Darkest Hour (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Darkest Hour' (directed by Joe Wright, Atonement, Anna Karenina) is a solid political drama/biopic about Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the eve of Dunkirk. This film is executed in a richly visual, well-crafted & elegant manner. It features a plethora of magnificent set pieces. And it contains a TITANIC performance by Gary Oldman. I only wish it ended with more of a bang. 5/8-6/4/1940 were fateful days for the survival of England during WWII, & the 'hero' of those days was Churchill. Oldman plays him as a larger-than-life, robust, cantankerous leader who leans heavily on his jittery secretary, Elizabeth (Lily James) and only admits his fears & weaknesses to his patient, devoted wife, Clementine (Kristin Scott Thomas).
Within days of becoming PM, Churchill was faced with the choice of negotiating a peace treaty with Hitler {whom he considers an absolute madman} or engaging his country to fight for freedom. As Germany's Nazi troops pummeled Western Europe & pushed nearly 400,000 Allied troops into the sea at Dunkirk, Churchill found himself coping with enemies from within the pacifist Parliament. 2 such enemies include ex-PM/now chairman Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) & the brooding Lord Halifax (a superb Stephen Dillane), who are desperate to negotiate said peace plan with Hitler. Even King George VI (stellar Ben Mendelsohn) is initially skeptical of Churchill's "we shall fight them on the beaches" stance. Supported by wife, Clementine, yet wracked with guilt & self-doubt over the WWI defeat at Gallipoli, Churchill considers appeasement but, in the final hour, follows his gut & defies his political adversaries with a blistering speech in the House of Commons.
It has been a great year for films related to the 1940 evacuation from Dunkirk. Combined with Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk & Lone Scherfig's Their Finest, 'Darkest Hour' offers a fairly comprehensive perspective regarding one of the most celebrated military actions of WWII. Anthony McCarten's stylishly verbose script shows us a man saddled with heavy burdens, such as: Pres. Franklin Roosevelt refusing to break neutrality to provide military aid; and the widespread notion that his failed leadership led to the disastrous military campaign at Gallipoli in WWI. And what really stands out was Churchill's flawed humanity {his wife - who affectionately calls him "Pig" - tells him that he is strong because he is imperfect}, his fervent patriotism, and how he wound up being the best leader for those dire times. He blurred the lines of political sides & drew inspiration from to the masses {in a stirring, if fictionalized moment in London's Underground} to save those brave people at Dunkirk.
As mentioned earlier, 'Darkest Hour' is a craft stunner. Bruno Delbonnel's camera descends & zooms in fluid fashion. The color palette he employs is era appropriate. And the clarity of shot is beautiful. The recreation of 1940 England by way of expansive sets & detailed costuming is brilliant. Rarely have I felt so absorbed in a particular time & place as I did with Churchill's domestic life or in the labyrinthine Westminster Abbey/House of Commons. I also must commend the period hair & Oldman's make-up work. I'll cry foul if this film doesn't win The Academy Award in that respect. And Dario Marianelli's musical score is superb; reminding me of similarly gorgeous themes from his Oscar-winning score for Atonement.
And now I come to Gary Oldman. With the aid of make-up {220 hours of aging & padding}, Oldman immerses himself so deeply in this role that you feel as if you're watching Churchill come to life. Yes, he goes big with Churchill's manic physical & verbal energy, but Oldman also brings shocking nuance, reflection & vulnerability to this pugnacious WWII icon.
From beginning to end, top to bottom ... Oldman is a fiery, impassioned genius. The entire cast is a dream of skilled thespians; most impressive to me is Stephen Dillane's near-villainous Lord Halifax & Kristin Scott Thomas; who matches her husband's vigor & spirit, yet also soothes him when necessary. 'Darkest Hour' gets a bit bogged down in scenes of oral onslaughts and, I wish it ended as strongly as strongly as it begins. But Oldman, the supporting cast & Wright's directorial/visual flair overcome my niggling issues. It's a wow-er.
Within days of becoming PM, Churchill was faced with the choice of negotiating a peace treaty with Hitler {whom he considers an absolute madman} or engaging his country to fight for freedom. As Germany's Nazi troops pummeled Western Europe & pushed nearly 400,000 Allied troops into the sea at Dunkirk, Churchill found himself coping with enemies from within the pacifist Parliament. 2 such enemies include ex-PM/now chairman Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) & the brooding Lord Halifax (a superb Stephen Dillane), who are desperate to negotiate said peace plan with Hitler. Even King George VI (stellar Ben Mendelsohn) is initially skeptical of Churchill's "we shall fight them on the beaches" stance. Supported by wife, Clementine, yet wracked with guilt & self-doubt over the WWI defeat at Gallipoli, Churchill considers appeasement but, in the final hour, follows his gut & defies his political adversaries with a blistering speech in the House of Commons.
It has been a great year for films related to the 1940 evacuation from Dunkirk. Combined with Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk & Lone Scherfig's Their Finest, 'Darkest Hour' offers a fairly comprehensive perspective regarding one of the most celebrated military actions of WWII. Anthony McCarten's stylishly verbose script shows us a man saddled with heavy burdens, such as: Pres. Franklin Roosevelt refusing to break neutrality to provide military aid; and the widespread notion that his failed leadership led to the disastrous military campaign at Gallipoli in WWI. And what really stands out was Churchill's flawed humanity {his wife - who affectionately calls him "Pig" - tells him that he is strong because he is imperfect}, his fervent patriotism, and how he wound up being the best leader for those dire times. He blurred the lines of political sides & drew inspiration from to the masses {in a stirring, if fictionalized moment in London's Underground} to save those brave people at Dunkirk.
As mentioned earlier, 'Darkest Hour' is a craft stunner. Bruno Delbonnel's camera descends & zooms in fluid fashion. The color palette he employs is era appropriate. And the clarity of shot is beautiful. The recreation of 1940 England by way of expansive sets & detailed costuming is brilliant. Rarely have I felt so absorbed in a particular time & place as I did with Churchill's domestic life or in the labyrinthine Westminster Abbey/House of Commons. I also must commend the period hair & Oldman's make-up work. I'll cry foul if this film doesn't win The Academy Award in that respect. And Dario Marianelli's musical score is superb; reminding me of similarly gorgeous themes from his Oscar-winning score for Atonement.
And now I come to Gary Oldman. With the aid of make-up {220 hours of aging & padding}, Oldman immerses himself so deeply in this role that you feel as if you're watching Churchill come to life. Yes, he goes big with Churchill's manic physical & verbal energy, but Oldman also brings shocking nuance, reflection & vulnerability to this pugnacious WWII icon.
From beginning to end, top to bottom ... Oldman is a fiery, impassioned genius. The entire cast is a dream of skilled thespians; most impressive to me is Stephen Dillane's near-villainous Lord Halifax & Kristin Scott Thomas; who matches her husband's vigor & spirit, yet also soothes him when necessary. 'Darkest Hour' gets a bit bogged down in scenes of oral onslaughts and, I wish it ended as strongly as strongly as it begins. But Oldman, the supporting cast & Wright's directorial/visual flair overcome my niggling issues. It's a wow-er.