After years of playing side characters on the big screen, Cillian Murphy has properly established himself as an A-list movie star. This is all thanks to his incredible performance as the “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” Robert J. Oppenheimer, in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. It’s now likely that other big directors will start queuing up to cast him in a lead role. But no matter how high Murphy climbs in Hollywood, he will always be Tommy Shelby to TV fans. Over the past decade, the actor has played the sly crime boss in BBC’s Peaky Blinders, earning plenty of plaudits and accolades in the process.
The crime drama has a flawless script, so most of Murphy’s storylines are memorable. However, a couple of scenes are more powerful because of the actor’s outstanding performance and the stakes. Whether it’s the Birmingham crime boss fighting to save his own life or simply interacting with a high-ranking politician, these Tommy Shelby moments are as emotional as they are entertaining.
10 Tommy Shelby’s Introductory Scene (Season 1, Episode 1)
Oppenheimer has proven that Cillian Murphy’s acting skills are sometimes better demonstrated when he is not saying a word, and that is how his first-ever scene in Peaky Blinders plays out. In it, his character Tommy Shelby rides his favorite horse named Monaghan Boy along one of Birmingham’s streets. There, a fortune-teller emerges and places a spell on it. This is done in order to give the horse an advantage during the races.
The scene is powerful because it’s not yet clear who Tommy is at that point, yet everyone can be seen retreating in fear as he rides along the streets. Viewers get the impression that he is an influential person in the city without him having to mention it. It’s only after a couple of scenes that fans get to learn that he is the leader of the city’s biggest organized crime outfit — the Peaky Blinders.
9 Tommy’s Instructions at the Wedding (Season 3, Episode 1)
Gangsters will be gangsters and on his wedding day, Tommy gets the feeling that someone will act irrationally, so he gathers every member of the Blinders and instructs them to behave. During the iconic moment, he yells out a couple of instructions, the most important one being, “No fighting!” So impressive is the scene that it went on to become a trending meme.
To Tommy, it’s really important for his fellow hoodlums to behave because his soon-to-be bride’s extended family mostly consists of King’s British Army members. He might not like them, but he needs to maintain a cordial relationship with them for the sake of his wife. The directive superbly accentuates the character’s leadership skills as well as Murphy’s ability to deliver a speech in a high-pitched voice without looking like he is being overly dramatic.
8 Tommy Accepts His Fate (Season 2, Episode 6)
One of the most outstanding Peaky Blinders episodes is the Season 2 finale, which sees Tommy get kidnapped by members of The Red Right Hand and taken to a location where his grave has already been dug. He realizes that there is no way he is getting out alive, so he utters a few last words. “I was so f*** close,” he says, ruing the fact that he was almost becoming the man he always dreamed of, but now his enemies have gotten to him.
Cillian Murphy’s calmness during the entire scene is remarkable and through his words and facial expressions, his character’s perspective about life becomes clear. Even though Tommy feels his life is about to end, he isn’t surprised about it. As someone who lived by the gun, he knew he was going to die by it at some point. Thankfully, he gets a lucky break when one of the assassins (who happens to be working for Winston Churchill), shoots the others.
7 Tommy Versus Luca Changretta (Season 4, Episode 5)
Luca Changretta might not be one of Adrien Brody’s best roles, since the actor didn’t win any major awards for it, but the character gives Tommy his biggest challenge when it comes to gang warfare. In Season 4’s penultimate episode, the New York mob boss specifically asks his men to let him handle the Blinders kingpin himself, so the two proceed to engage in cat-and-mouse games in the Birmingham streets.
It turns out to be one of the most action-packed scenes in the series, and it’s the only one of two times that Cillian Murphy gets to be part of an extended combat sequence (the other being his street battle with Billy Kimber). Despite his being part of a violent gang, he is normally more involved in matters of strategy rather than physical affairs. Viewers thus get to see him running and using firearms while dodging attacks all by himself, rather than simply talking and ordering others like he normally does.
6 Grace Dies in Tommy’s Arms (Season 2, Episode 2)
Pain and anguish normally bring the best out of an actor and when Tommy’s new wife, Grace, dies in the early stages of Season 2, Cillian Murphy gives a BAFTA-worthy performance by accurately conveying the emotions. It all happens after Tatiana warns Tommy that the sapphire necklace that Grace is wearing happens to be cursed. Before he can get her to take it off, a man enters the room and shoots her.
