Blitz (2011 film)

Last updated

Blitz
Blitz Movie Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Elliott Lester
Written by Nathan Parker
Based onBlitz by Ken Bruen
Produced bySteven Chasman
Zygi Kamasa
Donald Kushner
Brad Wyman
Starring
Cinematography Rob Hardy
Edited by John Gilbert
Music by Ilan Eshkeri
Production
companies
Davis Films
Lipsync Productions
Distributed by Lionsgate UK
Release date
  • 20 May 2011 (2011-05-20)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$15.8 million [1]

Blitz is a 2011 British action thriller film directed by Elliott Lester and starring Jason Statham, Paddy Considine, Aidan Gillen and David Morrissey. [2] The film is based on the novel of the same name by Ken Bruen, which features his recurring characters Detective Sergeant Tom Brant and Chief Inspector James Roberts. [3] The narrative follows a violent police officer trying to catch a serial killer who has been murdering police officers in South East London.

Contents

The film was released in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2011.

Plot

A serial killer is targeting police officers in South East London. After two police constables are shot dead and Chief Inspector Bruce Roberts (Mark Rylance) is bludgeoned to death, the hunt for the killer's identity begins.

Sergeant Porter Nash (Paddy Considine) is transferred to the South East London branch of the police to head the investigation, even though Nash is an outsider and widely ridiculed by his fellow officers for being openly gay. To his surprise he finds an unlikely ally in the hot-headed, gruff Detective Sergeant Tom Brant (Jason Statham), who has a history of violent incidents.

While the investigation is ongoing, PC Elizabeth Falls (Zawe Ashton) is visited by a friend, a young gang member nicknamed Metal, who is afraid his gang might have actually killed someone. Promising him to look into the situation, Falls contacts Detective Inspector Craig Stokes (Luke Evans), who agrees to help if Falls goes on a date with him.

One of Brant's informants, Radnor (Ned Dennehy), points Brant and Nash towards a man named Barry Weiss (Aidan Gillen) who recently bragged about setting a police dog on fire, "for practice". Although Brant and Nash visit Weiss' flat, they cannot immediately find any evidence against him. Brant recognises Weiss as the man he beat up in a fight in a billiard hall a year earlier. Unknown to either of them, Radnor decides to conduct an investigation of his own and eventually discovers the seemingly abandoned car where Weiss keeps the trophies of his kills, confirming that Weiss is the killer.

Meanwhile, Weiss contacts a newspaper reporter, Harold Dunlop (David Morrissey), to make sure his murders get enough coverage in the press. Weiss promises to keep Dunlop updated about his murders and declares he wishes to be known as Blitz. Soon after, Dunlop is also contacted by Radnor who is interested in selling his information for a high price. Although Radnor leads Dunlop to Weiss' car, he is killed by Weiss before he can disclose Weiss' name. Dunlop then alerts the police to the car, but they find it empty.

Brant and a fellow police constable come to realize that all of Blitz's victims so far have been police officers who have arrested Weiss in the past and that PC Falls is most likely the next victim. Falls, after coming home from her date with Stokes, is attacked by Weiss but saved by Metal, who is killed in the ensuing struggle. Before Weiss can attack Falls again, the police arrive.

Brant and Nash decide to release a picture of Weiss to the media to flush him out, which eventually, after a lengthy chase, leads to Weiss' capture. There is no concrete evidence against Weiss however, so after 48 hours and an interrogation which does not yield results, the police are forced to let Weiss go. Exasperated, Brant and Nash devise a plot to trick Weiss, knowing that Weiss will want to take revenge on Brant for the billiard hall fight.

Weiss infiltrates the funeral of Chief Inspector Roberts, dressed in Roberts' uniform which he had stolen after murdering him. During the service, Brant leaves, followed by Weiss. Brant leads Weiss to the top of a parking garage, only to reveal that Brant and Nash had switched places along the route. Surprised by a hidden Brant, Weiss is mercilessly beaten, overpowered and relieved of his gun. Explaining that they will never find enough evidence to convict Weiss legally, Brant concludes that they are now in a convenient situation: since Weiss is dressed as a police officer, and Brant has Blitz's gun, they can shoot him with his own gun, and it will look as if Weiss was just another of Blitz's victims.

