Review of Darkest Hour (2017) by Frame R — 28 Mar 2018

Even Sirius Black has gone political now?

DARKEST HOUR.

A chameleonic actor is one who blends into the background no matter what. One that can shape transfigure into something completely different. In many ways, great actors are always chameleons, just some have many roles that are so aesthetically apart from each other that they seem to transform before our eyes. We could think of Tilda Swinton for these showier transformations or Meryl Streep for deeper and behind-the-eyes ones. Gary Oldman has always been a prime example of the former, he's the kind of guy who could catch you off guard to only realize we was in the movie when you see his name in the end credits. That being said, this is his best performance yet, no hyperbole attached whatsoever. I recall when Streep portrayed Thatcher a few years ago and I do compare his performance to that, an absolute dissolve into a famous person's mind and body. The shoes to fill are so huge when it comes to a public figure so widely known but Oldman is so exquisite, so confident in his acting that, paired with the outstanding make-up, you spend the whole movie absolutely convinced we're watching Churchill. Brilliant as the performance may be, it will never be the sole driving force of a movie. In response to that, Joe Wright's direction is extremely solid and it has the sharp focus of a chef's knife. The opening shot is absolutely marvellous and the there's a great amount of thought behind a well-tailored storyboard. It's really hard to buy that this film was directed by the guy who did last year's Pan. But Wright's propensity to continuous shots that was already beautifully explored in Anna Karenina is here furthered, as well as some work on subtlety which are not recurrent in historic biopics. Also, the grand script keeps the movie very concentrated, which, in my opinion, reveals a lot more about the figure than an entire life biopic. Overall, a hefty endeavour that should be seen if not by its historical interest, but its insightful portrayal of Churchill as a flawed and fearful man. A look behind Churchill's eye, a walk with him while e blabbers.