QR Film Review: Darkest Hour
If you’ve been searching for a film review almost guaranteed to be spoiler free stop searching now because you’ve found it! Unless you know absolutely nothing about Winston Churchill’s involvement in World War II. In which case, I’d stop reading now and avoid social media after it’s released on the 12th of January until you watch it.
Joking aside, Darkest Hour is set in the first year of the second world war, 1940, and the set of events following Winston Churchill being ushered in as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in his first term, largely due to the dissillusion in parliament concerning the PM at the time, Neville Chamberlain, as depicted in the opening scenes. You might be surprised to read that Churchill was played by none other than the ever versatile Gary Oldman, who had to undergo hours of makeup to bear resemblance to his character. Admittedly, as advanced prosthetic makeup is for Oldman, when compared to John Lithigow’s version of Churchill in “The Crown”, I would say is somewhat inferior. Although, Gary Oldman and the makeup crew for 'Darkest Hour', John Lithigow required far less makeup work to bear likeness to the late PM.
Oldman's portrayal of Churchill is as immense and colourful as ever as he acts out Churchill’s relationships with his adoring wife Clementine, (Kristin Scott Thomas), who, on the other hand is overly theatrical at times, but overall is endearing in her performance as Clementine. The on screen chemistry between Oldman and Scott Thomas is great enough to depict a heart warming dynamic between Mr. & Mrs. Churchill.
What is more brash than heart warming is Oldman's portrayal of Churchill’s demeanour around his nervous new assistant Elizabeth Layton, (Lily James), and his cabinet members, as we see Churchill’s famous nonchalant attitude, ranging from drinking in bed to making crude jokes about government officials. In this we see director Joe Wright and writer and co-producer Anthony McCarten’s superb efforts at introducing humour to a predominantly dark subject matter. He does, however soften to Layton over time when he discovers the personal impact of the war on her. His relationship with King George VI is similar in that it begins in rocky territory but smooths out during Churchill’s dilemma on whether to initiate peace talks with Nazi Germany in order to preserve the freedom of his country, or begin a full scale attack with Britain’s diminished military forces at the time. Ben Mendelsohn’s nuanced performance as King George VI combines with Gary Oldman’s larger than life portrayal to create a tender scene between the two characters as the king offers his full support to the PM to continue with the war effort no matter the cost. We see Churchill in his vulnerable moment almost pleading with US president at the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt for armaments not long after the Dunkirk evacuation. The lighting in particular is used expertly here to raise the intensity of the scene. As well as vulnerability, Oldman’s Churchill displays grit and resolve in his political battles against his war cabinet members Lord Halifax and Neville Chamberlain, played by Stephen Dillane and Ronald Pickup respectively.
Overall, one does not need to be history buff to enjoy Darkest Hour, as Joe Wright’s retelling of the late Winston Churchill’s preparations and entry into World War II is more of a dramatic, and at times light hearted observation of Churchill’s many intricacies and foibles that influenced his personal and political interactions to ultimately decide the course of the Allied defence in the war. However, if you’re a history student through and through the use of creative license in this film may not sit well with you, particularly in the pivotal scene involving Churchill travelling on the London underground for the first time. This, I believe was necessary to put the final touches on a triumphant yet ultimately human portrait of the late Winston Churchill during arguably his darkest hour.
Rating - 4/5
Run Time - 125 minutes
By David McGee