A brilliant performance in a riveting bio pic about Churchill's time as prime minister

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2018)

Darkest hour was a very intriguing look at the politics during WWII, and serves as a pretty good companion piece to the earlier, Dunkirk. In fact Darkest hour and Dunkirk truly elevate each other as one plays out the story on the battleground the other discusses the issues on the homeland, the politics and behind the movement and the everyday people in Britain.
Darkest hour featured Gary Oldman in one of his most riveting and believable roles as Winston Churchill, his delivery, without a doubt was one of the greatest depictions of a historical figure. But, a great performance by Gary Oldman was of course expected, the real enjoyment was how engaging the story itself actually is, Churchill's struggles as a politician and in gaining the support of the people and his own parliament was a brilliantly engaging story. Which is only elevated by Oldman's performance, the countless monologues that he gives were all so powerful and really packs a punch to me as an audience.
While I am no expert in History, Darkest hour gives a very damaged and multifaceted character in Churchill. He is serious but there can be hints of jokes and sarcasm, he is scared but also courageous and firm. All of this is fine tuned by Oldman and his very subtle grunts, coughs and shaking fists.
Darkest hour was truly a beautiful film, and never a dull moment both worthy of awards and audience likability. It was an in depth look into humanity, emotions and the flaws that make us human, and the flaws that make good leaders.