Energetic Historical Drama

Rating: 7/10 (1 February 2018)

I put off seeing "Darkest Hour" forever, and pretty much assumed I would only watch it, if I ever did, when it hit Blu-Ray a few months from now after awards hoopla had died down. I figured Joe Wright + historical English biopic + awards bait performance = snoozer. But then the film was nominated for a buttload of BAFTAs, I started to get the feeling that it would be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (which it was), and the Oscar completist in me finally convinced me to see the damn thing.
So the fact that I thought it was pretty darn good can partially be chalked up to very low expectations. But I also think this film resonated with me, and appears to be doing so with many others if box office receipts and awards attention are any indication, because I needed a movie like this right now in our dark times. I need to believe that there are leaders out there who have the best interest of the people in mind. I need to believe in a time of national pride (even if not American pride) and the ability of a country full of citizens to ban together for a cause that is much bigger than any one individual. Is the film historically accurate? Oh, probably not. Even if the facts are generally right (and I don't know whether or not they are), I imagine much has been embellished for dramatic purposes, and I know that one scene, in which Winston Churchill rides the underground and polls a group of everyday Londoners on their thoughts about fighting off Nazi Germany or giving into peace talks, was outright fabricated. But I don't care. That stupid manipulative scene worked on me even as I knew I shouldn't let it.
As for the movie itself, it's slick and extremely well made, clicking along and maintaining a blistering energy. It looks glossy as a magazine, and Gary Oldman, who will most certainly win an Oscar, leaves not a bit of the pretty scenery unchewed. But he does deliver one of the better biopic performances in recent memory, because he chooses to create an actual character rather than a blustery impersonation.
And in a happy accident, "Darkest Hour" happens to be a perfect companion piece to another Best Picture nominee from this year, "Dunkirk," as the battle at the center of the latter film plays a major role in the plot of the former.
Grade: A-