Blitz Review

Jason Statham and Paddy Considine as the fuzz kicking arse and taking names on the trail of a cop-killer in South East London, this writer’s very own ends? I’ll take a slice of that pie, please. I had been meaning to catch Blitz at the cinema upon its release, but it didn’t stick around long enough. As such, I was delighted when the test disc dropped through the post for its DVD release.

Statham is, of course, the rogue cop and loose cannon, but by god, does he get results. He’s not afraid to break a few bones (though not his own) in pursuit of justice and is only tolerated on the police force as he’d be too dangerous operating on the other side of the law. He teams up with new boy Considine, who’s just been transferred over from poncey West London. Considine’s character is gay, and though he may get some stick from the lads on the force, he can still kick someone’s testicles in with the best of them. Aiden Gillen (seen lately in his Machiavellian role in Game of Thrones) plays the titular cop-killer in a role that is maniacal and unsettling and David Morrissey fills in as a tabloid journalist.

Blitz is a successful in that it is likely to exceed the expectations of most. You do get a fairly by-the-numbers cops and robbers action thriller, but it’s certainly from the upper echelons of the fairly by-the-numbers cops and robbers action thriller stable. Considine and Morrissey are obviously top class talents and Statham is clearly the best at what he does in the curious little niche he’s carved for himself – the slightly wry British hard-man niche. Elliot Lester’s direction is unfussy and decently done and Nathan Parker (who previously co-wrote the excellent Moon)’s script is similarly no-nonsense.

The only real misfire is the subplot involving a previously undercover cop’s battle with drugs (featuring Zawe Ashton, currently starring in Fresh Meat), which slows down the otherwise slick plotting. The film also has the misfortune of having its cinematic release just prior to and its DVD release just after the recent scandals involving the rozzers and hacks. Whilst Blitz depicts a far from harmonious relationship between these two factions, you’d imagine that had it been made twelve months later, there’d be another interesting theme to be explored.

That said Blitz is an above average, very solid cop movie. Whilst it isn’t exactly the most sedate film I’ve ever seen, I would perhaps have liked it to push its craziness/good taste boundaries a little further – it does threaten to go further over the top, but frequently reigns itself in. Other than that, it’s a very enjoyable film made all the more exciting as I tried and mostly failed to recognise the various fried chicken shops in the background.