Blitz is what you get when you combine Oscar–winning writer/director Steve McQueen ( Shame, 12 Years A Slave ), the works of Charles Dickens, and the third act of Atonement. And while each of these parts may sound promising by themselves, the final combination proves frustratingly uneven.

NYFF: Saoirse Ronan stands out from a surprisingly conventional World War II movie that can struggle to accommodate its director's singular vision.