We’re studying the opening ten minutes of Steven Knight’s historical crime drama Peaky Blinders.

In the previous post we saw how this scene introduces the main antagonist – Chief Inspector Campbell – and the main plot, visually, with no dialogue, in 39 seconds.

But what does this scene reveal regarding character?

Let’s take the three characters referenced in this scene one by one, in order of appearance.

What 3 characteristics do we learn about each of them?

Chief Inspector Campbell

1. He is “a thinker”.

2. He is determined.

3. He is fiercely focused.

Arthur

1. He is ex-military.

2. He’s a gangster, a racketeer, and a bookmaker.

3. Police consider him “leader” of the Peaky Blinders.

Thomas

1. He is ex-military.

2. He is an armed robber i.e. a violent criminal.

3. He was ‘honored for gallantry’ and therefore a war hero.

So, a great deal revealed in this short scene with no dialogue.

Stay tuned for the next sneaky peak at Peaky Blinders!