After Weiss is killed, Brant sets the dogs free on Dunlop to chase him for writing articles against him and the police for coverage.

Cast

Production

The film's script was written by Nathan Parker. The film was shot in London in August 2010. [4] Blitz was the first film produced by Lionsgate UK. [5]

Reception

Blitz received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 48% based on reviews from 25 critics. The website's critics consensus reads, "A middling crime thriller largely assembled from wearyingly familiar parts, Blitz sacks a game Jason Statham's performance behind the line of genre scrimmage." [6]

David Hughes of Empire gave the film three out of five stars and wrote: "A rough-cut crime thriller that sees Jason Statham back on familiar turf and doing what he does best." [7] Cath Clarke of The Guardian gave the film a positive review and wrote: "Who knows, we might be looking at the evolution of the guilty-pleasure movie - padded out with top-drawer talent to spare audience blushes." [8]

Box office

Blitz grossed a worldwide total of $15,774,948. [1] The film earned a further $3,065,744 from Domestic DVD & Blu-ray sales. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Statham</span> English actor (born 1967)

Jason Statham is an English actor. He is known for portraying characters in various action-thriller films who are typically tough, hardboiled, gritty, or violent.

<i>Nash Bridges</i> American police drama television series

Nash Bridges is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aidan Gillen</span> Irish actor (born 1968)

Aidan Murphy, better known as Aidan Gillen, is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of three Irish Film & Television Awards and has been nominated for a British Academy Television Award, a British Independent Film Award, and a Tony Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddy Considine</span> English actor, director, screenwriter and singer (born 1973)

Patrick George Considine is an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He has received two British Academy Film Awards, three Evening Standard British Film Awards, British Independent Film Awards and a Silver Lion for Best Short Film at the 2007 Venice Film Festival.

<i>Best Seller</i> 1987 American film by John Flynn

Best Seller is a 1987 American neo-noir crime thriller film written by Larry Cohen, directed by John Flynn and starring James Woods and Brian Dennehy. The film tells the story of Cleve (Woods), a career hitman, who wants to turn his life story into a book written by Dennis Meechum (Dennehy), a veteran police officer and best-selling author

<i>The Pink Panther</i> (2006 film) 2006 comedy film directed by Shawn Levy

The Pink Panther is a 2006 American comedy-mystery film and a reboot of The Pink Panther franchise, marking the tenth installment in the series. It is also the first Pink Panther film to be released since Son of the Pink Panther released in 1993. In this film, Inspector Jacques Clouseau is assigned to solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and the theft of the famous Pink Panther diamond. The film was directed by Shawn Levy, stars Steve Martin as Clouseau and also co-stars Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, and Beyoncé Knowles.

Ken Bruen is an Irish writer of hard-boiled and noir crime fiction.

<i>Transporter</i> (franchise) French action-thriller film series

Transporter is a French action thriller film franchise, comprising four films released between 2002 and 2015, and a television series. Jason Statham plays Frank Martin in the first three movies, a professional freelance courier driver for hire. Statham is an accomplished martial artist, allowing him to do all the combat scenes involving Frank Martin himself. This permits the film's signature Hong Kong-style fight scenes, choreographed by Corey Yuen. Chris Vance portrays Martin in the sequel television series and Ed Skrein portrays him in the fourth film, a reboot.

Jamie Thraves is a British film writer and director.

<i>Killer Elite</i> (film) 2011 film by Gary McKendry

Killer Elite is a 2011 action thriller film starring Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro. The film is based on the 1991 novel The Feather Men by Sir Ranulph Fiennes and is directed by Gary McKendry.

<i>Thorne</i> (TV series) British crime drama television series

Thorne is a British crime drama television series, based on the novels of author Mark Billingham, that was first broadcast on Sky One on 10 October 2010. A single six-episode series, starring David Morrissey in the title role of Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, was broadcast at 21:00 on Sundays until 14 November. As well as Morrissey, the series also stars Aidan Gillen, Eddie Marsan, O-T Fagbenle and Lorraine Ashbourne in supporting roles. The series comprises two three-part dramatisations of the first two Thorne novels, Sleepyhead and Scaredycat. Sleepyhead, directed by Stephen Hopkins, previewed in full at the BFI Southbank in London on 4 October 2010, followed by a Q&A session featuring writer Mark Billingham and actors David Morrissey and Eddie Marsan.

