One of the best on-screen gangsters I have ever seen! In a world of Corleone's & Tony Montana's, Tommy Shelby has rapidly paved his way to becoming the notorious gangster of the decade. He is the Perfect anti-hero after Walter White from breaking bad (maybe even better). But what makes him so good?
Enigma! Tommy's mysterious and enigmatic nature draws people into him. It's a sudden attraction into that mysterious personality that has made audiences crazy about him. Psychologists have confirmed that enigmatic personalities do attract people because the human mind is curious about the "lesser-known". Tommy Shelby is that "lesser-known" individual. He is so unpredictable that sometimes even his family would be in awe over some of his decisions.
But he is not sheepishly unpredictable. He is unpredictable because he thinks outside the box. He is far from being conventional and his observational & analytical nature helps him break conventional boundaries to take those unpredictable decisions. He is a calculated risk-taker and an opportunist. Family comes first but the concept of sacrifice is not yet erased from his dictionary.
Tommy Shelby had fought in the battle of Somme and the battle of Verdun. Like many other survivors, he was afflicted with PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder). He no longer feels afraid of death but this enlightenment has also sparked a light bulb in his mind which enables him to take stern yet safe actions. Tommy Shelby has found equilibrium in his actions. Although ambitious, he does not shy away from taking a step back to think about his next move.
Calling him smart would be an understatement. Back then (1919), there were no aptitude tests to proclaim yourself as the smartest in the world. Street smart was the only valid intelligence type and survival was the only valid method of testing it. Tommy Shelby was not only smart but a survivor. His mind was as strong as his body which yielded great results. Moreover, a middle-child (instead of the eldest sibling) being the head of business in any organized crime family is quite a rare sight!