Visitors Review

Van Roberts (2012-05-25 23:36)

"Dirty Harry" in London!!!

"Love is a Drug" director Elliot Lester and "Moon" scenarist NathanParker have taken author Ken Bruen crime novel and turned it into anexciting, suspenseful, and brutal police procedural about a serialkiller who starts off shooting cops before he resorts to a hammer toget a bang out of his sadism. Brawny Detective Sergeant Brant (JasonStatham) is the tough-talking, no-nonsense, policeman who makes it hisbusiness to track down this ruthless fiend. This is a good, gritty,no-take-prisoners crime thriller that knows the motions to go throughand delivers enough blood, gore, and violence to keep callousedarmchair detective glued to the screen. Aidan Gillen stole the showfrom John Cena in "12 Rounds" and makes just as sinister an impressionin "Blitz." In fact, the film takes it title from Gillen's psychotickiller who kills without a qualm.

(2012-05-25 09:57)

Great Statham flick!

I consider myself a Jason Statham connoisseur. I enjoy most of the movies he's been in with the exception of "Revolver" which I found to be too darn bizarre (I understand the movie, but it was executed all wrong by Guy Ritchie). Based on the negative reviews here on Amazon I dived into this movie expecting the worst and instead I was pleasantly surprised by how great this movie was for being a relatively low budget UK import that skipped theaters here in the States. I'll get this out of the way: This movie doesn't have the non stop action of a Transporter or Expendables flick. That's not to say there's no action or that's boring (it's not), but it doesn't have the over the top choreographed action that are a staple of many of his movies. However, Statham is still a bad ass mo-fo in this flick. He's a pissed off cop with his hands tied behind his back because he's under media scrutiny after using force against bad guys while off duty. Because the movie attempts to stay somewhat grounded in reality it would be silly for his character to be fighting ten guys at a time, getting into unnecessary shootouts, car chases and blowing up buildings. Statham does kick ass when appropriate and it is always appropriate and satisfying. Statham's character isn't up against a gang of mercenaries or the Chinese army, he's pursuing one maniac, thus the "lack of action".Also, the bad guy in to movie was Tommy Carcetti in "The Wire" and is Petyr Baelish in "Game of Thrones". So not only do you get Statham playing a restrained badass, you get the mayor from The Wire!! And he's F'ing crazy in this movie! How could you not appreciate that?If you don't at least somewhat like this movie you were raised by over protective parents and still suck your thumb when you go to bed at night.I'm out!

nikolobg (2012-05-24 23:14)

Surprisingly Dull

The movie is a solid 5 yet I find myself wondering if there issomething else apart from the obvious that makes it an average titleonly worthy if you have 2 hours needed wasting. Apart from the obviousreasons, after watching it I could feel there was an inner weaknesswhich was not immediately apparent to me.The obvious reasons are a story with plot holes and unbelievablesituations, two dimensional characters and story lines that go nowhere.The action is real and leaves place for acting and a deep story, twoelements which are not there as I said. The story is terribly weak andyou feel the actors doing stuff because it's in the script. Allot ofthe secondary characters are in the movie for no reason, with a storyline about them that we don't care about, goes nowhere and remainsunresolved in the end. The only story that matters is the hunt by Nashand Brant but the way they are thrown together to visit the serialkiller is just retarded, or rather it's just because the script saysso. Nash who is responsible for a task-force hunting the serial killerwonders if he can tag along to visit a lead as he has nothing else todo and Brant because he is a nice people person likes the idea to havea partner on this visit (there is allot of sarcasm in what you justread). Those kind of forced events due to the "script says so", andthere are many which are well covered by other reviews, just makes themovie unbelievable. After reflecting further I realized the biggest fail of this movie isthat it's a criminal thriller, yet there is no suspense, criminalinvestigation or thrills. The audience knows who the murderer is fromthe start, so there is no mystery or excitement in discovering who didit. We know our hero Steven Seagal can't be hurt or killed so we arenot concerned about what can happen to him when he meets the serialkiller… uhhh I mean Jason, Jason Statham, honest mistake I swear. Theinvestigation by the detectives is as exciting and original as therepublican debates. So in the end I am left with little realisticaction, a story I don't care about which as the movie progresses I findboring, script holes, unbelievable events and characters that act basedon a weak script.There must have been some cool moments otherwise I wouldn't give it a5, I just can't remember them right now.

ministryagent (2012-05-24 12:51)

More Donner than BLITZ-en...

