A tough cop is dispatched to take down a serial killer who has been targeting police officers. In London, the violent Detective Sergeant Tom Brant is in trouble with the press and his superiors request a low profile attitude from him. When a cop killer called Blitz attacks police officers in London, Brant is assigned to the manhunt with his chief, the gay cop Porter Nash. His investigation shows that the criminal is the hoodlum Barry Weiss, but the police can not find any evidence against Barry. When he is released from jail thanks to his lawyer, Brant and Nash put Barry under surveillance expecting a new attack of the Blitz. "Blitz" is actually one of the more interesting movies that Jason Statham has been in. Why? Well, for starters, this movie is not all about glorified violence with lots of cool camera angles, effects and the work. No, it is simply about the story and the characters in it.<br/><br/>The story in "Blitz" is quite compelling. A guy is killing police officers and there seem to be some systematic approach to his work. And caught in the action is Tom Brant (played by Jason Statham) and Porter Nash (played by Paddy Considine). And it is about their work trying to solve the case and getting to the bottom of matters. But "Blitz" is more than just your average detective movie, it also deals with the personal demons that seem to torment many of the police officers that work in that particular precinct. There is the matter of alcohol and substance abuse, the loss of someone close to you, and reaching out for help when most needed. It all just comes together for a greater end result, and it really lifted up the movie tremendously.<br/><br/>Jason Statham really carried this movie, and he did so quite well. He was more down to earth and more believable in this role, compared to some of the "super" guys he has played in other movies (not saying that his previous work is not good, because I am a big fan). But there is just something about this character that you can relate to. And opposite Statham was Barry Weiss/Blitz (played by Aiden Gillen) who also put on quite a performance.<br/><br/>"Blitz" has the right amount of action, drama and suspense that you could wish for, and it had me nailed to the chair from the very beginning and right up to the end. You get swept away and dragged into the story, and it is great!<br/><br/>"Blitz" is, of course, a MUST if you are a fan of Jason Statham. But it is also quite noteworthy for fans of thrillers and detective movies. Virtually every scene in Blitz is predictable. You know who's gonna get whacked and the precise moment it's gonna happen. The director builds no tension, but tries to apply false tension with a violin for half the movie. The viola keeps on trying to bait you from scene to scene. Cops are getting cut down by a serial killer who is just mad crazy - but we don't know why he is that way. We get to see the killer so often, he doesn't scare you the way a smart thriller should. When victims are getting stalked, we see the stalker - pretty much taking away the act of stalking. The victims of course don't see anything - yet they're cops - people who are supposed to be on their toes. When they get taken out, there is no realism. Any realism is replaced with gore - gore that's meant to shock you. It sickens rather than shocks because there is no intimacy in the act or tension from previous plays. Jason is terrible - but what really could he do with such a terrible screen play? The absurdity of the movie can be drilled down to this: the reporter gets a call from the killer - killer tells reporter he just killed a cop with a hammer - killer tells reporter his name is Blitz (like Blitzkrieg) - reporter smiles as if to say 'Thank You' as he hangs up with the killer - Headline the next day says something to the effect of "Blitz Kills Again". If someone called you after they killed someone with a hammer - would you smile? Why would a paper run a headline like that when they just discovered his name the day before? The whole thing is amoral and trite. Aside from all this useless fodder, the director puts both the killer and hero in the same room together - and without a glass wall between them. This is a No No - don't ever get the two so close lest you want to ruin the showdown at the end. The edge cop is obviously taken from Dirty Harry, even from one of the first scenes when he's getting chewed out - straight from DH. The movement is Bourne Identity - or at least it wants to be. Might make a good comedy in 20 years, because it's absolutely foolish.
Lavrran replied
295 weeks ago