There's no doubt that McQueen's World War II epic is among the most well-crafted films of the year, boasting some genuinely pulse-pounding sequences and lavish set pieces. But too

Also starring, Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, and Stephen Graham, Blitz is a fictional movie that is built atop of a lot of real-life historical context. Read on to learn more about the Blitz true story, and the history of the real London Blitz.

Blitz’ is a historical war drama film by Steve McQueen that presents a unique take on a horrific part of the United Kingdom’s history. While the titular bombing campaign, which reigned terror on Britain for nine grueling months across 1940 and 1941,

I think we know more about the Tudors than we do about the Blitz era,” notes Steve McQueen in the latest episode of Esquire’s Freeze Frame series. It’s that collective historical shortcoming which makes the Oscar-winning director’s latest film – Blitz starring Saoirse Ronan and newcomer Elliott Heffernan as a mother and son – so moving and surprising.

The director illuminates his new World War II epic, focused on a boy’s fight to get back home amid the rubble of war-torn London.

Blitz’ director Steve McQueen and star Saoirse Ronan talk about creating esoteric authenticity for World War II London.