What better way to launch the London Film Festival than with a film about London by a London-born director? Hence the decision to commence the glamour and glitz, with the World Premiere of Steve McQueen’s Blitz.
In the face of nightly air raids, East End mum Rita (Ronan) grows increasingly worried about her son George’s safety, and makes the heart-wrenching decision to send him to the countryside. However a few hours into his journey, George alights the train, and begins a long, treacherous return to Stepney Green and his family. Friends and foes stalk London’s streets, but each encounter populates George’s map of his world, giving him an understanding of how his fellow citizens are affected by these tumultuous times.
McQueen was inspired to make the film when he came across a photograph of a young Black boy walking through the bombed streets of London.
London during World War II and the Blitz. It is a time that is normally looked back on as the epitome of the British stiff upper lip. “Keep calm and carry on”, Vera Lynn “we’ll meet again”, and all that. Yet that is the history book version of events.
McQueen uses the character of George to show the audience a different side to London. One seen through the eyes of a child. It is a London that is dark and dangerous. A London that is divided. Both in terms of class, but also in terms of race. With the working classes blocked out of shelters, and for the ones that did get in, racism led rise to resentment and feelings that “real” Londoners should have priority.
On paper, it has all the elements of a British disaster movie. Act one introduces the characters and sets up the hero’s journey. Act two sees the hero facing a number of obstacles and setbacks, before achieving their goal in act three.
One can immediately picture how the film would play out if it was directed by the likes of Michael Bay or Roland Emmerich. It is not of course. It is directed by Steve McQueen. The director of Hunger, Shame, and 12 Years A Slave.
This is a man who prioritises character over spectacle. Using the drama and action, to facilitate how the relentless bombings would affect not only George, and his mother, but the people that he meets along the way, and their behaviour towards him.
That is not to say it isn’t thrilling at times. For example, a set piece involving the escape from a flooded underground station. Plus Hans Zimmer’s pulsating score gives the film a sense of energy and momentum.
The highlight however is a one-shot sequence that takes the audience through a nightclub full of people enjoying a night out amidst the chaos, which is then immediately juxtaposed by the cold, brutal and horrific aftermath.
And here is where the problem lies. The film is a series of moments. Both good and bad.
The story is episodic in its nature. George’s journey home has many stops along the way, many different encounters. The result is a film that feels a little all over the place. Literally, spanning the length and breadth of London, and tonally. It causes the attention to wander almost as much as the main character. That lack of narrative cohesion is its Achilles heel.
A lot of that comes down to the characters. They range from the warm, calming influence of Benjamin Clementine’s caring air raid warden, to the grosteque, over-the-top Dickensian-esque criminals played by a scene-stealing Kathy Burke and Stephen Graham. Others sadly, like Harris Dickinson’s fireman with a sweet spot for Rita, fade into obscurity.
The bright spot in a blacked out in The Big Smoke, is the bond between Rita and George. Heffernan, in his film debut, is an engaging lead. The audience willing him on his odyssey back to his mother. Ronan, is as great as one would expect, however she is underserved at times by the script. Leaving her to try and do a lot, with very little.
The end result is arguably McQueen’s weakest film. One that is ultimately saved by the strong connection between newcomer Heffernan and Ronan. They are the heart that keeps Blitz beating and not becoming a total dud.
Blitz is in select cinemas from November 1, and streaming on Apple TV+ November 22.
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Director: Steve McQueen
Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Elliott Heffernan
Runtime: 120 minutes
Country: UK
