BLITZ 

Director:  Elliott Lester

Year of Release:  2011

A British action thriller based on a novel of the same name, I was not expecting much from this film, largely due to the involvement of Jason Statham, not one of my favourite actors, but I have to say it was more watchable than I had feared.

The plot is a standard affair, a wayward cop (Statham) is on the hunt of a serial killer (played by Aidan) who targets police officers. Considering this is a Jason Statham film the story does take precedence over the action, which is slick and well shot. Everything takes place in a down and dirty London which adds to the grittiness of the plot. However, it is the quality of the screen play that lets this film down.

I don’t want to say too much about Barry Weiss, the serial killer played by Aidan, as I don’t want to give too much away for those who haven’t seen the film.  Although the reasons for his killing spree are explained, they are not entirely plausible.  The character itself is one of the most unlikeable Aidan has played, there is no charisma, none of the psychotic tendencies that make many of his characters watchable. Part of that is due to the fact that Barry isn’t ‘fleshed out’ enough, he has no friends, family, we know little about his life, and considering he is a major character this is surprising. Particularly when you bear in mind this film was adapted from a novel.

The supporting cast is a who’s who of British acting talent, Paddy Considine, Mark Rylance and David Morrisey (who starred with Aidan in Thorne) are great, but really don’t have that much to do. The Hobbit star Luke Evans is also wasted in a second storyline that isn’t told with any conviction, to the extent that it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. 

There are hints throughout the film as to how it will end, but when it comes it is not particularly satisfying, and the last portion of the film seems to be rushed, whilst the middle section does drag a little. However, the twists and turns of the plot keep you engaged, the action, when it comes, is well executed. A chase through the streets of London, weaving through parked cars that ends on the tracks of a railway station, is particularly thrilling.

From the point of view of an Aidan fan this is a film to seek out as he does have a fair amount of screen time, however, don’t expect one of his usual ‘love to hate’ characters. This is a rather mundane role, and that is down to the writing and his character being underdeveloped, there is little he can work with beyond the serial killer out for revenge shtick. The character is painted as, the only way I can describe it is ‘odd’, without the eccentricities which flesh out a  a lot of Aidan’s other villains.  Watch it for the time Aidan is onscreen but don’t take it too seriously.