Blitzing another action movie

In fact, it’s the name of the shirtless mass murderer hell-bent on bumping off the best of London’s coppers, in this adaptation of Ken Gruen’s novel.

But. If the punk-police killer is going to rid the capital of its crime-fighting boys in blue, he must first contend with DS Tom Brant, aka, action-movie-pro, Jason Statham, who won’t take this blatant show of disrespect lying down.

Detective noir it ain’t – despite the standard ingredients of bad guy, good guy and bitter hack, but Blitz isn’t bad for a cop film.

Sent to stop the killer from further depleting the police force, the unlikely duo of Brant and Porter Nash (Paddy Considine) end up in a cat and mouse game, with Statham’s face growing stonier as the film goes on.

Despite crafty evasions from the law, mindless violence finds a home in Blitz, and the brutality deserves its 18 certificate.

The film does British social squalor fairly well but once again Statham wheels out that slightly dodgy, Guy Ritchie-approved cockney accent, which was never particularly convincing in his other hard-nut roles.

And while it strives for a gritty sense of reality and hardened cop-life, Brant’s tendency to hurl homophobic insults at his policing partner leaves a sour taste.

Aiden Gillen’s Blitz is clearly psychopathic, a nasty piece of work who borders on bizarrely cartoon-like when he’s pondering whether to update his Facebook status having just bludgeoned his latest victim.

You won’t leave the cinema feeling like you have seen anything groundbreaking in the world of action movies, but if you’re after gratuitous bloodshed and fight scenes spear-headed by our favourite bald-headed hero, you won’t be disappointed either.