Blitz (2024 film)

Blitz

Company type	Motion picture
Industry	Film
Founded	2024 (2024)
Founder	Steve McQueen
Key people	Steve McQueen (writer, producer, director), Saoirse Ronan (lead actress), Elliott Heffernan (actor)
Products	Historical war drama film

Blitz is a 2024 historical war drama motion picture crafted by Steve McQueen, who served as the writer, producer, and director. The film features performances by Saoirse Ronan and debut actor Elliott Heffernan, supported by Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, and Stephen Graham.

The movie made its debut as the opening presentation at the BFI London Film Festival on 9 October 2024. It was subsequently released in select theaters across the UK and US on 1 November 2024, followed by availability for streaming on Apple TV+ beginning 22 November 2024. Critical reception has been largely favorable.

Plot

During World War II in London, nine-year-old George is the biracial child of Rita, a white woman, and Marcus, a black man who has been deported to Grenada. When Nazi air raids commence, George is evacuated to rural areas but escapes from the train to return to his mother. While traveling on a freight train, he encounters three brothers; they flee together the next day, though one brother tragically dies.

Flashbacks expose the racial hostilities George faces: he endures insults from a neighbor, and Marcus suffers violence due to his relationship with Rita. Rita is employed in a factory and also performs songs on BBC radio; her coworkers advocate for tube stations to be opened as shelters. She encounters criticism about her son while at a pub, where Jack offers his support.

Back in London, George struggles to locate his home in Stepney. He meets Ife, a Nigerian air raid warden who cares for him but is killed during an evacuation. Subsequently, George crosses paths with Jess, a gang member who coerces him into assisting with thefts from bomb-affected sites. George escapes and finds shelter in an overcrowded underground station.

When flooding traps people inside the Tube station due to locked gates, George aids others in escaping once the gates are finally opened. Awakening in an unfamiliar residence, he flees after discovering that authorities have been notified of his disappearance. Upon returning home, George discovers his grandfather has died in the bombing but reunites with his mother.

Development

In October 2021, McQueen revealed plans to write, direct, and produce Blitz under New Regency's banner, with Lammas Park and Working Title Films also involved in production. By March 2022, McQueen confirmed the film would center on London residents during the Blitz of World War II after conversations with Anne, the Princess Royal. Distribution rights were secured by Apple TV+ by June 2022. Producers include Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan, and Michael Schaefer from New Regency.

Casting

By September 2022, Saoirse Ronan was announced as the lead actress with Adam Stockhausen appointed as production designer. In December, additions to the cast included Harris Dickinson, Erin Kellyman, Stephen Graham, and Kathy Burke, alongside singer-songwriter Paul Weller making his acting debut. Later that month, actors such as Benjamin Clementine, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, CJ Beckford, Hayley Squires, and Sally Messham joined the roster.

Filming

Principal photography commenced in London during November 2022 with Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden serving as the main base of operations. In January 2023, filming took place near London Waterloo station, featuring special effects that simulated bomb impacts on the River Thames at Wapping. Additional sequences were captured within London's borough of Greenwich. By February 2023, production shifted to the historic district of Hull for a two-week shooting period. The sound mixing process extended over nine weeks to finalize.

Music

“The concept centers on a child navigating through the continuously bombarded streets of wartime London, desperately searching for his mother. My intention was for adults—people like you and me—to experience a similar sense of disorientation, feeling utterly lost and confused, unable to find their way home or even comprehend the path to it, gripped by the terrifying possibility that home might be lost forever; the dread of overwhelming bombings descending from above. To capture this, I felt compelled to create music that was relentlessly harsh and intensely violent.” - Hans Zimmer

Hans Zimmer, acclaimed for his compositions in World War II-themed films such as Dunkirk and Pearl Harbor, brought a deeply personal perspective to Blitz, influenced by his mother's history as a refugee in England during the conflict. Director Steve McQueen remarked to Zimmer, "Watching this film will deepen your understanding of your mother." Motivated by this, Zimmer crafted a score embodying the unyielding turmoil and savage nature of the Blitz: “This composition is unapologetically dreadful," he explained. "It’s an utterly disturbing score—extremely dissonant and fully committed to atonality.”

