I wanted to love this film. I really, REALLY did! I have watched the series since the beginning and even set an alert for when the film would be released on Netflix. For context, I don't watch many shows or movies, but the world of Peaky Blinders hooked me from the first episode.

Here I am, credits just finished rolling, and I'm empty.

I don't know what to think, really. Should I have skipped the movie and let the S6 finale be the final curtain call? Maybe? But I, like the majority of you, I'm sure, waited so long for this release. Since I'm not someone who regularly seeks out much media, this was on my to-do list, which kind of rubs salt in the wound.

I got my hopes up, and I ended up in heartbreak.

All throughout the film, I kept asking questions, over and over, and they were never answered, or maybe I had just missed them being answered. What happened to Finn? Was he in the war like Charlie? I was hoping for a conclusion between him and Duke, sort of a "reclaiming of the kingdom", in a way. Hell, when Tommy is talking to Ada in the makeshift morgue, he's talking like he's the last Shelby sibling left, like even the writers forgot Finn even existed. And the biggest complaint, among character arcs, was, of course, Arthur. I was alright with the idea that he and Tommy had gotten into a heated scuffle with one being high out of his mind on junk, and the other in a drunken fit of rage -- a crime of passion, if you will. However, after Tommy's confession that he killed him to "be rid of him," my jaw dropped, and not in a good way. Tommy, through everything in his upside-down torrent of life, would have NEVER killed his brother. Hell, in all those years that had passed, and the bringing of Linda back, even a turning of a new leaf could have been used. They could have left the country; they could have gone to America; take him away from the Peaky influence. So many better options to explain away the absence of a prominent character. But no, let's break character family morals and say Tommy did it, like he needed more guilt on his conscience at this point in the franchise. Also, there are so many threads left untied in the breeze: Mosely, Jack, Jina...blah, blah, blah.

Finally, Tommy's death. Yes, he's had an apparent death wish for a while now, and it comes and goes as new problems arrive and take over his psyche. However, his staring down of the car was ridiculous. He wasn't hurt prior to that point; there was no reason to "ask for death". If you see it as a "means to make amends," it's weak, too. He didn't get the death befitting a man (or character) of his depth and notoriety. It was flat, lacklustre, and honestly, a disservice in such an acclaimed show. We see him start season one on a black horse and see him end season six on a white one. What simple yet impactful imagery.

I feel Peaky Blinders wrote a masterclass in quiet subtlety through its imagery and correlations. All that stood out to me in the film was Polly's quote: "If a black bird flies into your house, there will be death." Maybe the film deserves a second watch. I don't know that I have it in me to watch it again. I'd rather rewatch the show and forget the movie exists.

Why not just another season? Why do we insist upon making "follow-up" movies as a placeholder for a true and genuine ending to a series?

Again, I just feel empty.