A Great Film, Similar to Lincoln in Many Ways

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2017)

If you found Lincoln to be a moving film about a great historical figure played by a respected actor doing some of his best work, with great emotional resonance at its core, then you will find the same things in Darkest Hour.
This film centers around Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, and focuses on his first three weeks as British Prime Minister in May of 1940, when nearly the whole of Europe has been conquered by Nazi Germany, the British Army is being forced to the sea at Dunkirk, and there is the very real possibility that Britain will be left defenseless.
Oldman shines in this role, and the makeup team did great work transforming him into Churchill. Truly, he is a chameleon in any role he lands. There are great emotional stakes at work in this film, as it is made clear that Churchill is an older man who has a very particular style, and often struggles to get certain thoughts out in a coherent and convincing manner.
While props must be given to Kristen Scott Thomas who portrays Clementine Churchill, the truly standout supporting role is Lily James as Elizabeth Layton, Churchill's secretary, who often conveys great emotional weight using only her eyes and her posture. Her scenes alongside Churchill are the best in the film.
Where the film falters is in the pacing, which does tend to drag in the middle a bit. Also, if you go into this film knowing nothing about the historical context of the players involved, then certain character motivations will be left either unexplained, explained in passing, hard to hear, or explained very clunkily in an obvious manner, such as Churchill's involvement in the Gallipoli campaign in World War I.
That aside, though, you should see this film simply for Oldman's performance, which is stunning, and he is most deserving of at the very least an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.