Genres

Visitors Review

eydryan 2012-05-24 17:35:22

Surprisingly good, true to the book

I remember reading the book in highschool (http://www.amazon.com/Blitz-Ken-Bruen/dp/0312327269/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312071329&sr=8-1) and Ienjoyed it immensely. Although Brant was a completely differentcharacter in the book I like that they kept his traditional and oldschool manner. The spirit of the book is also kept in this, which is very surprisingand pleasant in any movie that features Jason Statham. It's refreshingthat it's not the kind of movie where he just punches everyone to deathfor two hours, it's deeper than that. I suggest you go see it, it's certainly an interesting story andhopefully it'll make you want to read the novel which is at acompletely different level, the atmosphere is much deeper andeverything, from the violence to the interactions are much morecolourful.

caroeb 2012-05-24 10:02:13

Enjoyable movie

This movie includes interesting dynamics among the characters, and aninteresting overall plot.I don't know why many reviewers here claim to be upset about"underdeveloped" characters and/or or plot elements. Having just viewedthis film, I'm not feeling "left hanging." The above comments mustrefer to the "side stories," told through vignettes, of two policeofficers' lives, effectively conveying that they are vulnerable humans,trying to do a job in spite of their personal and unrelated hurts and ajob that, in itself, is sometimes hurtful to them. We're also offeredvignettes of cops helping cops, as friends. In my opinion, those "backstories" add a thoughtful contrast to the villain who pursues hishatred of cops, and adds depth and interest to the overall story.All of the actors understatedly, and therefore all the moreeffectively, inhibit their characters. Exceptions to the"understatedly" rule are the ever-bold Jason Statham (of course) andAidan Gillen as an annoyingly cocky killer. The more reservedcharacters hold their own and support the thrust of the story, butthese two dominate it, to good effect.I can't close without awarding a star to Ned Dennehy, who veryeffectively portrays a slime-ball who seems to haunt the border between"polite society" and capitulation to homelessness.BTW, it's a British movie, but if I hadn't been able to follow along, Iassume that I could have resorted to American-English subtitles :-). Ishould also mention that there are "moral ambiguities" in this move; ifyou's rather not deal with those, stay away. Oh, and my husband (theexpert on that topic), says there is plenty of "action."

DICK STEEL 2012-05-23 15:14:15

A Nutshell Review: Blitz

Jason Statham is my go to guy when I'm in need for an action movie fix,and he's quite the versatile bloke where filmmakers can put him in asupport role or to marquee their film, having what it takes to beplaying either the hero or the villain. I'm waiting to see if one dayhe'll venture out of his comfort zone into where many action stars havegone into - comedy - though I'm perfectly OK if he sticks to what hedoes best. In Blitz, Statham plays Detective Sergeant Tom Brant, atough (what else?) cop with a track record for brute force and violenceduring the course of his duty, and sometimes outside of it, and as anintroduction to his tough as nails character we see him break a bunchof carjacking thugs, only for the opening credits to end with him andhis police precinct being under the scrutiny of the public no thanks toattention seeking journalistic sensationalism.Being muzzled by his chief to keep a low profile in the meantime, youknow you can't put a good man down when eventually a serial cop killeris on the loose, and the force has to unleash their best officer forthe job, teaming up with new transfer Detective Porter Nash (PaddyConsidine) who himself has a little bit of a baggage brought with himto this new part of the city. Blitz soon becomes your atypical buddycop movie, only with a darker theme and environment. The narrative byNathan Parker based upon the novel by Ken Bruen surprisingly sprawlsjust beyond this cat and mouse hunt, involving fellow cop ElizabethFalls (Zawe Ashton) who has returned from undercover duties andrehabilitation to kick her drug habit no thanks to the occupationalhazard, a juvenile she's trying to protect and a budding romanticsubplot between her and fellow cop (Luke Evans), as well as that of apolice informant and his decision to make money with his intelligencerather than to offer them for free to the cops, which in a way ties itdown back to Tom Brant and his treatment of people around him.As such the film also tackles other themes such as the role the pressplays especially when you have unethical reporters and theirpublications making compromises in order to gain exclusive scoops. Withwrong intentions, villains can be made heroes especially when itinvolves something that can sell stories and papers, and heroes can bemade villains when the one wielding the pen happened to be rubbed thewrong way. Then there's the usual friendship and camaraderie inherentin most buddy cop pictures, and how pride is one of the largest sinsthat can play a big part in influencing the way we behave, which isinteresting since the villain has such a huge ego, it makes it a lotmore satisfying, or lack thereof, when the cops cannot pursue anyfurther due to the lack of evidence - which Law Abiding Citizen alreadymentioned how everything boils down to what you can prove in a court oflaw.The villain Blitz, as he calls himself, may not be an instant cultclassic to be put into the cinematic rogues gallery, but Aidan Gillendoes enough to make you love to hate him, as he goes about his twistedone man crusade to fatally wound policemen in seemingly random fashion.Aidan Gillen plays him over the top, taunting and toying with his wouldbe captors, snapping because of a bruised ego which Statham's detectiveengages in what would be one of the highlights in the interrogationroom. Those looking for Statham to kick some serious rear, like myself,will be a tad disappointed that he doesn't have many scenes to flexthose muscles and do just that. Paddy Considine turned out to be asurprise package of the leading trio thanks to time devoted to hischaracter's backstory which provided for a more multi- faceted personaable to sustain a mild running jokes, at his expense of course.On one hand the ensemble cast provides director Elliot Lester with anopportunity to tell a larger story, but in a certain way this meantcutting down the focus on the central plot involving the trio of TomBrant, Porter Nash and Barry Weiss aka The Blitz, which could have beenmade more intense if not for only a handful of scenes that they get puttogether, with almost no differentiation between Tom Brant and PorterNash as their friendship converges and make them pretty much one andthe same type. The finale may not sit down well with some since it'smiles away from being politically correct, and there will be those whotake offense at how it suggests police brutality remains a glamorousoption if the system breaks down and does not work, leaving thoseseeking justice to succumb to a perversion of something they areobligated to uphold.But in the context of this film, it sure gave a satisfying feeling toend it all.

