Film Review: Darkest Hour

"You Cannot Reason With A Tiger When Your Head Is In Its' Mouth..."

Proclaimed by many as history's greatest Briton, the enigmatic presence of Winston Churchill has been the focus of much filmic and televisual escapades ever since the conclusion of the Second World War, and whilst there has been a continued succession of recent releases over the past few years or so detailing similar events, Joe Wright's (Atonement) latest, Darkest Hour, is a much welcome, audience pleasing history lesson which details the rise of Churchill's ascent into the role of Prime Minister during the early years of the Second World War. Propelled by a staggeringly dramatic and joyously brilliant career defining performance by Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Wright's movie covers similar ground obtainable in the likes of Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk in it's detailing of Operation Dynamo, Lone Scherfig's Their Finest in regards to the period detail of war-torn Britain, and of course, Jonathan Teplitzky's own depiction of the great man in last year's Churchill in which Brian Cox's (Manhunter) own portrayal was similarly well received, and whilst the overall picture doesn't succeed in attempting to offer something new to the already overcrowded war drama genre, Wright's direction and management of Oldman's performance results in undoubtedly the definitive portrayal of Britain's most iconic and favoured wartime leader. 

Filled with wit, solid dramatic timing and an uncanny usage of famous characteristics and mannerisms, Oldman's performance is one of immense proportions, an awards touting tour de force which of course utilises to full extent a generous helping of makeup and costume design, but crucially one which doesn't come across as something of a caricature in its' depiction of the more obvious Churchill behavioural patterns. Managing to fit in everything from the mumbling, slobber fuelled and sometimes completely incomprehensible dialogue to the constant yet important prop of the infamous cigar, to which Oldman's own admission caused a touch of nicotine poisoning, the performance is the reason many will flock to the cinema to see the movie, and whilst Oldman's transformation is remarkable, the change isn't so dramatic that the actor inside is weighed down too much for his original talents to be indistinguishable. Concluding in a similar manner to Dunkirk with the show stopping "We shall fight on the beaches" speech, this time presented within the grandiose halls of the House of Commons, Darkest Hour is the sort of Oscar bait drama which although seems primarily to be a showcase for the brilliance of its' leading actor, still manages to be a well played and thoroughly enjoyable piece of cinema, and with Bruno Delbonnel's (Inside Llewyn Davis) smokey cinematography and a well measured orchestral soundtrack to move it along, Wright's latest is the kind of awards pushover that's not trying too hard to make you enjoy your stay and for that alone, Darkest Hour is a solid thumbs up. 

Overall Score: 7/10