Blitz

Blitz is designed to be as accessible as possible in everything from its 12A rating to its clean 2 hour run time. It's an artful yet authorless Dickensian adventure set during WW2 era London that occasionally feels disjointed thanks to some characters and plot threads left dangling but it essentially acts as a collection of beautiful moments without shying away from the darker sides. This is the rare made for streaming film that actually feels like capital C cinema.

Elliott Heffernan gives a really good lead performance requiring a lot of stillness, fear and joy, which he communicates effectively and Saoirse Ronan gives the strongest performance, enhanced by her strong singing voice and convincing accent. The disjointed structure allows for some wonderful supporting performances from Paul Weller, Leigh Gill, and Benjamin Clémentine whereas Harris Dickinson is just kinda there.

Even if this feels lesser in the wider context of writer & director Steve McQueen's filmography, his direction still brings a recognisable visual beauty from the moment it starts. Yorick Le Saux's cinematography always finds exciting ways to frame and move through the scenes that have some impressive production values. Hans Zimmer's score doesn't rank anywhere near his best stuff whilst remaining a solid inclusion throughout.