Darkest Hour

By: L. Janér

Title: Darkest Hour
Release date: January 11th 2018 
Director: Joe Wright
Main cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James  
Budget: US$ 30 million
Box office: US$131.1 million
Rotten tomatoes rating: 86%

“Darkest Hour” stars Gary Oldman as newly-elected British prime minister Winston Churchill and his challenges in leading Britain, as the threat of Nazi domination looms dangerously. The biopic is set still in the early days of WWII, in 1940, at a pivotal moment in history when Churchill was faced with crucial decision: whether to settle for a peace treaty with Adolf Hitler, saving his country, or refuse and face extraordinary odds, taking the risk of saving the world. This movie was extremely well received by critics, and was in fact nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Gary Oldman delivers a staggering performance as Churchill, which got him nominated for Best Actor and countless other awards, in what many are calling his best work yet. 

“Darkest Hour” is magnificent in terms of filmmaking and succeeds greatly in telling a powerful and inspiring story centred around such a crucial moment in world history. An amazing aspect of the movie is the way in which it delivers the story in a more straightforward fashion. which provides the viewer with facts while still managing to explore some deeper features of Churchill’s personality, brilliantly brought to life by Oldman. 

The movie is very heavy with dialogue and can have a somewhat flat rhythm throughout but still makes for a very entertaining and inspirational piece.