WARNING: Very mild spoilers ahead.Based on a cult but - let's be a honest - undemanding 'noir' novelabout a cop-killer and the Metropolitan police thug after him, directedby a relative unknown, and featuring an ensemble of actors ranging fromthe incredibly good (Paddy Considine) to the monosyllabic (Jason "DoesWhat It Says On The Tin" Stathan) BLITZ slid under the public radarwith no real fanfair. I was a little better prepared: I've been waitingsince the first trailer leaked back in October 2010, and with baitedbreath ever since I arrived to an opening day screen almost empty butfor barely a dozen, of whom a solid half were the girlfriends of macho,buzz-cut emblazoned men obviously expecting a rip-roaring bit ofarm-breaking, DEATH WISH-esque, vigilante rough-em-up.What we got was something altogether different. Not necessarily bad.Not altogether good. Merely different.When it comes to flaws, the biggest is that BLITZ really doesn't seemto know what it wants to be. Part drama, part cop-show, partbeat-em-up, there's something schizophrenic and half-cocked about thewhole thing. It's like the screenplay wanted to cram in as much of thebook as possible, leaving blank space and plot-holes where chapters orevents were removed. Characters appear in the middle of what areobviously their own little subplots that remain curiously unresolved(the inspector's wife's funeral and the hoodie-hero subplot), plotholes are left unresolved (how does Blitz know where all of London'scameras are?), and as someone with a more than passing knowledge ofcriminal law the leaps of legal failing were nearly unbelievable (noone thinks of charging an arrested character with stealing money orassaulting a police officer?!).As a straight action film these flaws could be overlooked, but the factthe cast is so good and the story wants to take itself seriously reallymakes it all the more obvious. Aidan Gillen's mumbling, vengefulcop-killer is by turns funny, pathetic and brutal (his reaction to hismost savage murder is notably human); Considine plays his openly gaypolice detective with such sad but easy grace it's a shame he's not init more; Zawe Ashton hits the right dramatic notes; and Stathanobviously tried to put on his acting gloves (his confession andtwinkle-eyed homophobia make up for any of the hackneyed clichés hemight spout while beating someone with a pool cue or intimidating apolice psychiatrist). The problem overall is a saggy script that runsmore like the pilot for a TV-series than a movie, in some ways feelinghalf-finished. The ending, which I'll say little on, will probably be alet-down for some: for me it was simply solid.And that's the rub: BLITZ is simply solid. It's not groundbreaking,brilliant or well-crafted. It's a rough diamond that brings togethersome brilliant actors but leaves all that innate lustre woefullyunderused (Considine) or in subplots that ignore their potential (LukeEvans' DI Craig Stokes: what was HE all about?). In a sense, London isforced to become the real star of the film. The city comes across as agrimy, sleazy dive without degenerating into the usual shots ofporn-shops and unkempt alleys. There's an almost claustrophobic vibe,with tight, fixed cameras interspersed with the odd overhead. There'sno Big Ben or London Eye here, but dingy pubs, sunlit estates and anice chase from Bayswater to Paddington, which may be one of the fewtimes in a film where such a chase is actually realistic! (As an aside,I'm not sure whether the film was asked by the Metropolitan Police andCity of London Police not to use their names, but the police in thefilm are simply referred to as "The London Police" - was someone upsetat the movie constabulary's rampant corruption and nepotism?) Overall,BLITZ is a lot of flash, a lot of noise, but very little heat. Ifyou're looking for a detective film with some blood, it'll probablyfloat your boat, but it's not gory or violent enough for the'vigilante' crowd nor cerebral enough for the viewer who enjoyswhodunits like THE BONE COLLECTOR. As a vehicle for LionsGate UK's newproductions, however, it's a fair bit of cinema and one I will buy onDVD - if only for the hope that the obvious 30minutes plus that gotleft on the cutting room floor get put back in.Stathan and Considine fans may feel a little underwhelmed, but it'sheart is in the right place even if it doesn't know exactly where itwants to stand, and if you're in the mood for something a bit morerealistic than bird-named pirates or chav-chewing aliens, you could doa lot worse than put your money down for two hours of solid - if simple- British crime.

