Gary Oldman resurrects Winston Churchill

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2018)

Gary Oldman lived and breathed Winston Churchill and his charisma carried the entire movie. This was such a monumental time in Churchill's life, yet it took place over less than two weeks. At first glance, one might think that the title was referring to England's darkest hour, but the subtext of the film is that it was actually showing Churchill's darkest hour, where he was riddled with self-doubt as well as opposition from people who should have been his allies. Despite his belief that surrendering to Hitler would only make things worse, people were dying day after day and it seemed that the only option that wouldn't result in annihilation was to negotiate with the tyrant. In the end though, it wasn't the pressure of politicians or concern over his reputation that caused Churchill to choose to keep fighting against overwhelming odds. It was the opinions of ordinary people. Which brings me to my favourite scene in the movie. I don't know if it's historically accurate or not, but the scene on the train shows us what a kind-hearted, funny, likeable and humble guy Churchill was. He joked around with normal people whilst also asking for their advice, even to the point where he treated a little girl as though her opinion held weight. As Sirius Black once said (not in the Harry Potter movies unfortunately, only the books, but this is a nod to another of Gary Oldman's characters) "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals". Churchill treated his inferiors with just as much respect as he would treat the King of England. He had his flaws, such as his habit of mumbling and short temper, but he had the spirit of a man who believed not only in freedom, but in equality. Churchill's speech at the end of the movie, though I can't quote it line for line, was incredibly passionate as he let go of his insecurities and forged ahead in his quest to defeat Hitler and establish himself as one of the greatest leaders England has ever seen. Not for himself, not for his reputation - hell if England lost the war, his reputation (which already had some stains) would be destroyed and Churchill knew that - but for the freedom of his country.