Historically accurate

Rating: 7/10 (19 May 2018)

This movie is a historically accurate depiction of the early days of World War II from the perspective of then-prime minister Winston Churchill.
The pacing of the movie is a little bit inconsistent; in the sense that the first 40 minutes or so were rather boring. The pacing was just too slow and not much was happening. I almost lost interest but then the movie started to shine with it's performances and the pacing adjusted itself accordingly. It was a pleasant surprise that totally changed everything.
Gary Oldman is a seasoned actor so his performance as Winston Churchill was understandably thrilling. But even though he was "unrecognizable" in the movie, thanks to the great make-up artistry, he still didn't quite end up looking like Winston Churchill, in my humble opinion. Winston Churchill had those big friendly-looking eyes. You just can't imitate that with make-up.
The calendar date overlay transitions were a really nice touch. They keep the viewer in the loop and provide a frame of reference. That way viewers are able to develop a good understanding of the time frame in which the events ensue.
It works rather well with the format of the movie. Sure, it may seem a little gimmicky at first (that's at least what I thought when I first saw that transition) but it turns out to suit the movie quite well.

Quick synopsis:
Churchill is underplaying the threat that Germany is posing until things start going south. In order to avoid a total FUBAR in Dunkirk he tries an unconventional strategic move to "bring the boys home".
Viscount Halifax tries to undermine Churchill's authority by asking him tough questions concerning the principle of peace. He believes that Churchill's stubbornness may worsen the already problematic situation.
While it may seem like Halifax is the "bad guy" he's really just trying to do the right thing for the British people, just like Churchill. But both clash throughout the entirety of the movie because they have different perspectives.
Halifax is the typical diplomat while Churchill is more of a "Britain first" type of person. Churchill considered Hitler too great of a threat to be reasoned with.
Most of the action happens in the war cabinet. And with Halifax as the opposing force to Churchill things get heated every now and then. Halifax believes that Europe is lost to the Germans and tries to play it safe by means of negotiation.
Churchill on the other hand wants to "fight" until the very end. Being certain that negotiating with the Germans would be useless. Churchill is unapologetic and comes off as rude most of the time, but he has his heart in the right place.
Churchill's relationship with the King was very interesting and nuanced. It was one of the main themes that was gradually explored during the movie. Which kind of makes sense; as the prime minister you are obligated to meet with the King/Queen once per week. It was therefore executed in a very thoughtful manner.

Side note: if you plan on watching "Dunkirk" you should probably watch this movie first. You'll thank me later. Those two movies perfectly compliment each other and should be watched together in the aforementioned order.
To conclude: It was a great movie. If it wasn't for the slow pacing at the beginning I would have given it a slightly higher rating.

Final verdict: recommended (if you like historical biopics)