Terrific Historial Drama

Rating: 8/10 (3 February 2018)

This story follows closely Christopher Nolan's " Dunkirk". In that film, Churchill barely makes an appearance, in "The Darkest Hour" Dunkirk doesn't make an appearance. Perhaps the two should be combined?
Gary Oldman is sensational as Churchill. His career has some difficult moments in retrospect. Director Joe Wright circumvents this by concentrating on a few weeks, Great Britain's Darkest Hour, when Western Europe had capitulated to the Nazi war machine, the USA sat on its hands, and the British army was about to be wiped out in France.
Oldman is complimented by some fine supporting, if underwritten, roles. Kirsten Scott Thomas is cruelly underused as Churchill's wife, eking the maximum out of her few minutes of screen time. As Halifax, Stephen Dillane is magnificent in a superbly oleaginous portrayal. Ben Mendelsohn develops King George V from foe to friend in quick time.
The political scenes are atmospheric and terrific, the oratory a reminder of how powerful a good speech can be. Lily James is easy on the eye as Churchill's secretary, but the part feels clunky. It pulls a pretty young woman into the story, but does little else. Adie Haastrup's part as the only black face in the film feels a little contrived in the tube carriage scene which itself feels very contrived.
Yet these quibbles are part of the films strength. Wright has crafted a drama out of great raw material, the two hour running time flies by.