If only the film was as good as Oldman's acting

Rating: 6/10 (21 January 2019)

It's hard to believe the same guy was Sid Vicious in 1986, and Winston Churchill in 2017. 'Darkest Hour' really is the Gary Oldman showcase film. His performance is well deserving of the Best Actor Academy Award. I just wish the film had been as consistent and free-flowing as Oldman's acting.
The more I learn about Churchill, the less I seem to like about him. This film is no exception. It definitely portrays Winston as quite an incapable Prime Minister at times - which further illustrated what I have been reading lately.
The film felt a bit disjointed at times, though picked up toward the end. It was hard not to get a bit angry or frustrated towards the politicians being incapable of anything but infighting among themselves. It's definitely a "yelling film", which grew tiresome. Lots of yelling. Which if not for Gary Oldman, I'd say gets all too often confused for "strong dramatic acting". Though a shout out should also go to Ben Mendelsohn's excellent support performance as King George VI.
My heart definitely went out to the brave soldiers whose lives were in the front-lines, while these muffins sat puffing cigars at desks.
Oldman delivered strong renditions of Churchill's famous speeches, though it was the London Underground scene which was by far the highlight of the film for me. Churchill's also not short of quotable lines either:
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."