Similar to how he was after he had been kidnapped by The Red Right Hand, Tommy is totally helpless in this scenario. He desperately calls for an ambulance but deep down he knows that Grace is gone. Because of the unfortunate development, Tommy turns into a much colder version of himself, He goes on to sleep with Tatiana and even makes an attempt on Father Hughes’ life.
5 Tommy Banters with Winston Churchill (Season 5, Episode 6)
An ever-intelligent and ambitious person, Tommy rises to become the Member of Parliament for Birmingham halfway through the series. He then goes on to give a couple of powerful speeches at the House of Representatives and also form an alliance with Oswald Mosley. His activities impress Winston Churchill so much that he invites him to his office for a tête-à-tête.
Despite being in the presence of a high ranking and more influential person than him, Tommy takes charge of the conversation, telling Churchill that, he himself, doesn’t believe in how words. He is just being a politician. He continues to impress the leader with references to Greek literature and philosophical concepts. Thanks to his dominance, Tommy ends up earning Churchill’s respect.
4 Tommy Defends His Capitalist Views (Season 4, Episode 4)
There are a couple of real-world connections in Peaky Blinders and coal mining as a major economic activity in Birmingham is one of them. On one occasion, the mines and factories shut down because of the Blinders’ exploits and when one of Tommy’s subordinates suggests that they might be labeled traitors to their class, the crime boss goes on a rant in which he defends his views about capitalism.
“I’m not a traitor to my class. I’m just an extreme example of what a working man can achieve,” he says. To him, he shouldn’t be crucified for looking after his own financial interests at the expense of others. Watching Cillian Murphy break down his character’s financial principles in that particular scene is mindblowing, especially because he hardly flinches while saying the words. In that specific moment, viewers can see that his remark means as much to him as it does to the character.
3 Tommy Spares His Doctor’s Life (Season 6, Episode 6)
The moment when a character makes an important discovery normally serves as a perfect opportunity to showcase their acting prowess. How well they react to the realization determines how interesting the scene will be, In the series finale, Tommy finds out that his personal physician lied when he told him that he only had a few months to live. That’s because he had been asked to do so by Oswald Mosley.
In typical gangster fashion, he figures that instant justice ought to be delivered, so he hunts down the man and puts a gun to his head. Surprisingly, he changes his mind and decides not to kill him. The out-of-character moment underscores his empathy while also proving that he can exercise restraint. Throughout the entire scene, Murphy looks very convincing as someone who is in deep thought.
2 Tommy Rushes His Daughter to Hospital (Season 6, Episode 3)
As poor a lover as Tommy is, he is a very good father and when his daughter catches an unknown ailment, he rushes her to hospital. There, he hands her over to the doctors and orders them to take good care of her, then as he is about to leave, he changes his mind and demands to be with her. The doctors deny the request because she has infectious Tuberculoma, but it takes a lot to calm the crime boss down.
Many of Cillian Murphy’s best performances pale in comparison to this scene, largely because of how he effortlessly switches between one emotion to the next. First, he is anxious, then he is relieved after the doctors take the child, only to turn unreasonable because he intends to micromanage the entire treatment process. Watching him eventually calm down is quite a shame because his tantrums are interesting to watch,
1 Tommy and Alfie’s Beach Duel (Season 4, Episode 6)
Tommy and Alfie Solomons are arguably two of the greatest TV frenemies as they keep juggling between working together and trying to kill each other. The latter situation plays out again in the Season 4 finale where Tommy tracks the Tom Hardy character on a beach and says a few final words as he prepares to shoot him. However, Alfie fools Tommy by talking about his cancer and lying that he doesn’t have a weapon. He then shoots Tommy, with the Blinders leader also returning fire.
The confrontation serves as yet another opportunity for Cillian Murphy to showcase his acting skills since he juggles between oratory skills and physical tasks. What’s intriguing about the moment is that his character is more disappointed than ruthless, He wishes he and Alfie would have had a better relationship, but the Jewish gang leader just keeps on betraying him. A part of him understands that he and Alfie would have made a great duo but since he cannot be trusted, he has to do what’s necessary.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