thekarmicnomad 2012-05-23 08:34:53

Very Statham

This is really quite an old fashioned style 'maverick cop' movie.Statham plays the detective who bends all the rules but gets results.He pretty much beats and one lines his way through what is essentiallya very simple plot. But it all works well the action is hard and fastand the characters are quirky if a little stereo typical.It is set in the South East of London but isn't overly gritty like mostfilms set in the UK are.It doesn't quite have the whit and style of Lock Stock but doesn't makeyou scared to leave the hosue like Harry Brown.Very enjoyable but don't take it too seriously.

yeganehaym 2012-05-22 22:50:02

jason Statham was good but not like always

i watched this movie and was good but it is not great, i set rating to6 and not more, jason Statham was good but not like always. jasonStatham even had better role in 13(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0798817/) the story is good but have manyproblems (bored) i had more expectation for it but director could notmade it as well. this is second movie from director and i have moreexpectation from him in future. he must can use good actors in goodroles and best stories if he used regular actor no different with jasonStatham.finally , this movie have worth for once watching

2012-05-22 02:50:50

Absolutely horrible.

I was so dissapointed of this movie because i am a huge fan of jason , it was so boring that i decided to read a book instead. I dont get all the great reviews, but then again you are entitled to your opinion. I gave this a negative 1.

blackarcher_1029 2012-05-22 00:58:34

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.

FiveHundredFlicks 2012-05-21 06:58:13

Good Ingredients, Decent Chef, Bland Dish

I'll echo what others have said about Blitz. It has a decent cast andthe director obviously knows what he's doing but it seems that's notenough to make a film good.**SPOILER ALERT** There are a number of glaring errors in the storyline, chief amongstthem being the 50k which is returned to the suspect when plod can'tcome up with enough evidence to hold him any longer.The 50k did not belong to the suspect, it was in the toilets with thedead fella and despite plod knowing that the journalist was in thetoilets with the stiff for 10 minutes 'looking for the money'which hadbeen given to the dead fella, when the money turns up in the possessionof the chief suspect that's seemingly not enough to link him with themoiders. Chinny reckon ! Mind you, with the increasing level of apparent incompetence of some UKpolice forces that glaring error may be required in any script.Some scenes were dealt with in keeping with the film but othersappeared rushed as if the director wanted to shoehorn in some Sweeneytype dialogue or the actor's agents had demanded X amount of screentime in the contract.Always a pleasure to watch Paddy Considine in any film and it's notfair to watch Jason Statham in Lock, Stock, Snatch, Crank 1 & 2 andthen compare his performance in those films to his lack lustreperformance in Blitz.Could have been a great movie but it's come out only as watchable.

