Movie Review: ‘Blitz’ | Moviefone

Opening in theaters on November 1st ahead of a November 22nd arrival on Apple TV+, ‘Blitz’ is British Steve McQueen telling a much more basic story than we’re used to, but one that still finds time for dealing with race relations and class structure in World War II Britain.

What it lacks in real revelation about the time is made up for by excellent performances from Saoirse Ronan and particularly Elliott Heffernan.

Related Article: Movie Review: ‘The Outrun’ 

Will ‘Blitz’ Go To War With Your Expectations?

Steve McQueen –– or Sir Steve McQueen, to give him the honorific he acquired in 2002 –– is a director we’ve come to expect a lot from. He pushes boundaries. He challenges conventions. He shines a light on subjects that don’t often get a lot of attention in mainstream filmmaking.

It’s somewhat surprising to report that ‘Blitz,’ his latest effort is so blandly conventional as to make you wonder whether he actually directed the thing himself. This World War II-set story still features some elements that channel McQueen’s driving interests –– marginalized people, issues of class and race –– but it’s so straight down the line in its treatment of its topics and characters that it feels like a throwback to much more mundane Oscar bait. And that’s a shame because you hunger for more.

Script and Direction

With McQueen writing and directing, he takes both sole credit and solo blame for the results. ‘Blitz’s screenplay honestly feels like a hundred other World War II stories we’ve seen in the past –– there are the communities coming together in “blitz spirit” to support each other (aside from the usual pockets of racism and sexism that were –– and are –– still prevalent), the Air Raid Wardens trying to keep the populace safe and people crowding into underground stations to avoid the bombardment.

And for all McQueen has said publicly about highlighting lesser-known stories, we do have to wonder if he hasn’t seen many World War II movies or shows, many of which who have featured the women of the country left to work in factories or doing other jobs when the men go to war.

Whole sequences, such as dance hall that becomes a bombed-out ruin where thieves ply their trade, feel like they were included to pad the running time instead of having a real impact, and could easily have gone to the cutting room floor without affecting the movie much at all.

It also suffers from a serious case of anticlimax after the long journey that George takes to get home –– minus one final gut punch, it’s as though the movie simply stops as opposed to coming to a satisfying end.

In his defense, he is able to bring some stark, memorable images to screen and his relatively routine script is brought to life by the cast.

Performances

As with the rest of the movie, the performances are a case of some great, and some… barely there.

Saoirse Ronan as Rita

Ronan’s Rita is the heart and soul of the movie alongside her son. She’s a young mother whose great love was deported, leaving her to raise her son with just her grandfather to help. But Rita has a backbone that could carry the country, even if her character is mostly reduced to worrying about her child or spending time with her friends at work and beyond. Still, Ronan does a lot with a little.

Elliott Heffernan as George

The real focus of the movie is George, the nine-year-old who, resentful that he’s been packed off for his own safety with the latest wave of evacuees from London, leaps from the train and looks to make his way home.

Heffernan, making his debut here, is a superb find, playing perfectly off of Ronan in the scenes they share, but truly coming into his own when he’s, well, on his own. The young actor has a stare that could cut through concrete, and he deploys it tactically. He truly makes you feel for the capable, charming George

Benjamin Clémentine as Ife

An Air Raid Warden that George meets on his quest to go home, Ife is only in the movie for a brief time, but Clémentine absolutely stands out, making the role his own. He’s incredibly charismatic and works well with Heffernan.

Supporting Cast

Almost everyone else in the film is reduced to cliché or caricature, which is a shame since the cast is uniformly excellent. Stephen Graham (ably backed by veteran British comedic actor Kathy Burke) is a Fagin-alike criminal who kidnaps kids to infiltrate bombed-out buildings in search of treasures, and is fine, while rising star Harrison Dickinson is entirely wasted in a role that might as well be played by a background artist.

And spare a thought for poor Paul Weller, who might as well be a living piano for all the opportunities he gets to actually act –– one scene where he advises his grandson about how to deal with bullies does not a real character make.

Final Thoughts

This is a real disappointment from a filmmaker who has done sterling work in the past. It’s not a bad movie per se, it’s just so shot-through with cliches and expected moments. Sure, it’s beautiful to look at (actually heartbreaking might be a better word given the devastation wrought upon London and its people), but it feels as hollow as a destroyed East End terraced house.

‘Blitz’ receives 6.5 out of 10 stars.