'It's cop-killer versus killer-cop', a tagline that is straight to the point and the latest Jason Statham film is no doubt this, with a simple plot and some gritty action leading the way.
Statham plays burning-out cop Detective Sergeant Brant, the most un-PC cop around who regularly attracts unwanted press coverage for his station. With his police career hanging on, Brant is handed the case of his life, a psychopathic murderer is unleashing his fury on police officers and he needs to be stopped.
With the help of Porter Nash (Paddy Considine), Brant must follow the leads in order to take down the murderer before the police deaths mount up and become a huge problem.
It soon becomes apparent that the man they are after is Barry Weiss (Aiden Gillen), or as he likes to be known, The Blitz. Weiss' spree soon becomes more and more brutal with some of Brant's close friends/colleagues becoming targets and victims. Can they stop him in time or will they soon find themselves on top of his hit-list?
Statham's return to a purely British film is a welcome one and unlike most of his Hollywood movies, Brant receives some character background, albeit minimal. The downfall of Blitz though is that it concentrates more of its background on the characters that are less cared for and are merely a distraction from what is a simple but gripping storyline.
Despite being an odd pairing, Statham and Considine do a solid job as the main police partners and Gillen's turn as psychotic Weiss is both menacing and convincing. The support from names such as the multi-talented David Morrissey and Zawe Ashton are decent but it is the visceral side that may put off some viewers.
With each murder taking place the ante is upped and there are no limits. A simple gun shot to an officer is the first kill whilst further on we are subjected to a cringe-inducing curb stomp, a scene where not a lot is left to the imagination.
Blitz will satisfy Statham fans without a doubt; a return to his roots in Britain is always a welcome turn, but it is only a good film and nothing more unfortunately. With a solid storyline the film flows reasonably but the development of certain characters leaves the main action to the wayside a little too often and regularly slows the pace of the film. A return to Hollywood action will surely be next for Statham.
Film rating: 3 out of 5 stars
The lowdown: Statham once again shows his credentials as a lead man and Considine lends a helping hand in providing a decent cop thriller, shame about several distractions from what is a good main storyline
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