seany_c 2012-05-21 06:32:05

Passes The Time

As fans of Jason Statham me and my girl saw this yesterday. I'm usuallya fan of his over-the-top action films like 'The Transporter's', 'Crank1 & 2' and 'The Mechanic'. I was surprised to see that this wassomething a little different from him. Well, a little different. JasonStatham is basically playing Jason Statham which is always good towatch in my opinion but here the film is played as a more grittier,realistic affair with lashings of violence and the occasional funnymoment. Paddy Considine does well as the gay copper who teams up withStatham to try and napture a nutty killer who's targeting cops. Givingthe films standout performance, Aidan Gillen plays the killer and istotally convincing in the role. It's not mind-blowing stuff but it'senjoyable and Statham fans will lap it up. ***/*****

2012-05-20 09:57:52

JASON GOES ROGUE

Action star Jason Statham goes at it again in BLITZ. This time he's a loose cannon London cop on the trail of a serial cop killer. He teams up with a gay inspector (Paddy Considine) and closes in on the psycho (Aidan Gillen), climaxing in a brutal showdown.Underscoring the film is a poorly defined connection between Statham and Gillan's characters.BLITZ is a strictly adrenaline-propelled movie, not really breaking any new ground and suffers from the thick accents that often become undecipherable.Statham has a strong screen presence and Considine is effective, making BLITZ an okay actioner.

2012-05-19 21:23:32

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.

2012-05-19 13:49:14

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.

dleu2 2012-05-18 21:26:01

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.

Elliott Noble 2012-05-18 11:22:58

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

One_slice_of_pizza 2012-05-17 17:27:11

That Wasn't Statham Now, Was He?

Create the most absurd story line, make the protagonist jump from oneimpossible problem to another, and put Jason Statham in front of thecamera and there you go, you have a blockbuster action movie.Unbelievably, this time we have a movie with a plain, dull, boringstory line with no twists, no outstanding action scenes, no impressivefighting choreography whatsoever. Some guy jumping from one building toanother, is not Statham! Even a trained monkey can do that. Stathamconfronts with 15 bad guys and beats their back parts without a drop ofsweat and walks away as if nothing happened.Unfortunately, this time Statham plays a very boring police officer whodoes nothing but drink, smoke and drive around the city. Obviously theproducers just wanted to use his name for a quick cash in and theaudience took the bait.All of the characters are two dimensional, the story line doesn't goanywhere and there's no suspense during the entire movie. Because weknow the killer right from the beginning (they know him too) and whilehe is on the loose, they try to gather enough evidence to put himbehind bars, that's it.If you are expecting a climactic story line with Statham beating uptens of bad guys, exploding cars and buildings then stay miles awayfrom this movie. The script is a pile of mess and while it tries totell a few stories, it just ends up telling us nothing but a boring,uninteresting story with characters we don't care.Don't let the casting fool you. If you are craving for the realStatham, just fire up one of his old movies instead. You will be gladyou did.4/10

Ed Whitfield 2012-05-17 09:19:18

...Lester is no Don Siegel and Statham, though credibly formidable, lacks the conscience that made Harry Callahan human...

rightwingisevil 2012-05-16 21:12:06

Boring movie out of a poor screenplay

Sorry, just couldn't connect with this poorly scripted movie. It's apoor adaptation of the 4.75-star rating on Amazon.com. If the novel wasexactly the same as the poor movie, there was nothing to justify it tobe adapted into a movie version. The cop killer in this movie was soclueless and meaningless, and the tough guy who played the maverick copdidn't show anything but a tough face from the very beginning to theend. The way how the cops got the cop-slain suspect was so vague and sosimplified. The whole storyline of the screenplay was so boring and sodisconnected from beginning to the end. The sound track was also so badthat gave you an endless hollow bang.bang.bang.dang.dang.dang tempo, soformulaic and so boring. The whole movie was just a worthless waste oftime to watch. There's no reason to make this novel into a1-dimensional bore-to-death British movie which, in my opinion, is evenworse than the worst TV cop series ever made.

Dominic Radcliffe 2012-05-16 08:23:53

It's all been seen before and will be seen again, and again.

2012-05-15 18:46:24

Blitz Was A Bust

This review is from: Blitz (Amazon Instant Video) Movie story dragged and did not take any real time to develop the characters. The show reminded me of watching a CSI episode at best. If you are counting on any Jason Statham fight seens I recommend you do not bother watching this one since there are really none based on his previous movies.

Trevor Johnston 2012-05-15 11:11:30

Statham gives a good account of himself as the no-nonsense Detective Brant, handy with his fists and ready with a wry one-liner, but an unoriginal plot and a general lack of excitement don't do justice to either him or the high-calibre supporting cast.