A One Mann’s Movies review of “Blitz” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival).
Not to be confused with the 2011 Jason Statham vehicle(!), Steve McQueen’s new film is set in wartime London amidst the worst of the German Blitzkreig (“Lightening War”). It’s an Apple production… so it will be on small screens within just a few weeks of opening on November 1st. But, honestly, this is a BIG SCREEN experience so I urge you NOT to wait for it and to go and see it in cinemas.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“Blitz” Plot Summary:
George (Elliott Heffernan) lives with his single mum Rita (Saoirse Ronan) and his grandad (Paul Weller) in a terraced house in Stepney, London. As Germany mounts its sustained attack on the capital, Rita decides to evacuate George. But George definitely does not want to go!
Certification:
UK: 12A; US: PG-13. (From the BBFC web site: Moderate threat, injury detail, violence, racism, sex, strong language. In addition, I think it should be at least a ’12’ for the dangerous train-track antics shown!)
Talent:
Starring: Elliott Heffernan, Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clémentine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Alex Jennings, David Kirkbride, Leigh Gill, CJ Beckford, Harris Dickinson.
Directed by: Steve McQueen.
Written by: Steve McQueen.
Running Time: 2h 0m.
“Blitz” Summary:
Positives:
- Visceral scenes of the capital under siege.
- Turns the spotlight on real-life heroes of the Blitz
- Brilliantly highlights the inherent racism in the 1940’s system.
- A superb score by Hans Zimmer.
Negatives:
- The pacing sometimes felt a little disjointed.
Review of “Blitz”:
A memorable opening.
After some scene setting titles we open to a black screen. Hans Zimmer’s deeply resonant score drones to a climax as, stylistically, bombs rain from the skies. We then cut to a fire crew trying in vain to put out terrible fires with a little jet of water. Utterly futile! In fact, the first victim is a fire-fighter floored by his own hose, the hose rearing and striking like the fire’s vicious reptile mate. It’s a memorable scene.
Elliott Heffernan is a little star.
Never work with animals or children they say! Well, there is a runaway horse at one point in this. But young Elliott Heffernan, as George, is on screen for a large percentage of the story as we follow his journey. And he does it brilliantly. He does virtually all of his own stunts (as I heard Steve McQueen report in the post-screening press conference) including a near remake of a watery scene in “Titanic”! But more than that, as a young actor his reactions are so perfect. As a child of mixed-race, he faces outright racism in many scenes. In some of them, his little face crumples with hurt; in others (e.g. a scene on a train) he becomes vehemently defiant standing up to the bullies. “That’s what I thought… all talk and no trousers” he snarls at them, a defence drilled into him by his Grandad (Paul Weller).
Great ensemble cast
Elsewhere, the strong ensemble cast doesn’t disappoint. Saoirse Ronan, so often the ‘daughter’ in films, here becomes a young mum, and a young mum with a Cockney accent that (again) she delivers with ease. She also gets to sing! And surprisingly well! Where is the big Saoirse Ronan musical we have all been waiting for but didn’t know we wanted?!
Amazingly, this is Paul Weller’s big screen debut as an actor and he was really believable as George’s much loved grandad. He gets to sing and play on the piano but I kind of felt he was toning down his singing voice so as not to unnaturally sound TOO good!
Representing one of the real-life heroes of the Blitz, Benjamin Clémentine plays Ife (which he explains means “love in Nigerian”). Ife is a Nigerian ARP-warden who memorably takes George under his wing. As a mixed-race lad, who’s never met his Dad, George is struggling with his identity. But after seeing Ife in action, standing up for Blacks, Indian-immigrants and Jews alike against racist Londeners, George proudly declares to him “I am black”. It’s a powerful moment and all thanks to Clémentine’s impressively commanding performance.
At the other end of the social scale we have a peerless Stephen Graham and a scene-stealing Kathy Burke playing sort of 1940’s versions of the Thénardiers from “Les Miserables. I got the feeling that Graham is itching to play Fagin at some point in his career, and to date this is the nearest he’s got!
