Proof that a good enough character can almost entirely carry a film

Rating: 7/10 (26 February 2018)

Of all the Best Picture nominees for the 2018 Oscar ceremony 'Darkest Hour' was the one I expected to least enjoy going in. Now, I haven't seen them all yet so I can't comment on how close that was to being true, but what I can comment on is the fact I enjoyed it much more than anticipated. The film holds very little in the way of interesting concepts to me, yet it was able to catch me off guard by just how fascinating this Winston Churchill bloke really was.
I can't see the film having any chance of winning Best Picture. It is simply too generic and character based to pull off that feat. The nomination itself is about right for the credit it deserves. One award I can see it winning though is Gary Oldman for Best Actor in a Lead Role. He was simply fantastic. He became Churchill. I'm a big Oldman fan and I often had to remind myself it was him in there, based on both the look and character traits he managed to pull off. I would call him all but a lock to win the award.
The film is really just there to characterise Churchill. As a film itself it doesn't really have much to offer (the reason I can't see it winning Best Picture). It is basically a very well executed vehicle for Oldman to ride in. That being said punchy dialogue and terrific performances pave these cracks and the end result is a pretty watchable two hours of film.