Gary Oldman is Electrifying as Churchill!

Rating: 7/10 (14 December 2017)

That Gary Oldman is one the greatest living actors in the planet is a known fact to all cine-buffs around the world, but with 'Darkest Hour', Oldman has put himself in a place of the all-time heavyweights in Acting. As Winston Churchill, Oldman is a veritable delight & shows us what an actor can do when he sinks his teeth into the part. Oldman is PURE, unfiltered Acting Greatness. And Yes, the movie is good too!
'Darkest Hour' follows Winston Churchill (Oldman), and follows his early days as Prime Minister while Hitler closes in on Britain during World War II.
Writer Anthony McCarten & Director Joe Wright deliver 'Darkest Hour' with great success. While its ambitious to a fault (the film particularly lags in its initial reels), its overall a great story of a leader, who's over-the-top & risky decisions led him to create history of its own. This is a personal story about a man in great power & how his courage & at times, humor, led him to become a leader to follow. Churchill is not a perfect man, he's always in need for a drink or smoking up a cigar with less regard to polluting a room, but he's a determind man with a vision of a true Prime Minister, that knew how to deal with the forces when the world was at War. McCarten's Screenplay is engrossing & despite some flaws for its initial tepid start, make up for a well-written Screenplay. Wright's Direction is commanding & powerful. Bruno Delbonnel's Cinematography & Valerio Bonelli's Editing are fantastic. Art & Costume Design, as well as Make-Up, deserve a special mention. Dario Marianelli's Score, also, is good.
But the reason to really watch 'Darkest Hour' is, of course, Gary Oldman. With his perfect body-language, to his impeccable dialogue delivery to the fierceness in his eyes, Oldman is truly remarkable. This has to be his finest performance ever after his mesmerizing turn in 'Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy'. With Golden-Globe & SAG Nominations already in, Oscar Calling is meant to happen.
Of the rest of the cast, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn & Lily James, are in top-form.
On the whole, 'Darkest Hour' is a Gary Oldman showcase. And it helps that the showcase is also a pretty good period piece. Watch It.