House of Guinness: From Peaky Blinders Creator

“House of Guinness is a captivating story about brothers and the intricacies that come with having to lead a prestigious dynasty. The series depicts with great care the political tensions of Dublin from the 1860s.”

House of Guinness is the new series from Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders. It stars Anthony Boyle, Louis Partridge, Emily Fairn, Fionn O’Shea, and James Norton. The 8-episode series is now available on Netflix. But can Knight replicate his previous success to deliver another landmark piece of streaming brilliance?

REVIEW

House of Guinness tells the story of the Guinness family, the owners of the famous brewery. It takes us back to the 1860s and focuses on the four children of Benjamin Guinness, right after his death. As this is a prominent dynasty, it encompasses a wide range of subjects, including family, love, business, and politics. At its heart, it’s very much a story of brothers – the two leads, Arthur (Anthony Boyle) and Edward (Louis Partridge), they’re at the centre of everything. They’re very different, yet similar at the same time.

The Guinness brewery is so much more than a brewing company. Ireland lives a time of political tensions and the family is right in the middle of it. So, there are political schemes and aspirations. This aspect of the story revolves around forming the right alliances and making compromises to achieve the family’s goals. The status of the Guinness family significantly influences the events unfolding in Dublin at the time. But there are also inner family conflicts stemming from the love interests of both Arthur and Edward, for different reasons. With a famous name like theirs, they face expectations from the public and must maintain a particular image, all while doing everything possible to keep the family business running smoothly. That means making difficult decisions. It’s a complex story with numerous layers. It’s why I always find stories about affluent families captivating. Despite their wealth, they face multiple problems and have many secrets to hide.

CAST

Undoubtedly, the cast is excellent. Louis Partridge delivers a career-high performance. He understands the intricacies of his character. He can be controlled and cold at times, while at others, he can throw a tantrum. The on-screen brother chemistry with Anthony Boyle is quite convincing. Their performances complement each other. Anthony is more playful while hiding the broken parts of his character, and just like Partridge’s character, he can occasionally throw a tantrum. James Norton is also delightful as the cocky henchman.

VISUALS & SOUNDTRACK

Moreover, the soundtrack is rather peculiar. Indeed, it can go from an Irish folk song to a modern rock song. Although the rock songs may sound out of place at first, they somehow work. It’s used for timely scenes. In the same way that Peaky Blinders perfectly recreated the 1880s, House of Guinness does an impressive job at recreating Dublin and New York from the 1860s. The costumes and the sets transport you to another era. It truly feels like you were there. The colour palette is also exquisite.

VERDICT

House of Guinness is a captivating story about brothers and the intricacies that come with leading a prestigious dynasty. The series depicts the political tensions of Dublin with great care from the 1860s. Louis Partridge and Anthony Boyle are great as brothers. Partridge delivers a career-high performance.