(2012-05-24 12:47)

Top Drawer Suspense/Psychological Drama

BLITZ is very much worth watching. Yes, it is another exploration of what makes a good and bad cop, but this time the story is so well told and the actors are so convincing that once this film has 'blitzed' by the viewer's eyes, watching it again will be an even more positive experience. Based on the novel by Ken Bruen and adapted for the screen with crackling dialogue by Nathan Parker, the story of the film is not so much one that is tough to follow - that's not the point - it is how the characters deploy themselves that makes it explode. Elliot Lester shows his mettle as an action director who understands character development and allows it to develop very naturally.Detective Sargeant Tom Brant (Jason Statham) has his own way of catching and punishing criminals and his quick temper and disgust for perpetrators tends to make him act quickly and violently, a trait that gets him into trouble with his superiors. A serial cop killer who goes by the name of Blitz or Barry Weiss (Aidan Gillen) is out to kill as many cops as possible because of the way Brant treated him in a pool hall brawl a few years ago. One of the cops - Chief Inspector James Roberts (Mark Rylance) is victimized and put on leave and is replaced by gay cop Porter Nash (Paddy Considine). Initially at odds because of Brant's curt put down of Nash's lifestyle, the two finally join hands, discover why they are motivated to be violent from a very similar background, and the two set out to capture the Blitz. The media gets involved with reporter Dunlop (David Morrisey) from a tip from the serial killer who really is after fame. A sidebar involves a prior undercover cop in the drug world, WPC Elizabeth Falls (Zawe Ashton), who has her own personal bruises and joins in the chase for the killer with the apparent aid of DI Craig Stokes (Luke Evans). But just when these disparate cops think they have the serial killer Blitz under control, Blitz outsmarts them again until the well-staged suspenseful chase brings the film to a surprising close.BLITZ is a yarn well told and well acted: Statham and Considine have great screen chemistry and the cameo roles are all molded to perfection by a very strong British cast. Very much worth seeing at least once...Grady Harp, August 11

Matthew Turner (2012-05-24 07:25)

Enjoyable, well acted and smartly directed British thriller that's a huge amount of fun while you're watching it but falls apart the moment you think about it afterwards.

David Edwards (2012-05-23 10:24)

It's gritty, down and dirty, and Statham has never been better.

(2012-05-23 05:09)

Gritty cop drama is formulaic but interesting for its UK persepective

Like many people, I've been a Jason Statham fan since the Transporter, so if you like Statham's other movies, you'll probably like this movie, though this is a little more gritty and less humorous than the Transporter or Crank. The plot here is fairly formulaic - a serial killer is targetting police officers in a large metropolitan area. Based on information provided by a police informant, Statham's character is provided with a suspect and Statham's character soon figures out which officers are being targetted and why, but can't prove anything. Eventually the police set a trap and deal with him. One sub-plot includes a policewoman who was undercover and became a junkie and is now back on the forece after getting out of rehab. However, as the pressure mounts,she starts using again. Another sublot is a rivalry between the police who are responsible for the high-end neighborhoods and those who are responsible for the seedier parts of London. The plot is fairly formulaic and derivative of other dramas, with bits from Dirty Harry, Nighthawks, and other police dramas thrown in.The interesting part is that the story is based in London, so we get a bit of a UK perspective. The slang and the accents are difficult to follow and I strongly suggest viewing with the subtitles on.

Elliott Noble (2012-05-21 23:30)

It's definitely not far from Cliché Central. But if you're looking for Credibility Street, you'll soon get lost.

(2012-05-21 11:40)

A YAWNER AND HARD TO FOLLOW

A mean cop goes after meaner criminals but there isn't much to like or relate to unless you like to see people get beat up. I watched it for a good half hour and just found it boring. Plus Statham was a bit much on his accent so it was hard to follow him. WHEN WATCHED: early September 2011 (streamed); MY GRADE: D plus to C minus.

blackarcher_1029 (2012-05-20 23:47)

A tough cop is dispatched to take down a serial killer who has been targeting police officers.

Oddly entertaining, this London cop thriller dangles a temptingtwo-for- one offer. Buy a violent geezer caper – Jason "internationalaction hero" Statham giving it some as a Bouvier boy in blue, dolingout street justice with a hockey stick – and they'll throw in the bestof Brit acting: Paddy Considine playing his gay police boss and AidanGillen as a cop killer. David Morrissey pops up as a grubby tabloidhack. It's not half bad, adapted from a Ken Bruen novel and slicklydirected by Elliott Lester. London is dirty-looking, the detective workhonky at times. It's all fag- end believable, although the plot getsincreasingly silly and far-fetched. For Statham, this is ascharacter-driven as it gets: a chink of humor flashing through thebulldog charisma as he indulges in a spot of mild hereto-flirting withConsidine's cop. Who knows, we might be looking at the evolution of theguilty-pleasure movie – padded out with top-drawer talent to spareaudience blushes.

smoochpapandreas (2012-05-20 20:04)

