Steven Knight, from Peaky Blinders fame, has created another classic in A Thousand Blows.The people whining about the historical inaccuracies in this show are really jarring. The Forty Elephants existed, as did Hezekiah and Alec. And yes, Queen Victoria did have a goddaughter of African descent.
The history of British boxing mentions such characters and the elephant 40 thieves criminal enterprise has similar credible roots in London criminology timeline. When every actor has mastery over their role , a show will always grab the viewer and hold them close.
The Storyline
Queen Victoria had an African goddaughter named Sarah Forbes Bonetta (1843-1880). Bonetta was born into the Yoruba royal family in West Africa. She was orphaned and enslaved before being given to Queen Victoria as a gift. Some fighting, people opening bottles with their teeth, obvious props arranged on set for actors to sit on and lots of random accents.
The Best Part
The Forty Elephants existed, as did Hezekiah and Alec. And yes, Queen Victoria did have a goddaughter of African descent. While some find the storyline occasionally predictable, many agree that A Thousand Blows is a gripping and entertaining watch, especially for fans of gritty period dramas. It’s a visceral and well-crafted series that packs a punch. Great fight scenes, excellent acting and the CGI to recreate old London is amazing.
The setting reminded me of a grimy, blood-thirsty London in all of its grimaced infamy. The dark undertones of realism kept us gripped, the fast-paced movement of the storyline had us wanting more, and the suspense of knowing what may happen was enough for us. Although almost all characters are fictional, they are based on real events.Â
The LoopholesÂ
Things were different, that’s why you watch it. Also, there is no connection to the characters through the development of their background. A very short story of life in Kingston, including a scene where a new immigrant is discussing the hardships at a high society dinner party, speaking down to the guests.
The game backgrounds look obviously fake, and you notice it more because the storyline just doesn’t keep you interested. Each black male actor in a major film or TV show has a white female love interest despite how ugly or talentless she is.
Clearly meant to be set in 1880’s due to historical characters included. But the East End as depicted seems to be much more Dickensian from 30 years or so previously. Not really, as it was around the time of Jack the Ripper.
The Characters
Erin Docherty, Malachi Kirby, and great performances from Jason Tobin and Daniel Mays. Erin Doherty’s cockney accent sounds like a 14-year-old boy from 1980s Grange Hill mixed with a dollop of the Artful Dodger. Stephen Graham needs to watch what he lends his name to, these characters are totally fully fleshed, brought to us and all the spitting dust and the smoke of London.
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Is It Worth Watching?
A Thousand Blows has the potential to be good but it seems there is a sort of TV mafia that is in control of all this now. The creators of this show have been incredibly irresponsible. Knife crime is at its all-time high and here they are desensitising the masses with this dross. Lord’s name as a curse word in your script adds absolutely zero value to the production in its entirety. Though Guy Richie had a hand in it as very much his touch on filming and music, it’s not terrible, but if you are expecting another Peaky Blinders, you will be disappointed.
IMDb Rating – 7.4/1
Written by; Nilesh Shiv