Tuesday 05 November 2024 11:13 am

Steve McQueen falls short with wartime drama Blitz

Ten years on from his Oscar triumph with 12 Years A Slave, filmmaker Steve McQueen has forged his own creative path. Rather than dive into the world of blockbusters, he has stuck with hard hitting dramas such as his Small Axe anthology of films and the 2018 thriller Widows. His latest is Blitz, a World War 2 drama

Starring Elliott Heffernan as a young boy named George, he is living in London but due to be evacuated, but escapes the train he’s put on to make his way back home.

Blitz: Steve McQueen’s war drama feels unremarkable

McQueen focuses on the multicultural aspects of London, as well as the extra layer of tension faced by George being a black child in a racist society. There’s also the consequences felt by everyday Londoners as the bombs fell, initially ignored by authorities whose indecision cost lives.

Given that many World War 2 dramas can be varnished with nationalist nostalgia, his perspective is refreshing.

On the flip side, for every gritty moment of torment, there’s an uncharacteristically cliched sequence. It’s as if the director operated a ‘one for them, one for me’ process where every piece of social commentary had to be balanced by rose-tinted knees-ups or emotional keepsakes. It blunts the message within the plot, that draws parallels between 1940s Britain and our own politically charged times.

Despite this duality, the performances shine through the London smog. Saoirse Ronan is typically superb as a young woman looking to find some joy amidst a sea of tragedies, while Elliott Heffernan avoids every child actor tick to deliver something both believable and empathetic. Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness) feels underused as her love interest, while music fans may be surprised to see Modfather Paul Weller pop up as George’s grandfather.

Blitz is unlikely to enjoy the adulation or longevity of McQueen’s best work. As it is, it’s an entertaining if unremarkable wartime adventure.