This is going to be a quicker review because I'm in the middle of watching the Golden Globes but I still want to talk about this movie. I saw Darkest Hour earlier today in anticipation of the awards and I am glad I did because this might be the career role for Gary Oldman.
This movie follows Winston Churchill in the early stages of his term as prime minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. We see the hesitancy in electing Churchill as well as the controversy towards his plans against the Nazis, with most people wanting to negotiate peace while he wanted to fight back.
As I said before Gary Oldman plays Winston Churchill... or does he? I couldn't even tell it was Gary Oldman, and he's one of my favourite actors. I constantly found myself looking for Oldman and I was only seeing Churchill both in physicality and mannerisms. I can't get over how well he transformed himself into the role and he is running away with the top spot in leading actors for me this year. His ensemble class is also very good. Lily James plays a small role alongside him and I thought she did a great job. All the members of Churchill's council and administration are also great. I'd love to go in depth more with the other actors in this film but I really can't as this is a Gary Oldman movie and he is impossible to take your eyes off of.
This is also a very well shot movie. The cinematography makes the most of the setting and does a great job of highlighting Oldman's performance. This film is surprisingly quite beautiful based on the time it takes place in but that just goes to show how great the production is. Costume wise the film also sets the time and place very well. The direction by Joe Wright is also solid, building tension in some scenes quite well and making Churchill's speeches feel incredibly grand. I was also very impressed with the sound editing in this film. I don't know what it was about it but all the sound effects and the score were really well done. By far though, the most impressive technical aspect of the film was the hair and makeup. Transforming Oldman so brilliantly into Winston Churchill is an incredible feat and really added to his performance.
In terms of technical elements this is a great film, however I have some story problems. This just isn't a very entertaining movie. I understand that as a period piece drama it isn't really meant to necessarily entertain but there were moments that I began to get bored during. Luckily the less exciting moments led to some great speeches so it was well worth it.
While the pacing didn't always have the steam it needed the technical elements of this film and the beyond incredible performance from Oldman make this a very solid film.
Rating: 3.9/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
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