Review of Darkest Hour (2017) by Alan W — 17 Jan 2018

So soon after the breathtaking Dunkirk last summer, this at first seems repetitious, but if Dunkirk is the visceral and physical re-creation of the tense, against-all-odds military operation that took place, Darkest Hour is the perfect companion piece about the similarly tense, against-all-odds political activities behind the scenes in Westminster, that sets Winston Churchill up as the British Prime Minister who turns Chamberlain's policy of appeasement around, and fight and eventually defeat Nazi Germany at a time when Europe is about to fall into Hitler's hands.

An accomplished and surprisingly engrossing film directed by Joe Wright who is sadly overlooked this awards season, his dexterous camerawork, stylish aerial shots and claustrophobic framing demonstrate his fluency in the cinematic language and he very ably and efficiently opens up Anthony McCarten's very wordy and exposition heavy script into something digestible and visual for its audience, even making one particularly glaring use of artistic license almost forgivable, at least for me.

With a fine supporting cast on great form, including a sublime Kristen Scott Thomas as Clemmie, the film remains, first and foremost Gary Oldman's, as he literally disappears into the role. Depicting Churchill more as an orator than a politician, every scene he's in is bursting with energy and rousing emotions, so much so that any one of them can be used as an Oscar clip (and they will be as the error that he remains Oscar-less will be corrected this February).

Many has played Churchill before and Oldman isn't an obvious choice but his is more postures and gestures, rather than resemblance, and fat suits and prosthetics are soon forgotten as he dominates the screen with his presence and gravitas as one of the most admired and often played character of the WWII, much to Brian Cox's dismay (again).