Alfie Solomons

Alfie Solomons is a fictional character played by Tom Hardy in the British period crime drama Peaky Blinders. He is the leader of a Jewish gang based in Camden Town and was introduced in Series 2. The character has had massive cultural impact and has received critical acclaim.

Casting and background[]

The exact details of the casting process have not been revealed but the character of Alfie Solomons was not initially devised with Tom Hardy in mind.^[1] The character is based on a real-life Jewish gangster called Alfred Solomon.^[2] Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight says, "We have portrayed him as funny but with an edgy character. The Jewish gangs of the East End would have been just as famous but for some reason history seems to have remembered Alfie Solomons. I don't know why. Maybe, he was prosecuted more often."^[3] In the series, Solomons is the leader of a Jewish gang based in Camden Town and runs an illegal distillery.^[4]

Storylines[]

Series 2[]

Alfie is introduced during Series 2 as the leader of a Jewish criminal gang and owner of an alcohol distillery. He is at war with Italian mob boss Charles Sabini. Tommy Shelby tries to convince him to align with the Shelby brothers against Sabini but is not successful. Tommy and his younger brother John then meet with Billy, of the Black Country Boys, who fought with them in the war. Tommy tells Billy to round up his men for them to go to work in Alfie's distillery. This results in an alliance with Alfie. Later, Alfie and Darby meet and patch up their differences. Alfie then hosts a Passover Seder and invites an unaware Arthur Shelby and some of his men, who are soon slaughtered. Alfie has Arthur sent to prison. Following this, Tommy meets with Alfie to forget their differences and join forces once again. Alfie secures Arthur's release from prison as a result.

Series 3[]

During the dealings between Arthur, Tommy and John, the Russian royals and the Economic League political organisation, Tommy decides to tell the Russians about his suspicions regarding Father Hughes. He hires Alfie to ensure that the Shelbys are given real Russian jewels as payment for their services. Things go well, but it is revealed that the Economic League knows of Tommy's plans. After some investigation, Tommy discovers that Alfie divulged the plans to Father Hughes of the Oddfellows, thereby betraying Tommy. During a confrontation, Michael Gray kills Alfie's associate, but Alfie talks Tommy out of killing him.

Series 4[]

Alfie organizes for his nephew and protégé to fight Bonnie Gold at a boxing match, in an attempt for the Shelbys to promote Gold, in exchange for the services of his father, Aberama. Rival Sicilian American mob boss, Luca Changretta, makes his way to London to present a plan to Alfie. Alfie will allow an Italian-American assassin to enter the arena, where the boxing match is being held, in exchange for Changretta selling Alfie's London-made bootleg liquor in New York City. As the stage is set for the boxing match between Bonnie Gold and Goliath, Alfie's nephew, Tommy gets a visit from Alfie. When one of the men (Luca's assassin) leaves the boxing arena, Arthur follows in pursuit and appears to be mortally wounded by him. Later at the family home, the widow Changretta reveals the vendetta will be over if Tommy signs over all his assets to Luca Changretta. Luca and his men meet with the remaining Shelbys in Tommy's basement distillery to sign the documents. Tommy reveals to Luca that he has sent Michael to America to negotiate with other American mafiosi and turn Luca's men against him. Realizing he has been outmaneuvered, Luca attacks Tommy, and a fight ensues. As Tommy is getting the upper hand, Arthur enters the distillery and shoots Luca. It is revealed that Tommy had Arthur fake his death to lure Luca into the trap. Tommy confronts Alfie for his betrayal, who reveals he did so knowing Tommy would track him down and kill him, and that he has cancer. Tommy then shoots Alfie and proceeds to take his holiday.

Series 5[]

During the last episode of series 5, Alfie is revealed to be alive, living in Margate, England. His face is visibly scarred from Tommy's shot, leaving him blind in his left eye. Alfie is acutely aware of the rise of the fascist Oswald Mosley, as well as Tommy's career in politics. Alfie agrees to help Tommy and his brothers kill Mosley for ten thousand pounds, giving Tommy a group of his men in order to create a protest during Mosley's speech. Tommy is going to take advantage of the distraction caused by the chaos and signal to Barney, a war sniper, to kill Mosley; back at home, Alfie listens to the event on radio, seemingly eager for Mosley's death. Unfortunately for Barney, he is killed just before he can pull the trigger, leaving Alfie's men in a confrontation with the fascist bodyguards.

Critical reception[]

Medium describes Alfie Solomons as 'The Scene-Stealingest Character Of All Time', commenting that "I’ve never understood if Alfie was meant to be a villain or comedic foil or some pick-a-mix of both, but I’ve never loved every second of someone’s screen time more."^[5] Tom French, writing for Den of Geek, praises the debut of the character and writes that he complements the others well, "Solomons is immediately engaging, coming across as eccentric, sadistic and damaged all at once. The performance evokes elements of Hardy roles of the past, and the character fits seamlessly into the world of Peaky Blinders."^[6] An article in The Independent praised Tom Hardy, saying that "Tom Hardy is such good value in the show, having created one of its most authentic-feeling characters despite barely being in it".^[7]

Abby Robinson of Digital Spy was critical of the decision to 'resurrect' Alfie Solomons in series 5. She writes "[Now] we've seen multiple characters cheat death across [Peaky Blinder's] five-season run, which makes Alfie's entrance more of the same – and not in a good way."^[8] Christopher Hooton of NME also described Alfie's return as "a little like fan service" but went on to write "his scene in the [series 5] finale was irresistible and beautifully written".^[9]

References[]