Director Steve McQueen is an enigma. Each film and TV series he has made is a uniquely different story. 12 YEARS A SLAVE was a historical drama, WIDOWS was a thriller, and SMALL AXE was a small character study. The one thing that ties his work together is how effectively he can use intense sound design and music with minimal dialogue to tell stories.
The same can be said for BLITZ, his most straightforward historical thriller. Yet, from the get-go, it uses sound design and music to thrust us into the “Blitz” during WWII. Heck, it even has two extended Jazz dance sequences that feel like they are out of a musical.
As for the acting, Saoirse Ronan is good as the mother. The kid (George), played by Elliott Heffernan, is sensational and will become an actor to look out for in the future.
Throughout Acts One and Two of BLITZ, I wasn’t emotionally pulled into the story. Everything was on the screen to connect me to George’s journey. However, it felt shallow, like an okay book or movie you’ve experienced. Then Act Three hit, and I was “blown” away by how well the action sequences captured the frenetic pace of war. It’s a thrilling conclusion to an okay movie that raises my overall score for it a little.
It’s available on Apple TV+ on 11/22.