Follow the stories of a group of Londoners during the events of the British capital bombing in World War II.

Steve McQueen’s latest film is a World War II set drama, centering on life in London during the Blitz as life was turned upside down as Londoners adjusted to regular nighttime bombing raids from the Germans. It is told primarily through the eyes of a young boy, George (Elliott Heffernan in his feature debut), who ends up travelling across London in search of his family after he jumps off a train set up to evacuate children to the countryside. As he attempts to find his way back, we also follow his distraught mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan), who is trying to find him while also working in a local factory and helping people at nights in the underground stations that have been repurposed as bomb shelters.

This is a heartwarming tale of survival and the strength of community in difficult circumstances, with impressive performances from Ronan (there can’t be many with a better range of accents!) and Heffernan especially, not to mention the interesting (in a good way!) casting choice of Paul Weller as George’s grandpa. Wartime London is brought to life effectively with some striking imagery of damaged buildings and destruction, alongside depictions of how life went on despite the situation. Not everything works – the racial elements that are touched on at times are clumsily inserted and feel contrived, not to mention the shady characters played by Stephen Graham and Kathy Burke, who feel like they’ve entered from a different movie entirely, but these are minor elements in a generally well made and thoughtful movie.

‘Blitz’ is a good movie about life in Britain during the Second World War, and a welcome return to feature filmmaking for Steve McQueen after a six year break.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Steve McQueen

Starring: Elliott Heffernan, Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Erin Kellyman, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, CJ Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Sally Messham and Peter Rogers

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt15939198/