Blitz

critic Reviews

, 79% Certified Fresh Tomatometer Score
  • A tale of survival from director Steve McQueen, Blitz's examination of British society under wartime is given a beating heart by Elliott Heffernan and Saoirse Ronan's lovely performances.
  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Peter HowellToronto Star
    Child star Heffernan, making his screen debut, seriously impresses as the brave and resourceful George... McQueen’s storytelling smarts might have briefly deserted him, but his casting instincts remain as strong as ever.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Bill GoodykoontzArizona Republic
    McQueen never fails to deliver something more, and that’s true here. His wartime London contains worlds within worlds, many of them unexpected, as Rita and George in their ways exemplify the old British mantra of keeping calm and carrying on...
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Michael PhillipsChicago Tribune
    Ronan and Heffernan invest fully in their characters’ life-and-death narrative. Viewers will, too, because everything in the movie works as one to pull every string we have as spectators.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Aparita BhandariGlobe and Mail
    In some ways, Blitz is both of its time and timeless. For those who remember, it might remind them of Children Film Foundation films. There’s also a Dickensian quality to this solidly crafted period film.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Odie HendersonBoston Globe
    The actors turn in great work, but the true stars of “Blitz” are the production design by Adam Stockhausen and the cinematography by Yorick Le Saux.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Nell MinowMovie Mom
    Nine is an age right at the cusp between the magical thinking of a child and the beginning of a deepening understanding of the world of adults. McQueen, so good at conveying the chaos of the Blitz, is even better at conveying that liminal moment.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Cory WoodroofFor the Win (USA Today)
    The film’s general narrative doesn’t quite match the bouncing survey of its setting, but once Benjamin Clementine shows up in one of the year’s breakout turns, the film really finds its footing.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Peter KeoughArts Fuse
    Blitz is a tour not just of a city and a nation under siege but of the director’s various cinematic, literary, and art references and inspirations. The result is a film that is at times dazzling, at others pedantic and contrived.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Michael ClarkEpoch Times
    “Blitz” is for McQueen what “Barry Lyndon” was for Kubrick and “The Master” was for PT Anderson. All three movies show filmmakers stretching beyond their usual comfort zones and trying something different. That is the sign of true daring and artistry.
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  • , Fresh Tomatometer Score
    Sarah VincentSarah G Vincent Views
    McQueen succeeds at conveying to moviegoers how chaotic it would be to not be able to go then stay home and sleep in your bed after work. The Brits had to deal with sleeplessness, loud noises and mortality then go to work and function.
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