"Didn't have the right aura": Second Peaky Blinders casting turns fans into critics of Barry Keoghan's performance

Barry Keoghan's performance as Erasmus Shelby in the film version of Peaky Blinders created buzz online and turned fans into critics. In the film, he has taken over leadership of the gang in Birmingham while Tommy is in exile. He plays Tommy's estranged son and has been widely praised for his powerful new role in the show. Both fans and critics said that he brought the same mix of danger and softness that Murphy showed as Tommy in the early seasons.

Barry plays his character as both fragile and dangerous. Some critics said that the short runtime held back his growth compared to the full season. However, most of the fans agreed that he belongs in the Peaky world. In addition, his scenes with Murphy stand out among the viewers. Their bond is portrayed as haunting and harsh. Their bond gave the story its emotional weight.

Continue reading more about the story.

Fan's critics on Barry Keoghan's performance in the Peaky Blinders film

One of the fans posted about Barry on Reddit,

"I really thought that when they hired Barry of all people that it was their golden goose going forward, you don't just hire an actor like him for your main character just to recast him again right after.. I thought that his star power was their main investment for the sequel series."

In this post, another fan by the name of adepthdasher replied,

"Because he didn’t do well in the movie. Bad acting and horrible accent. Just puts watchers off and he didn’t have the right aura and angst to be a peaky blinder. No appeal when he said “by the order of peaky blinders” it was meh"

Basically, the fan implies they thought Barry's performance did not work for them. They felt his acting was weak, his accent sounded bad, and his presence did not match the dark. When he delivered the famous dialogue,

"by the order of the Peaky Blinders"

They thought it lacked power and came across as flat.

Others reacting to the comment regarding Barry Keoghan's performance in the Peaky Blinders film

A user by the name of NotKnotts said,

"Not a big fan of the movie but to be fair, that was kind of the point. We know Duke wasn't raised with any important members of the original crew and furthermore took over without any guidance of the gang. He doesn't really know what being a Peaky Blinder means outside of being a gangster."

Henkibenki replied,

"That would be true if the first actor didnt deliver. But the first one did so mich better in the little time he got in the last season."

Another Reddit user, rudboy1, replied,

"I disagree. It wasn't like he was just in charge. He had been in charge for years. Tommy said he crossed all the lines like selling women etc. He should have been a hardened leader by then but came across as a timid boy."

As you can see, the fans are debating whether Duke's character was shown and whether Barry's performance matched the role. rudboy1 disagreed with NotKnotts and Henkibenki and pointed out that Duke had already been in charge for years.