‘Blitz’ a typical outing for Statham
Blitz
(Cert 18, 93 mins, Thriller/Action)
DS Tom Brant (Jason Statham) has a knack for getting into trouble and he is often splashed across the front pages thanks to crime reporter Harold Dunlop (David Morrissey).
Threatened with suspension, Brant is enlisted to work under newly promoted and openly gay DS Porter Nash (Paddy Considine) to catch a cop killer.
Brant turns to his former boss, Chief Inspector James Roberts (Mark Rylance), for advice.
He also keeps an eye on one-time undercover drug cop WPC Elizabeth Falls (Zawe Ashton), who is recently out of rehab and still has valuable informants in play.
As the investigation gathers pace, Nash and Brant bond and the men point the finger of suspicion at Barry Weiss (Aidan Gillen).
Blitz is a gritty action thriller adapted from the novel by Ken Bruen about a mentally unstable loner at war with London’s police.
Shot on location in the capital, Elliott Lester’s brutal and bloody film is familiar stomping ground for Statham, who growls his lines in monotone while dispatching bad guys with fists, guns and barbed one-liners: “If you’re picking the wrong fight, at least pick the right weapon!”
Considine avoids stereotypes and the relationship between the two men – distrust and bigotry mellowing into unerring loyalty – underpins Lester’s hard-hitting tour of London’s bloodstained streets.
The denouement strains credibility, however, relying on a character showing restraint when they have been trigger-happy for the rest of the film.
Ashton delivers a solid supporting performance, despite her plotline being malnourished, as the WPC haunted by the demons of drug addiction.
Rating: 3/5.
