Saoirse Ronan stars in solid WWII drama with an ‘Oliver Twist’ vibe

Steve McQueen's World War II drama “Blitz,” available on AppleTV+, has an undeniably old-school vibe, and is a rather unexpected film from the director of “Night Dawn” and “Shame.” It was.

“Of course!” you might think, but this movie is about the 1940s. Yes, but it takes us back in spirit much further back than the month of the Nazi bombing of Britain. McQueen's films are virtually Dickensian.

“Food, great food!” stuff. “You need to pick a pocket or two!”

“Blitz'' has a loose feel, but it doesn't reflect our common notions of what a war movie is, and it is more akin to the 19th-century British movies of “Oliver Twist'' and “David Copperfield.'' It depicts the dangerous journey of youth.

But whereas Charles Dickens tended to emphasize class structure, McQueen throws race into a more modern mix. Sometimes effectively, sometimes with a mallet.

The writer-director's main character, George (Elliot Heffernan in a touching debut), is a biracial boy from the East End who moves from the English countryside to London to reunite with his mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan). Traveling alone at the risk of danger. , a wartime factory worker who loves to sing.

Like many parents, she made the difficult choice to send her son to a safe town far from the coast, which was under heavy attack day and night by the Luftwaffe. However, George is lonely and bullied wherever he goes, so he jumps off the train and risks his way back to the only person he can trust.

Because of his skin color, most adults won't jump at the chance to help him.

This is where the story's unabashed literary sensibilities come into play. Along the way, George encounters an outsized cast of characters, both the truly good and the pure evil, during his heartbreaking adventures.

The Villainous Pile features villains like Fagin and his filthy cronies who kidnap young men and force them to sneak through narrow entrances and steal valuables. In a destroyed music hall, vile adults drink leftover champagne and play with corpses like dolls.

But George is kindly accepted by Ife (Benjamin Clementine), an abused Nigerian government official, who teaches him to be proud of his heritage.

When Rita learns that George is missing, she desperately tries to find him with the help of a soldier named Jack (Harris Dickinson). Although he likes and respects the single mother, other locals still despise her for having a child out of wedlock with a black man.

Dickinson's stoic, wide-eyed demeanor befits a fighter who has seen much tragedy. It's just a small part. This talented British talent is best shown in Triangle of Grief and the new Baby Girl starring Nicole Kidman.

McQueen's script, while fostering understated, heartfelt performances from Ronan and Heffernan, occasionally has a telltale smell. We always know where the movie is going and we go there faithfully. But visually, this piece is stunning.

As the city is attacked by explosives, little George tries to outrun them. He sprinted toward the subway station as buildings crumbled and fires flared around him. Because as a child who lost his innocence not just through war but through the brutality of society, he instinctively knows that is his best bet.

Those sequences can be harrowing, like a chase, or simply a reminder of the horrors of a life-altering bombing, like a daily subway platform becoming a shelter. .

“Blitz” is a well-made, attention-grabbing film with big ideas, despite its basic framework. Still, it's still a little overwhelming.

Perhaps being a great director like McQueen, my high expectations were a little too high.