There are lots of other great performances including Alex Jennings as a plummy BBC presenter; the uptight factory floor-manager (I think this was David Kirkbride); and Leigh Gill as Mickey Davies. Davies, or “Mickey the Midget” as he was locally known, was another real-life Stepney character who ran a free-at-the-point-of-delivery medical service 8 years before the NHS was set up. (Gill is having a busy month… he has also of course been in “Joker: Folie á Deux“.)
In contrast, I thought that progressively rising star Harris Dickinson has something of a non-role in the film.
A brilliant reconstruction of wartime London.
The technical realisation of a war-torn London in the ’40s is amazing! Hats off to the production design and special effects teams. Some of the special effects are quite subtle. For example, I had forgotten just how grubby London landmarks like St. Pauls were, only 30 or 40 years ago!
This is movie-making on a grand scale. The Underground station sets are stuffed with Supporting Artists, all perfectly kitted out in the right gear and with the right hair-styles. I can see this film playing big with the Oscar technical categories.
I always associate the Blitz with the use of the Underground as make-shift air raid centres. But McQueen suggests (and I assume based on fact) that this wasn’t always the case. Two memorable scenes highlight that.
Some of the sets are amazing.
- Fully recognising the vital role of women in the war effort ,McQueen recreates a bomb-making factory almost completely ‘manned’ by women. (I was commenting on just this aspect of the war effort the other week with the review of “Lee“.) (The irony is not lost that these women are making piles of bombs while at home they are on the receiving end of the German ones.)
- We see two fabulous music venues. The first is a jumpin’ jazz joint where Rita boogies down with the black artistes;
- The second is the swanky Café Paris where the upper crust get a better slice of Jazz. This includes some glorious camera work from cinematographer Yorick Le Saux. In an apparant ‘single shot take’, reminiscent of “1917“, we exit the dance floor, take a detour round the kitchens before following a waiter back out onto the dance floor again in time to hear an ominous sound from above.
Institutional Racism
The film is at its most powerful for me in highlighting the racism engraining in British society at that time. There is casual racism thrown at most of the black characters in the cast, but outright hostility in some scenes. In one scene, Rita’s date Marcus (CJ Beckford) gets the sharp end of a gang of racist thugs. Yet HE is the one that is arrested. As in “Nickel Boys“, it makes my blood boil at the injustice of it all.
And more…
There is so much more I could praise about this film: the impressive dockside firestorm scene; Hans Zimmer’s majestic score (surely an Oscar contender); the befriending scene in a freight car; the scene where lights progressively flick on illuminating a tube tunnel (why on earth would they do that!?); the bus instructions lady! But I’d bore you!
The pacing
My only criticism, and it is a minor one, is that some of the pacing is a little disjointed. We cut away from George’s adventures at key moments to go back to Rita. This sometimes felt a little jerky. In one particular dramatic scene on some railway tracks, I didn’t actually understand what had happened until later in the film: the action was so fast.
Oscars?
I’ll stick my neck out and say that “Blitz” is going to get Oscar nominations in the following categories:
- Best Supporting Actress: Saoirse Ronan (I think Ronan will get a Best Actress nod for “The Outrun“);
- Best Score for Hans Zimmer;
- Best Production Design;
- Best Hair and Make-Up;
- Best Costume Design;
- Best Special Effects;
- Best Film.
Summary Thoughts on “Blitz”
This is a really impressive slice of London wartime life. It shows the suffering from the civilian side (and ostensibly the black civilian’s side, which you can forgive McQueen for focusing on). It’s technically impressive and packs an emotional punch too at all the right moments.
I’m at the risk of repeating myself. This is due to be out in UK cinemas on November 1st but will then be out on Apple TV+ from November 22nd. (I’d really love to report that that was November 22nd 2025… but sadly not!). I would URGE you to please get out and see this on the biggest screen possible in early November. Because this is a spectacular feast for the eyes and the ears. You DO NOT want to miss on the big screen.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Blitz”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZwykQK9aZo .
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Hi Bob. I haven’t seen this film, but it’s top of my list of films to see in a cinema. Your review has left me salivating.
Thanks for commenting. I hope you enjoy it too!