Like every franchise with a strong following, every James Bond movie is critiqued by a similar standard: does it feel in keeping with the Bondmovies that have come before it? This is an almost unattainable goal that writers and directors must achieve. Make a brilliant film that adds to the spy genre, but don’t go too far outside the boundaries the franchise has created over decades. Therefore, with the new era we head into, these same measures will come into play again. However, despite the high bar, the announcement that Steven Knight will write the next Bond film, directed by Denis Villeneuve, positions the franchise to pass this exam with flying colors, and there is a singular episode of Peaky Blinders that proves Knight’s worth to this film: Season 5’s finale, “Mr. Jones,” written by Knight himself.
The Tension Steven Knight Creates With Tommy’s Deception Is Perfect for James Bond
This episode follows Tommy’s (Cillian Murphy) conflict within his family as Michael (Finn Cole) goes rogue, as well as Tommy’s attempt to have Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) assassinated while on stage with him at a rally for the Fascist Party. “Mr. Jones” not only contains qualities expected from a Bond film, but the darkness Knight blends into his narrative would be welcome to Bond. If we view Tommy as a potential 007, Mosley as his nemesis, with how Knight can bring his dark focus on PTSD and how paranoia can affect a soul to the project, the sky is the limit for 007’s next outing on the big screen.
Tommy Shelby is certainly not a like-for-like swap with the most expensively dressed character of all time who kills people in between martinis. The very thin line of authority places Tommy as a criminal and Daniel Craig‘s Bond as an agent of justice. However, if we ignore this specific part of the subtext, and focus on their actions, what Tommy goes through in this episode is similar to that of an undercover agent. Not only does he meet with Winston Churchill (Neil Maskell) in an M-style meeting, but his infiltration of the Fascist Party as its deputy leader places layers on top of every scene when he begins his act at the rally.
Whenever Tommy and Mosley talk throughout Season 5 and in the finale, these conversations have drawn out tension from the fact that we are unsure who is believing what. They won’t kill off Mosley with Tommy standing by to take over, yet Knight uses Tommy’s self-confidence that he can make anything possible to give us hope before snatching it away. If one of the measures is indeed how much this new Bond film reminds us of a classic Bond spy-thriller, then this kind of tension is exactly what one would expect walking in and was also when Craig’s Bond was particularly at his best, whether it was poker in Casino Royale or the club in Skyfall with a chip he stole off a dead assassin.
‘Peaky Blinders’ Oswald Mosley Is a Classic James Bond Villain
Of course, no Bond film is complete without its iconic antagonist, and Peaky Blinders is similarly equipped with a plethora of fascinating villains Tommy has wrestled with over the years. However, the Peaky Blinders opponent who is most applicable to the James Bond universe is undoubtedly Oswald Mosley. Mosley’s speech during the rally is the kind of self-indulgent monologues Blofeld (Donald Pleasence) or Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) might give. His arrogant confidence and willingness to display his evil portrays him as omnipotent and easy to hate, and should give us an antagonist we are desperate for Bond to defeat. Furthermore, it proves how Steven Knight doesn’t need all of his antagonists to be gritty, like Sam Neill‘s Inspector Chester Campbell. They can be dramatic speakers who are almost over-the-top in their villainy yet have a huge societal impact, giving Tommy’s mission to stop Mosley far greater stakes.
Steven Knight Explores the Consequences of Losing in the Spy World in ‘Peaky Blinders’ Season 5 Finale
Something the Daniel Craig James Bond movies explored was some of the darker elements of the character, such as his drinking and womanizing. This brought great success to the franchise, arguably because it felt more grounded in how society understood the impossibility of someone living this life and having no demons. While Peaky Blinders is already revered for helping to shine a light on the impact of trauma and PTSD on WWI veterans, it is its Season 5 finale that truly explores the most disturbing of these consequences. As the ominous tone of the episode suggests throughout the episode, with Tommy and Arthur’s (Paul Anderson) doubts about whether they were too old for the gangster life, Tommy’s assassination attempt fails, leading to the death of many in his organization.
While this setback is bad enough, the breakdown Tommy goes through is perhaps one of the scariest sequences in the whole of Peaky Blinders. We see a man who has been emotionally reserved for almost the entire series so far, completely losing himself in the paranoia of how he could be so out-played, screaming in Arthur’s face and even raising a gun up to his own temple to kill himself as the final shot of the season. Knight delivers a story that shows how things don’t always go to plan and how much that can weigh on characters who are meant to feel unstoppable, as both Tommy and Bond usually do.
There will always be doubters about whether Steven Knight’s screenplay is going to live up to what has come before it in James Bond’s illustrious history on the big screen. However, for the more pragmatic, there is excitement to be had for the future of 007 and their adventures. If you need any convincing, then Season 5, Episode 6 of Peaky Blinders, “Mr. Jones,” will certainly change your mind.
Peaky Blinders
- Release Date
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2013 – 2022-00-00
- Showrunner
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Steven Knight
- Directors
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Otto Bathurst, Tom Harper, Colm McCarthy, Tim Mielants, David Caffrey, Anthony Byrne
- Writers
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Steven Knight
