Steve McQueen, over the last decade and a half, has become one of the most well-known British directors in the film industry; becoming a true force 12 Years a Slave released in cinemas. However, over the last ten years he has focused on more personal projects with a highlight of his career being his Small Axe anthology series. However, with McQueen's latest film he has returned to the big screen with Blitz.
This is easily the director's most ambitious movie, clearly being told on a bigger budget. Set in World War II London, the film follows nine-year-old George (Elliott Heffernan) who is evacuated to the countryside by his Mother, Rita (Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird, Little Women), to escape the bombings. However, when George jumps off the train he embarks on a journey back home whilst his mother begins searching for him.
Out of the gate, Blitz throws you straight into this story and this setting with a genuine assault of the senses. Opening with genuine havoc on the streets of London as bombs are exploding, fires have broken out and firemen desperately trying to turn hosepipes on, all helps show the chaos that the blitzkrieg caused. What makes it even more immersive is the fantastic sound design making each scene feel incredibly immersive; this is a loud film when it needs to be. This also goes really nicely with Yorick Le Saux's gorgeous cinematography which helps make everything feel massive when it needs to be and intimate in other scenes. He perfectly knows how to frame sequences to feel massive in scope (the bombing sequences, as horrific as they are, look amazing) by using wider lenses but for the more character-driven sequences, makes sure the camera is up close with the actor to capture the emotion.
What drives most of the emotion in this film comes from Saoirse Ronan's Rita, a mother desperately trying to find her son within the chaos of war. Her character acts as the emotional hook of the film and is the most layered within the ensemble. But the highlight definitely is newcomer Elliott Heffernan as George. His character has the perfect balance of wonder, naivety and attachment to a parent, which all felt believable within the film.
However, I feel where Blitz falters slightly is how it is a film telling two stories and while eighty percent of them are great, they do undercut the emotion in both at times. This is especially true in the third act where one of the plotlines reaches an incredibly tense climax and it abruptly cuts to another plotline so that can be wrapped up; it just made certain moments feel a bit jarring. Also, Harris Dickinson (known for Triangle of Sadness & The Iron Claw) feels incredibly wasted. He does the best with what he's given but there is no real need for his character to be in the film.
Regardless, Blitz is a technical triumph and demands to be seen in a cinema. The ensemble are all fantastic but Elliott Heffernan shows he is going to have an incredibly bright future ahead of him. I think the third act wraps the film up in a bit of a messy fashion but that doesn't stop it from being a thrilling drama that is also incredibly moving. Another really strong outing from Steve McQueen!
Blitz had its World Premiere at BFI London Film Festival 2024 and will release in select cinemas on November 1st ahead of its Apple TV+ release on November 22nd.