Film Review – Blitz

November 22nd, 2024 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

Steve McQueen is one of our finest filmmakers, whose works feature a level of intelligence, passion, and artistry that few have matched. His Widows (2018) was my number one film of its year, and Small Axe (2020) was one of the most ambitious projects in recent memory. With that in mind, I regret to report that his latest effort, Blitz (2024) is his first real misfire. It is a handsomely made, well-acted WWII picture, but it is also McQueen’s most conventional undertaking, which in turn makes it his least interesting. Certainly, there are instances that are breathtaking – where McQueen’s ability shows up in full display. But those are few and far between, stuck amid long stretches that feel too generic to really leave an impression.

In terms of craft, there is no denying how accomplished the project looks on screen. The production design and art direction recreate London during the worst of the Nazi air raids (known as “The Blitz”) with big, wide camera shots. The frame pulls back over the city skyline to take in the full effect of the devastation, with buildings left in rubble and smoke billowing far off in the distance. There is a constant state of unease, where at any second sirens can blare telling citizens to evacuate their homes immediately. Hans Zimmer’s score incorporates a piercing, mechanical like tone – a constant reminder of the bombs dropping above everyone’s heads. The problem is that there are too many people and not enough shelters. It’s to the point where authorities must turn people back or guide them to subway stations for safety. Areas became so crowded that people were forced to sleep on the subway tracks.

It’s in this world where we meet our two protagonists, Rita (Saoirse Ronan) and her young son, George (Elliott Heffernan). Rita is a single mother, who understandably worries about George’s safety during the raids. To keep him out of harm’s way, Rita makes the difficult decision to put George on a train and send him – by himself – out into the country. This does not sit well for the precocious young man, and so he decides to jump off the train and hike his way back to London. The narrative then becomes a tale of two parallel threads: Rita trying to care for her piano playing father (Paul Weller) while taking factory work and volunteering at bomb shelters, and George going on an Oliver Twist-like odyssey to return home.

McQueen’s skill as a storyteller and the bigger budget afforded him allows for some truly remarkable set pieces. There are sequences where the danger and destruction of the strikes are immediate and in your face. One scene features the camera following George in an unbroken long take as he runs through the city streets. The chaos surrounding him – the explosions, firefighters trying to put out the flames, people moving about in a panic – feels real. It’s as though we are running alongside George with death hot on our heels. This effect shows up again during the flooding of an underground station. The overcrowding, along with the ridiculous decision by authorities to lock the gates until the next morning, creates a death trap for everyone inside. The mad dash of humans, fighting over one another to get above ground while others get swept away in the water (with George stuck in the middle of it all) will undoubtedly remind some of the second half of Titanic (1997). 

The big, grandiose set pieces are the highlight of Blitz. Sadly, the human story is not as compelling. Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan are both good in their respective roles. Ronan follows up her excellent work in The Outrun (2024) with yet another convincing turn as a mother who wants to do right by her son but carries the guilt for sending him away. Heffernan, despite his young age, translates the determination and fortitude in George to endure the hardships to make it back home. But while their performances are strong, the story they are inhabiting is not. Rita is left mostly on the sidelines, without much to do to propel the narrative. George – given that he goes to so many different places and has several different encounters – has the more engaging arc, but it still doesn’t leave us with much of an impact. His run ins with a friendly black soldier named Ife (Benjamin Clémentine) as well as a rag tag bunch of criminals lead by the grimy Albert (Stephen Graham) introduces George to both the good and evil sides of humanity. However, the episodes are so quick that they feel like mild blips. Maybe that’s the point. In time of war the people we meet can come and go at a moment’s notice. But dramatically, these felt like rest stops instead of meaningful interactions.

One of Steve McQueen’s great qualities is that his direction feels intimate, fervent, and urgent. He is at his best being in the moment with his characters, allowing them to live and express themselves as though it were a matter of life and death. Take for instance the flashback where Rita dances with George’s Granadan father at a night club. The energy and exuberance of the entire room – people dancing with their full bodies regardless of who’s watching – acts like a condensed version of Small Axe: Lovers Rock (2020). What’s so odd about Blitz is that this quality is tampered down. Themes of class and race – which has been so inherent to McQueen’s previous endeavors – are lightly touched upon. There are moments were George faces the hate and bigotry hurled his way for being a person of mixed race but are not explored to their fullest extent. 

It’s as though McQueen was aiming for a level of sentimentality and broad appeal but didn’t quite hit the mark. This is best exemplified in the film’s final stages. While I will not describe what happens – for that you’ll have to see it for yourself. What I will say is that the thoughts and emotions the film wants us to experience are not there. Strangely, the closing moments are underplayed. Instead of going for something big and overwhelming, McQueen chooses to end on a quiet and contemplative note. Although that approach can work in another context, here it is awkward and clumsy. After such an ordeal the characters went through, to have their stories conclude in such a toned-down manner makes the movie end on a whimper. I get it, WWII wasn’t about happy or sad endings. I understand that the story of Rita and George is just one of the countless stories that took place in Britain during that difficult time. But as a film, it stumbles to a close. 

Blitz succeeds in terms of its textures. The details of the costumes, the size and scope of the set pieces, the sights and sounds of London amid war, etc. Sometimes, that’s all you need for a good movie. But when you have set a standard as high as Steve McQueen has for himself, the overall result feels a tad below his skillset. I consider this a slight speed bump in what has already been a stellar career.

Benjamin Clémentine, Blitz, Elliott Heffernan, Featured, Lovers Rock, Paul Weller, Saoirse Ronan, Small Axe, Small Axe: Lovers Rock, Stephen Graham, Steve McQueen, The Outrun, Widows