Cinema Prescription

Synopsis: A thrilling and inspiring true story begins at the precipice of World War II as, within days of becoming Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill must face one of his most turbulent and defining trials: exploring a negotiated peace treaty with Nazi Germany, or standing firm to fight for the ideals, liberty and freedom of a nation.
Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup, Ben Mendelsohn
Screenplay: Anthony McCarten
Directed by: Joe Wright

Released in the same year and revolving around the same particular event in the World War II, Joe Wright’s DARKEST HOUR unintentionally becomes a perfect companion to Christopher Nolan’s DUNKIRK. Here, Wright focused more on the personal and political perspective of Winston Churchill, the newly elected, divisively chosen British Prime Minister at the time. Not being a huge historical movie buff, DARKEST HOUR actually surprised me at how not boring it was. There’s a sense of urgency that can make general audience keep fixating on what was going on.

I’m not really the expert on historical accuracy of Churchill and the politics behind his years of serving, but Gary Oldman really disappeared into the role, showing both the strength and the doubts of the prime minister. Completely unrecognizable, the movie truly lives and breathes through him. So good that I think his performance unfortunately overshadows the whole movie.

Besides the war tension going on the background, the fact that the King and his own party opposed Churchill’s rather eccentric mind really elevates the drama in this movie. Although not constantly engrossing throughout, DARKEST HOUR does not offer the same generic and drawn out biopic, thanks to great performances of Oldman and the rest of the cast, good pacing, and also the detailed direction by Wright, making it a little above the average for its genre. [B]

A copy of my review on Instagram.