McQueen’s overstuffed ‘Blitz’ is hardly the bomb
Steve McQueen’s “Blitz” is everything the title implies, a full-on assault on the eyes, ears and brain, challenging your capacity to process more than a dozen underdeveloped plot points en route to what amounts to his version of “Lassie Come Home.”
Technically, his ode to London’s resolve during the German Blitzkrieg is a marvel that could garner Oscar nods for sound, cinematography, set decoration, costumes and score. But as terrific as all those elements are, they are in service of an anemic narrative about a lost 9-year-old boy (excellent newcomer Elliott Heffernan) in search of his Rosie the Riveter mother (Saoirse Ronan) during an adventurous 48-hour trek as horrifying as it is ridiculous.
Sure, it’s gripping on a human level. Nobody wants to see a child subjected to what Heffernan’s George endures in a quick succession of life-threatening situations. But after a while, you say to yourself, “C’mon”! There is no level too low that McQueen won’t stoop in his cloying attempt to elicit pity for little “Georgie Porgie.” None of the boy’s adventures are remotely believable. How far does he go? Let’s just say a segment in which George experiences the softest of landings after leaping off a speeding train is one of the least incredible.
The lad’s mother, Ronan’s Rita Hanway, is confronted with her own series of ordeals, including being rebuffed by George while seeing him off on said train to the countryside, where she falsely believes he’ll be safe from the nightly bombings of London. When the kid implored her not to make him part of the great evacuation, she should have listened because it turns out he would have stood a better chance dodging aerial attacks by the Germans than repeatedly staring into the face of death when left to his own devices.
It’s difficult to take a second of it seriously, as George – like Lassie – is magnetically drawn to peril on his arduous quest to be reunited with his family, which includes his beloved cat Olly and pianist Granddad, Gerald, played by a seasoned Paul Weller, formerly the frontman for The Jam.
Along the way, George (he’s 9 years old, mind you), hops a freight; befriends three other fugitive boys, all brothers, who join him for a go at train surfing; and finally, a twist on Oliver Twist as the boy falls in with a gang of repugnant thieves led by Stephen Graham’s deranged and abusive Albert. Too much? You bet.
All the while, Rita believes sonny boy is in good hands, freeing the single mom up for a little “me time” during which she lands a singing gig on BBC, enjoys a night out with her bomb-factory gal pals and volunteers at a shelter for the families who’ve lost their homes to Hitler’s madness. She’s also sorta pursued by Jack (Harris Dickinson from “The Iron Claw”), a hunky Civil Defense serviceman who can’t seem to summon the courage to ask her out.
Ife (Benjamin Clémentine), yet another Civil Defense samaritan (what Churchill dubbed the “Heroes with Grimy Faces”), not only comes to George’s rescue but teaches him to be proud of his Black skin. That part is genuinely moving, and Ife serves as a necessary reminder that the Blitz didn’t exclusively impact white folks, as life carried on for all amid the chaos.
McQueen’s recreation of London’s version of the Harlem Renaissance is the one moment when “Blitz” truly comes alive. It’s a marvelous blend of the four C’s: costume, choreography, cinematography and cultural celebration. It’s invigorating, but it also unwittingly emphasizes how dull the rest of the picture is by comparison. I get that McQueen is extolling his nation’s perseverance during hardship, as well as his subtle lament that modern British society has lost that sense of unity, of neighbor helping neighbor. But it’s done in such an obvious, ham-handed way that the message seldom resonates.
It also is a prime example of a filmmaker attempting to squeeze in too many tributes and criticisms of Old Blighty when she faced her stiffest test. The result is both a valentine and a pointed indictment of a time and a place where harmony and hypocrisy co-existed. Ultimately, McQueen, who made the gritty, harrowing “Hunger” and “12 Years a Slave,” proves at heart he’s an old softy when it comes to maternal love. Is there any doubt that Rita and George will be reunited like Young Joe and Lassie before them? Of course not. And to that, I say woof!
Movie review
Blitz
Rated: PG-13
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Elliott Heffernan, Paul Weller, Harris Dickinson and Stephen Graham
Director: Steve McQueen
Writer: Steve McQueen
Runtime: 120 minutes
Where: In theaters and streaming on Apple TV+
Grade: C+
