Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour

Starring Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn

Directed by Joe Wright

The Story:

As World War II rages on, British Parliament demands the resignation of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) for being too weak.  He chooses Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) to succeed him, basically because he's the only man his party would support.

Churchill takes the position during a very tumultuous time in Britain's history, as their ground troops have been flanked by the Nazi army at Dunkirk, and the French - their closest ally - looks to be on the verge of surrendering.  While most of his cohorts want him to try to broker a peace treaty with Germany through Italy, Churchill remains defiant, believing they can win this war even when the odds seem stacked against them.

The Synopsis:
It takes a lot to make a film that centers around the topic of war - while never setting foot on the battlefield - so engaging.  To be able to keep your eyes glued to the screen during long stretches of speeches and conversations is something that very few directors can manage.  Yet that's what director Joe Wright managed to do with "Darkest Hour" - a film centering around one of the world's most eloquent speakers and intelligent leaders who pulled Britain out of a possible servitude to the Nazi regime and restore it to its original glory.

"Darkest Hour" takes place over the span of a month, in May 1940.  It's looking like Europe will fall to Adolph Hitler and his Nazi regime, as France has been all but decimated and Belgium had officially surrendered.   With his eyes set on Britain, Hitler was about to begin his march on the island, starting by trapping 300,000 British troops at the shore of Dunkirk.  It's during this time that Winston Churchill was instated as the Prime Minister, and despite what seemed to be wise council, he chose to go the other direction and face the threat head on.

It's not every year that you see two films focusing on the same event, but 2017 had just that.  While "Darkest Hour" centered around the conversations and planning of the rescue at Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" drops us off in the middle of the battle, as we see firsthand how Churchill's plan came to fruition and ultimately success.  You could've inserted Nolan's film in the middle of "Darkest Hour," and it would've been a perfect blend.

As it is, however, "Darkest Hour" is still a crowning achievement in cinema, due to the excellent direction of Joe Wright, the unparalleled cinematography of Bruno Delbonnel (who masterfully used lights and shadows to express the seemingly hopeless situation), the beautiful opus of Dario Marianelli's score, and the awe-inspiring work of Gary Oldman as Churchill.  Together, these brilliant men tell a story that's as captivating as anything you've seen on screen, one that ignites the desire to see that sort of unbridled, uninhibited leadership again.

Gary Oldman has already scored a Golden Globe for his performance, and he's still the front-runner for Oscar gold, and he clearly deserves it.  His transformation is nothing short of magic, whereas the only part of Oldman I could see was in his powerfully emotional eyes - everything else was hidden behind perfect effects that turned him into an overweight man.  He talked and exuded the confidence - and even the doubts - Churchill possessed in a way that was totally captivating.  Churchill was known to not be a nice man to be around - he was bitterly sarcastic, chain-smoked cigars, and drank all types of liquor from sun up to sun down (and even after the sun went down) - but he was able to get results.  He was headstrong and defiant, going against the popular demands of his fellow government officials and refusing to surrender.

What made Churchill such an iconic man was his speeches, which have gone down in history as being the most prolific of our time.  His first speech to the British Parliament was his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech that's now etched below his image on the British five pound note, and then he gave his "we shall fight on the beaches" speech before Parliament again when he decided to not surrender to the Germans.  Both of these speeches - and his other iconic "finest moment" speech - was met with rousing praise and approval, and it was his eloquence that kept the British troops fighting.

It's an interesting thing to do a historical film, because it tells a story that we already know the ending to - but the characters don't.  We know that the British didn't surrender to the Germans.  We know that the soldiers at Dunkirk would make it home safely.  Yet Churchill and his men didn't know that, and that served a bit as some downtime for the film for me - there was parts in the middle where it seemed to drag on, but that's just because I already knew the eventual outcome, so I was waiting for that payoff to hit.  When it did, it was well worth the wait.

The Summary:
When you got one of today's most seasoned actors at the helm, you know you're in for something special, and when Gary Oldman first appears on screen as Winston Churchill, you believe you're actually seeing the man in action - that's the hallmark of a fantastic performance.

The Score: A+