The first few minutes of 'Blitz' are overwhelming. Right from the start, Steve McQueen throws you into the deep end. The first scene shows houses going up in flames, firefighters trying to do what they can, one of them getting hurt, others fighting against a wall of fire and noise. The camera is right in the middle of the chaos, capturing it in raw and sometimes unfocused images, and you can almost feel the heat of the flames.
This is the 'Blitz', the bombing of London during World War II. McQueen shows the war horror from the viewpoint of Rita, a single mother living with her son George and her father in a working class neighbourhood. For his own safety, she sends her young son to the countryside, but he doesn't want to go and refuses to say goodbye in the raillway station. George jumps from the slow moving train, finds his way back to London, but on his way home all sorts of obstacles delay the happy reunion with his mother.
McQueen changes regularly between George's adventures and Rita's desperate search efforts. In both simultaneous stories, the blitz is shown in all its horrors. The bombed streets, the constant fear, the shelters in the underground stations, the women working in the ammunition factories, the live BBC broadcasts to keep the spirits high. McQueen adds an extra layer by showing the racism in the British society, which at that time was convinced of its own superiority.
There is a lot to enjoy from a cinematographic perspective. Beautiful tracking shots, original camera angles and some impressive aerial images of a burning London. One very nice scene starts by showing abstract moving dots, slowly changing into moonlit waves, which are the backdrop for the German bombers flying over the North Sea.
This is clearly a film with a big budget, and it shows. It is also a film which has a lot to offer: a thrilling story, a spectacular war, lots of excitement, nostalgic songs, and a mother and child theme everyone can relate to. And also one suprising member of the cast: Paul Weller plays Rita's father.
Not everything is perfect. There are moments lacking subtlety, and now and then McQueen aims clearly for the tear ducts. But for showing how London suffered during the blitz, the film is definitely worth seeing.