Release

Blitz debuted as the opening feature at the BFI London Film Festival on 9 October 2024, becoming director Steve McQueen’s third film to inaugurate the event following 2018’s Widows and 2020’s Mangrove from his Small Axe anthology. It saw a limited theatrical release in both the US and UK on 1 November 2024, before becoming available for streaming on Apple TV+ starting 22 November.

Critical response

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian awarded the film three stars out of five, describing it as "a skillfully executed and unapologetically traditional wartime adventure" that revisits classic imagery while introducing revisionist viewpoints. Leonard Maltin lauded it as "a compelling and somewhat unsettling work," ranking it among the year’s finest films.

In contrast, Kylie Bolter from the Chicago Reader praised elements such as the musical score, cinematography, and select performances but criticized the film for feeling incomplete and lacking originality. Peter Travers of ABC News acknowledged it as "undeniably a good film" but concluded that it ultimately "falls short," despite notable strengths. Reviewers consistently commended Yorick Le Saux’s cinematography for its "striking beauty" and breathtaking visual composition.

Accolades

Award/Festival	Date	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
Artios Awards	12 February 2025	Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature (Drama)	Nina Gold, Lucy Amos	Template:Nom
Black Reel Awards	10 February 2025	Outstanding Director	Steve McQueen	Template:Nom
		Outstanding Breakthrough Performance	Elliott Heffernan	Template:Nom
		Outstanding Screenplay	Steve McQueen	Template:Nom
British Academy Film Awards	16 February 2025	Best Costume Design	Jacqueline Durran	Template:Nom
		Best Sound	John Casali, Paul Cotterell, and James Harrison	Template:Nom
		Outstanding British Film	Steve McQueen, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Anita Overland	Template:Nom
Camerimage	23 November 2024	Special Award for Outstanding Director	Steve McQueen	Template:Won
		Golden Frog	Yorick Le Saux	Template:Nom
Celebration of Cinema and Television	9 December 2024	Director Award	Steve McQueen	Template:Won
Critics' Choice Movie Awards	12 January 2025	Best Young Actor/Actress	Elliott Heffernan	Template:Nom
Hollywood Music in Media Awards	20 November 2024	Best Original Song – Feature Film	"Winter Coat" – Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, & Taura Stinson	Template:Nom
		Original Score – Feature Film	"Hans Zimmer"	Template:Nom
		"Winter Coat" – Onscreen Performance (TV Show/Limited Series)	"Saoirse Ronan"	Template:Nom
London Film Critics' Circle	February 2, 2025	British/Irish Performer of the Year	Saoirse Ronan	Template:Won	rowspan = "2" align = "center"
		Young British/Irish Performer of the Year	Elliott Heffernan	Template:Nom
scope = "row"	style = "white-space: nowrap;"	Los Angeles Film Critics Association - December 8, 2024	Best Production Design	Adam Stockhausen	Template:Runner-up	align ="center"
scope = "row"	style = "white-space: nowrap;"	Montclair Film Festival - October 27, 2024	Visionary Director Award	Steve McQueen	Template:Honored	align ="center"
rowspan ="2" scope ="row"	NAACP Image Awards -56th NAACP Image Awards February 22, 2025	NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture & Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture	Steve McQueen		align ="center"
rowspan ="2" scope ="row"	Satellite Awards -29th Satellite Awards January 26, 2025	Best Costume Design & Best Original Song	Jacqueline Durran / "Winter Coat" – Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, Taura Stinson		align ="center"
scope ="row"	Society of Composers & Lyricists	12 February 2025	Outstanding Original Song for Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production	"Winter Coat" – Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, Taura Stinson		align ="center"
rowspan ="2" scope ="row"	Visual Effects Society Awards -23rd Visual Effects Society Awards February 11, 2025	Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature & Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal or Animated Project	Andrew Whitehurst et al. / Hayley Williams et al.		align ="center"
rowspan ="2" scope ="row"	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association - December 8, 2024	Best Youth Performance & Best Original Score	Elliott Heffernan / Hans Zimmer	Template:Won / Template:Nom	align ="center"
scope ="row"	IndieWire#Winter IndieWire Honors - December 5, 2024	Wavelength Award	Steve McQueen and Adam Stockhausen		align ="center"