Darkest Hour

Covering the early days of World War 2 and Operation Dynamo, Director Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour, albeit not by design, works well as a companion piece to Nolan’s Dunkirk. Whereas Dunkirk thrillingly depicts the rescue operation on the battlefront, Darkest Hour shifts the focus to the political tug-of-war involving none other than Winston Churchill.

Darkest Hour deviates little from the traditional framework of similar stories but makes up for its predictability by a stellar performance from Gary Oldman as Churchill. With a script penned by The Theory of Everything screenwriter Anthony McCarten, Darkest Hour illustrates the pitfalls and triumphs of a public figure in a similar fashion by interlocking the solemn and pivotal moments in their careers and the quieter moments in their personal lives. Oldman’s transformative portrayal of Churchill is without a doubt the most noteworthy ingredient in the film. He practically disappears into Churchill’s mannerism and oratory with the complement of extensive makeup. Comedic moments amidst the intense political drama also worked to make Churchill, who is preceded by an intimidating reputation, a more endearing protagonist. The rendering of historical events into broad stroke drama in Darkest Hour is suitably well-paced and mostly historically accurate but falters in its attempt to provide any illuminating insight into the complexities of Churchill’s decisions.

Darkest Hour is a pretty by-the-book historical and political drama. Though there are few out-of-the-box innovations, the unfolding of the drama and Oldman’s performance is still able to sustain audience’s attention.

(Originally posted on 10 Jan 2018 @projectunwrapped)