A Cockney Harry Callahan

If you want to watch the original Dirty Harry but with more mumbling inthick English accents then Blitz is the film for you.In fact, if you've ever watched a rogue cop film made in the pastthirty years, you've probably already seen this film: a jaded cop whosebrutal methods don't endear him to his more liberal (and political)superiors is brought in when a killer starts to murder cops. The restplays out pretty much as you expect but that's hardly the point with afilm of this type.What's more important is seeing Stratham back on home turf and he's farmore suited to action in urban squalor than his recent Americanvehicles where he tends to lose his shirt within ten minutes and spendthe rest of the film grumbling in a cod American accent. Here hisperformance is hardly more nuanced but at least he keeps his shirt onand is supported by a strong supporting cast, especially PaddyConsidine and the mercurial Aidan Gillen. I've never seen Gillen beforebut on the basis of this I wouldn't be surprised if he's not alreadylabelled 'the new Gary Oldman'.The film definitely has weaknesses – I can't decide about Zawe Ashton'sslightly stilted performance – but it was a hell of a lot better than Iexpected and great to see properly commercial thrillers once againbeing made in the UK.

(2012-05-18 17:04)

THE BRITISH VERSION OF "DIRTY HARRY" IS WORTH A RENTAL!!

Jason Statham is one busy dude!! As many movies this guy is spitting out within the year, quality is bound to take a ride on the backseat!!! With this said, BLITZ is borderline straight to DVD quality. The only factors saving it is the random action and its main cast of Jason Statham, Paddy Considine and Aidan Gillen. All three give strong performances which hold your attention throughout the movie. What hinders the movie overall is the "been there, done that" plot of loose cannon cop with total opposite partner and the pointless and useless side story of characters we really don't care about but somehow get tied up to the main story. If you've seen the original DIRTY HARRY, you probably will be disappointed by this film because it simply can't compare. If your a Statham fan, by all means watch the film and see him do what he does best, but for the rest of you this movie is at least worth a rental.

(2012-05-18 06:54)

Great hardcore action

A serial killer targeting cops meets his match in Statham, whose acting here marks a strong inprovement over his previous work. There's still enough action for five or six movies, but the plotline is relevant too. Never slows down for a second, and is a must for any fan of Statham.

(2012-05-18 00:16)

Star power is not enough

This review is from: Blitz (includes Digital Copy) (DVD) I like mindless violence as much as anybody. I first got started collecting Jason Statham when he was starring in the British "ultraviolent" movies.Unfortunately, unlike those movies, there is no one to like in this one. Nasty criminals pursued (and beaten) by nasty cops. Sorry, Jason. Maybe another time.

(2012-05-17 16:03)

even the action was not redeeming for this hunk a junk

This review is from: Blitz (Amazon Instant Video) stratham is going to have to have a talk with his agent about this one. bad writing, unexciting fight scenes, characters that you just don't care about, no conflict, etc. if you're in the mood for a stratham flick, this ain't the one.

Charlotte O'Sullivan (2012-05-17 11:13)

All three men give searing performances and young cinematographer Robert Hardy dwells with palpable relief on their expressive features.

Graham Young (2012-05-17 06:45)

While the film recognises pressure and camaraderie, the plot is stretched like an under-sized string vest over a bulging six pack.

nishesquire09 (2012-05-12 19:50)

A good action flick

This movie is an action packed thriller, one that should be enjoyedwith a couple of beers in a man cave (with friends, of course). Somescenes are quite violent and gory, including depictions of dismemberedbody parts and brain splatterings. There are some hilarious momentsthat are perhaps more funny because the movie is otherwise quiteserious. The main actor (Statham) plays his role well and has an edgeabout him that comes off as real. He had some nice banter with hishomosexual boss, but thankfully there wasn't any suggestion of anysexual tension between the two (not because I'm homophobic, but becauseI think it would distract from the action too much.) The rest of thecast was average. The deranged killer was neither scary nor psychoticand I didn't get the feeling that he was really on a killing spree. Iguess the bar of the deranged killer was set by the Joker from Batman.Overall, a good movie to watch once.

dleu2 (2012-05-12 02:19)

Just all around bad movie...

I've certainly like other Statham flicks, but it doesn't get much morepredictable than this one....bad acting all around. It's to his creditthat Statham somehow comes through as doing his part, and yet thescript really fails in making him likable, or unlikable for thatmatter; there is nothing coherent that would lead one to understand himas tough guy with a legit reason for dispensing justice.In addition,the rest of characters have no development and yet one is forced towatch prolonged scenes of their troubles and yet it all seems trite asone could care less whether they overcome their situations. Similarly,the villain is simply annoying to the point that you just want to walkaway from the film so you don't have to hear him anymore. All this iscoupled with a soundtrack that abruptly and over-dramatically cuts intothe scenes. Lastly, there is a big editing oversight in the last scene,but I'll leave that up to you to find, for that might be the only thingof interest you see in this film.