Blitz main backdrop
Blitz main poster

6.5/10 • 11

2024-11-012h 0m

DramaHistoryWar

A boy's journey. A mother's love. Miles of burning city between them.

In World War II London, nine-year-old George is evacuated to the countryside by his mother, Rita, to escape the bombings. Defiant and determined to return to his family, George embarks on an epic, perilous journey back home as Rita searches for him.

Directors
Steve McQueen
Editors
Peter Sciberras

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Elliott Heffernan

    Elliott Heffernan

    George

  2. Saoirse Ronan

    Saoirse Ronan

    Rita

  3. Harris Dickinson

    Harris Dickinson

    Jack

  4. Benjamin Clémentine

    Benjamin Clémentine

    Ife

  5. Kathy Burke

    Kathy Burke

    Beryl

  6. Paul Weller

    Paul Weller

    Gerald

  7. Stephen Graham

    Stephen Graham

    Albert

  8. Leigh Gill

    Leigh Gill

    Michael Davies

  9. Mica Ricketts

    Mica Ricketts

    Jess

Reviews2

View Reviews
griggs79 Avatar

griggs79

Nov 4, 2024

7/10

Steve McQueen's Blitz is an incredibly watchable and engaging film that vividly portrays wartime London. Through his lens, McQueen challenges the commonly held notion that Londoners weathered the horrors of the Blitz with unwavering cheer, a stiff upper lip, and unity. Instead, Blitz underscores the complex layers of a city already defined by its diversity, which McQueen portrays as teeming with cultural resilience. In particular, the East End, a refuge for those escaping persecution, is shown not merely as a site of suffering but as a resilient, multicultural community that speaks to the true character of wartime London. This challenge to the rose-tinted "keep calm and carry on" narrative is essential, grounding the film in a more inclusive historical reality. However, Blitz occasionally struggles under the weight of its grandeur. The film ambitiously tackles numerous stories and subplots, making it challenging to give each the attention it deserves. One subplot that particularly suffers is the portrayal of an Underground station flooding after a bomb hit—a moment famously depicted in Atonement, with the actual location in Balham. Relocating it to London Bridge heightens the fictionalization of the event. Many may leave the cinema, believing the event that caused the death of 68 people never happened as such McQueen's portrayal, though compelling, doesn't capture the same impact as Atonement, which coincidentally also starred Saoirse Ronan. McQueen briefly gestures toward class disparities in air-raid conditions, notably by referencing the Stepney Communist Party, which pushed for equitable access to safe shelters. Yet one pivotal moment that could have underscored this tension—the Party's dramatic occupation of the Savoy Hotel to protest the gross inequality in shelter conditions—goes unmentioned. This action, poor East Enders storming the grand West End hotel, forced the government's hand to open Tube stations to be used as public shelters. Despite these narrative oversights, Blitz remains a remarkable and impactful portrayal of London during its most challenging times. It offers a raw, multifaceted perspective that reshapes our understanding of wartime endurance and unity, making the audience feel the gravity of the historical events depicted.

Media

  • Blitz backdrop
  • Blitz backdrop
  • Blitz backdrop
  • Blitz backdrop
  • Blitz backdrop
  • Blitz backdrop
  • Blitz backdrop
  • Blitz backdrop
  • Blitz backdrop

Recommendations

  • Anora main backdrop

    Anora

    7.3

  • All We Imagine as Light main backdrop

    All We Imagine as Light

    7.1

  • Yourself and Yours main backdrop

    Yourself and Yours

    6.1

  • Here main backdrop

    Here

    6.8

  • Nickel Boys main backdrop

    Nickel Boys

    0.0

  • No Backdrop

    Arsa

    5.0

  • Woman of the Hour main backdrop

    Woman of the Hour

    6.5

  • Subservience main backdrop

    Subservience

    6.7

  • Rebel Ridge main backdrop

    Rebel Ridge

    7.0

  • Coup de Chance main backdrop

    Coup de Chance

    6.2

  • Dune main backdrop

    Dune

    7.8

  • Beetlejuice Beetlejuice main backdrop

    Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

    7.1

  • Avatar: The Way of Water main backdrop

    Avatar: The Way of Water

    7.6

  • The Substance main backdrop

    The Substance

    7.3

  • My Friends Act II main backdrop

    My Friends Act II

    7.6

  • Joker main backdrop

    Joker

    8.1

  • They Live main backdrop

    They Live

    7.3

  • Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer main backdrop

    Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

    6.7

  • The Fabelmans main backdrop

    The Fabelmans

    7.6

  • Babylon main backdrop

    Babylon

    7.4

Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
factorylondon, englandworld war iifloodingsingerracismtrainbiraciallondon blitz1940smother son relationshiptrain station