With echoes of "Empire of the Sun" resounding across its bombed out landscapes, BLITZ is a more intimate look at one family during the 1940 Nazi blitzkrieg bombings in London. While it does reach out across several supporting characters, two serve as the center of the story.
Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) stars as Rita, single mother to nine-year-old George, brilliantly played by newcomer Elliott Heffernan in his first screen role. A single mother, Rita is increasingly terrified for her son's safety in the face of relentless, nightly bombings.
When London officials offer to take all the children out of London and into the safety of the countryside, George reluctantly prepares for the trip, leaving his Grandfather Gerald (an excellent Paul Weller) and cat behind.
Rita takes him to the station where George begs not to leave and then runs off from her, angry and confused. It's a devastating separation.
After an hour on the train, George grabs his suitcase and leaps from the train, heading back on his own to his home.
Writer/Director Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave, Widows) blends George's journey home with Rita's life in London. McQueen also plays loose with time, jumping back and forth to offer us the pre-war emotional background to the story.
Poor George meets all types on the way home, but my favorite scenes were George's time with a soldier named Ife, perfectly played by Benjamin Clementine (Dune: Part One). Bringing some much needed kindness to the horrors of war that surround the young boy, Ife emerges as a role model for George. Their quiet scenes together are powerful.
Some of the WW2 action is very well staged, including a massive flooding of the underground train tunnels and some stunning widescreen views of London ablaze for as far as the eye can see.
One short sequence finds George running for his life along the Thames as bullets fly, searchlights sweep and a bomber flies right over his head, ablaze.
But this isn't an action packed war film. It's a thoughtful character study of citizens trying to carve out some moments of normalcy as their town is destroyed around them.
Harris Dickinson (The Iron Claw) has some good moments as Jack, a London soldier that knows Rita and George. Ronan and Dickinson definitely share some screen chemistry.
Serving up the darker side of war time citizens, Stephen Graham (Venom) is terrifyingly unhinged as Albert, a lowlife Fagan type determined to make George into his very own Oliver.
The core of the film swirls around Ronan and Heffernan as Rita & George. They are both terrific. Ronan is always strong and while this isn't her best role, she brings incredible truth to Rita in search of her beloved son. Heffernan is shockingly good, creating a young man you want to protect against the incredible terrors he experiences on the way back home, most of which are based on true stories from WW2.
Too unevenly paced to be superb, BLITZ emerges as a fine showcase for the acting talents of Ronan & Heffernan, but fails to engage on any emotional level until its final scene. It looks great, but left me waiting for the other bomb to drop.
I'll give BLITZ a B-.
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