Great Work from Gary Oldman

Rating: 7/10 (16 February 2018)

Gary Oldman's performance as Winston Churchill truly makes this film. He effectively becomes the character, thus enhancing the viewing experience as we witness all of the man's insecurities, doubts and flaws, but most importantly his great determination and stubbornness, even if he's looked down upon by everyone around him.
I do like the fact that we see Chamberlain resigning and how that leads to Churchill's struggle in trying to gain acceptance within his own party and from the King, as well as trying to deal with the German forces breaking through mainland Europe which causes him great turmoil. Viscount Halifax is the main antagonist in this film trying to get Churchill to sue for peace, but his motivations are understandable for the situation.
In terms of production this is a splendid effort with assured direction from Joe Wright, with some satisfying cinematography and use of lighting to compliment that. There are also many strong performances aside from Oldman's with Ben Mendelsohn, Kristen Scott Thomas, Lily James and Stephen Dillane being particular examples of that.
There are some issues though as whilst the acting is strong, the actual characters aren't that interesting aside from Churchill himself. Also there is some flouting of historical accuracy (the scene on the tube seem quite contrived) but overall that wasn't a huge issue in the narrative. Therefore I would recommend this is a solid wartime drama that can also act as an accompanying piece to Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk.