneath their dangerous side, both Tommy and Michael have a soft heart and care deeply about their loved ones. Polly tells Tommy: “You have your mother’s common sense but your father’s devilment. I see them fighting. Let your mother win.” From gifting a house to Aunt Pol to letting Linda's demands be fulfilled, family comes first for Tommy and it is no different for Michael who listens to his father's words: "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."
Calm through all storms, Tommy never loses his cool. To any baffling situation, his answer is a puff of smoke. His swanky cigarette-smoking style has taken many hearts, as has his addiction to alcohol: "Whiskey is good proofing water. It tells you who's real and who isn't." Michael is no different.
As Thomas Shelby's political career skyrockets, we get to see an almost new side crop up. He has a gamut of emotions — from maniacal rage to resentful gloom.
To put it in a nutshell, Thomas Shelby is getting darker and deadlier by the day and his antics might soon transcend the dynamite saga of the 'The Godfather'. Cillian has always given a phenomenal performance as the broken mafia don but now there is an evil tinge to his persona. There is also a hidden fear inside him that seems to be emerging. Remember the scene where he mumbles to himself, "I am in a room and they are coming at me. The last thing I want is silence," or when he tells Ada: "I am talking about an empty chair. My chair. My throne."
The thirst for power and respect can make the strongest men vulnerable. Is Thomas Shelby going to be another one? The suspense builds for the plot of the next season but we hope Tommy outsmarts his enemies with his wit and rebellion to grow old in his epicurean villa just like Michael Corleone did.