<i>Safe</i> (2012 film) 2012 American action thriller film

Safe is a 2012 American action thriller film written and directed by Boaz Yakin, produced by Lawrence Bender, Dana Brunetti and Joseph Zolfo and starring Jason Statham, Chris Sarandon, Robert John Burke and James Hong. In the film, Luke Wright (Statham) is an ex-cop and former cage fighter who winds up protecting a gifted child being chased by the Russian mafia, Chinese Triads, and corrupt NYPD officers.

<i>The Suspicions of Mr Whicher</i> British series of television films

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher is a British series of television films made by Hat Trick Productions for ITV, written by Helen Edmundson and Neil McKay. It stars Paddy Considine in the title role of detective inspector Jack Whicher of the Metropolitan Police. The first film, The Murder at Road Hill House, was based on the real-life Constance Kent murder case of 1860, as interpreted by Kate Summerscale in her 2008 book The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House, which was the winner of Britain's Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction in 2008, and was read as BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week in April the same year.

<i>Calvary</i> (2014 film) 2014 film

Calvary is a 2014 Irish drama film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. It stars Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, Dylan Moran, Domhnall Gleeson, M. Emmet Walsh and Isaach de Bankolé. The film began production in September 2012 and was released in April 2014 in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, in July in Australia and in August 2014 in the United States.

<i>Hummingbird</i> (film) 2013 film

Hummingbird is a 2013 action crime film written and directed by Steven Knight in his directorial debut. It stars Jason Statham as an alcoholic veteran haunted who befriends a Catholic nun, becomes involved in organised crime and exact vengeance on a man who beats and kills prostitutes.

<i>Child 44</i> (film) 2015 film

Child 44 is a 2015 mystery thriller film directed by Daniel Espinosa, written by Richard Price, and based on Tom Rob Smith's 2008 novel of the same name. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman, Paddy Considine, Jason Clarke, and Vincent Cassel. It was released on 17 April 2015. Both the novel and the film are very loosely based on the case of Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. The film was a box office bomb, grossing just $13 million against its $50 million budget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Shelby</span> Fictional character

Thomas Michael Shelby is a fictional character and the protagonist of the British period crime drama Peaky Blinders. He is played by Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who has won an Irish Film & Television Award and National Television Award for his portrayal of Shelby. The character has received critical acclaim.

Elliott Lester is a British film and television director best known for directing the film Blitz. He began his career directing music videos, before making his film debut in 2006 with Love Is the Drug.

<i>The Outsider</i> (King novel) 2018 horror novel by Stephen King

The Outsider (2018) is a horror novel by the American author Stephen King. The novel was published by Scribner.

<i>Wrath of Man</i> 2021 action thriller heist film directed by Guy Ritchie

Wrath of Man is a 2021 heist action thriller film directed by Guy Ritchie, who co-wrote with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies. It is loosely based on the 2004 French film Cash Truck. It is Ritchie's fourth directorial collaboration with lead actor Jason Statham since Revolver (2005). Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Chris Reilly, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonso, Raúl Castillo, DeObia Oparei, Eddie Marsan and Scott Eastwood appear in supporting roles. In the film, H (Statham) is a new cash truck driver in Los Angeles whose thwarting of a robbery leads to his skillset with guns and mysterious past being questioned.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Blitz (2011) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  2. "British Council Film: Blitz". British Council .
  3. Official synopsis Archived 14 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Jason Statham films Blitz in London Archived 7 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Metro.co.uk
  5. Jaafar, Ali (13 July 2009). "Jason Statham tracking 'Blitz'". Variety.
  6. "Blitz". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  7. "Blitz". Empire. 13 January 2011.
  8. Clarke, Cath (19 May 2011). "Blitz – review". The Guardian .