Summary
In World War II London, nine-year-old George is evacuated to the countryside by his mother, Rita, to escape the bombings. Defiant and determined to return to his family, George embarks on an epic, perilous journey back home as Rita searches for him.
Cast
Elliott Heffernan
George
Saoirse Ronan
Rita
Harris Dickinson
Jack
Benjamin Clémentine
Ife
Kathy Burke
Beryl
Paul Weller
Gerald
Stephen Graham
Albert
Leigh Gill
Michael Davies
Mica Ricketts
Jess
CJ Beckford
Marcus
Alex Jennings
Victor Smythe
Joshua McGuire
Clive
Hayley Squires
Tilda
Erin Kellyman
Doris
Sally Messham
Agnes
Josef Altin
Harvey
Sandra Huggett
Sarah
Thea Achillea
Cathy
Grahame Fox
Eric
David Kirkbride
Frank
Tommy Daley
Ian
Thomas Aitch
Tommy
Charlie Hodson-Prior
Archie
Fraser Holmes
Arthur
Gavi Singh Chera
Mandeep Singh
Gerard Monaco
Air Raid Warden
Max Gold
Isaac
Matt Bardock
Sid
Lizzie Hopley
Mavis
Heather Craney
Ruby
Christopher Chung
Fred
Patrick Buckley
Street Cricket Player
Linton Kwesi Johnson
The Oracle
John Mackay
Police Inspector
Adam Somner
Station Inspector
Liam Smith
Underground Shelter Crowd
Sue Maund
Underground Shelter Crowd
Steve Paget
Underground Shelter Crowd
Jonathan Kemp
BBC Producer
Jim Conway
Train Steward
Charlie Irwin
Boy on Train
Rufus Bateman
Boy on Train
Mickey McAnulty
Luggage Rack Boy
Lacey Leigh Payne
Girl on Train
Blake Williams
Street Cricket Player
Isaac Highams
Street Cricket Players
Tony Turner
BBC Presenter
Jack Shalloo
Fireman Campbell
Shaun Mason
Fireman Davies
Lisa Ronaghan
Factory Protester
Janet Greaves
Factory Protester
Grace Boyle
Factory Protester
Gracie Cochrane
Young Girl in Field
Ciara Baxendale
Locker Room Woman
Anne Bird
Locker Room Woman
Jack Bence
Policeman at Dancehall
Tom Padley
Policeman at Dancehall
Lizzie Roper
Woman Bus Conductor
Tim Treloar
Policeman at Hamleys
David Moorst
Sailor in Bar
Kenny Fullwood
Sailor in Bar
Jonathan Dryden Taylor
Man at Front Door
Robert Whitelock
Government Shelter Warden
Dominic Coleman
Government Shelter Warden
Bryony Hannah
Brenda Watson
Jay Simpson
Timothy Ashdown
Ella Dunlop
Lavender Merchant
Johanna Allitt
Lavender Merchant
Neal Barry
Bakery Shop Owner
Andrew Caley
News Vendor
Calum Callaghan
Air Raid Warden
Jem Wall
Lost Property Registrar
Gary Bates
Jobsworth Official
Oengus MacNamara
Market Vendor
Will Atiomo
Gigolo
Andrea Gordon
Middle Aged Woman
Ben Felton
Sous Chef
Natasha Arancini
Engaged Girlfriend
Alicia Grace Turrell
Engaged Dinner Companion
Natalie Quarry
Engaged Dinner Companion
Duncan Airlie James
Agitated Man
Heather Coombs
London Bridge Woman
Sandra Huggett
London Bridge Woman
Ben Fox
Ticket Inspector, London Bridge
John Cummins
Man, London Bridge
Florence Dobson
Stepney Dream Group
Nancy Sullivan
Dream Lead Singer
Mark Field
BBC Radio Producer
Lucy Russell
Volunteer
Alexandra Afryea
Nurse (uncredited)
Pierre Bergman
Pub Punter (uncredited)
Gianni Calchetti
Billiard Punter (uncredited)
Stuart Cooke
Passerby (uncredited)
Nigel Finnissy
Police Warden (uncredited)
Jean-Pascal Heynemand
Munitions factory manager (uncredited)
Ty Hurley
Train Inspector (uncredited)
Tim Faraday
ARP Warden with Cat
Cache Thake
Community Hall member
Crew
Director, Screenplay
Steve McQueen
Reviews
griggs79
November 4, 2024
7
Steve McQueen's _Blitz_ is an incredibly watchable and engaging film that vividly portrays wartime London. Through his lens, McQueen challenges the commonly held notion that Londoners weathered the horrors of the Blitz with unwavering cheer, a stiff upper lip, and unity. Instead, _Blitz_ underscores the complex layers of a city already defined by its diversity, which McQueen portrays as teeming with cultural resilience. In particular, the East End, a refuge for those escaping persecution, is shown not merely as a site of suffering but as a resilient, multicultural community that speaks to the true character of wartime London. This challenge to the rose-tinted "keep calm and carry on" narrative is essential, grounding the film in a more inclusive historical reality.
However, _Blitz_ occasionally struggles under the weight of its grandeur. The film ambitiously tackles numerous stories and subplots, making it challenging to give each the attention it deserves. One subplot that particularly suffers is the portrayal of an Underground station flooding after a bomb hit—a moment famously depicted in _Atonement_, with the actual location in Balham. Relocating it to London Bridge heightens the fictionalization of the event. Many may leave the cinema, believing the event that caused the death of 68 people never happened as such McQueen's portrayal, though compelling, doesn't capture the same impact as _Atonement_, which coincidentally also starred Saoirse Ronan.
McQueen briefly gestures toward class disparities in air-raid conditions, notably by referencing the Stepney Communist Party, which pushed for equitable access to safe shelters. Yet one pivotal moment that could have underscored this tension—the Party's dramatic occupation of the Savoy Hotel to protest the gross inequality in shelter conditions—goes unmentioned. This action, poor East Enders storming the grand West End hotel, forced the government's hand to open Tube stations to be used as public shelters.
Despite these narrative oversights, _Blitz _remains a remarkable and impactful portrayal of London during its most challenging times. It offers a raw, multifaceted perspective that reshapes our understanding of wartime endurance and unity, making the audience feel the gravity of the historical events depicted.
