The timing of films is a funny business. I've written previously about the phenomenon of 'twin films', where two completely separate films with very similar stories come out very closely after one another. So, there's an interesting coincidence that- approximately six months after the release of Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk (focusing on the evacuation of British soldiers from the titular French beach)- a biopic of the man in charge of ordering that evacuation is now released.
Written by Anthony McCarten (The Theory Of Everything) and directed by Joe Wright (Pride And Prejudice, Anna Karenina), Darkest Hour tells of the very start of Winston Churchill's premiership and the extraordinary circumstances that the newly-appointed Prime Minister had to deal with.
As the Second World War rages in Europe, and the threat of invasion comes ever closer to the British Isles, Churchill- in the first days of his premiership, having been handed a poisoned chalice by outgoing Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain- must make a difficult decision: whether to negotiate with Hitler, or to stand firm and fight against the Nazi threat. Facing opposition within his own party, and a frosty relationship with the King, Churchill must wrestle with his own conscience and make a decision that could irrevocably alter the path of history...
Gary Oldman gives a towering performance as Churchill. When I initially heard of his casting, I have to admit to a certain amount of scepticism. Oldman's not the first name that would come to mind. However, that scepticism was entirely misplaced. There are moments when he truly disappears inside the character and you forget its him. This is aided by some absolutely stellar facial prosthetics and make-up. Oldman's Churchill is irascible, blunt, forthright and absolutely determined not to negotiate. He nails that slightly odd slurring speech pattern that Churchill had and he gives real fire to some of Churchill's most famous speeches. It's a truly superb performance and all the awards glory he's been getting is richly deserved.
There are a handful of other noteworthy performances: Stephen Dillane is strong as Lord Halifax, a weaselly little appeaser voraciously opposed to Churchill's stance of non-negotiation; Ronald Pickup gives a nicely dignified and stoic turn as the ousted Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, whilst Ben Mendelsohn is impressive as King George VI whose relationship with Churchill is initially combative but thaws to a mutual respect. As Churchill's wife Clemmie, Kristin Scott Thomas doesn't have much to do but occasionally scold and support him, but she's very good in an underwritten role.
Visually the film is impressive, if a little bleak (there's very little bright colour throughout). The war rooms look claustrophobic and dark and the shots within the Houses of Parliament are similarly atmospheric. There's nothing here to match the brilliant eight-minute unbroken tracking shot in Atonement which follows Robbie along the beach at Dunkirk, but it all looks authentic to the period.
My main issue with the film is the script. There are sections that just don't work and stretch credulity to its limit; nowhere is this more obvious than when Churchill, on the brink of capitulating and starting negotiations, takes a trip on the London Underground and meets a cross-section of Londoners... all of whom are opposed to negotiation. This gives Churchill the push he needs to go to the House and deliver the famous 'We will fight on the beaches' speech. It just doesn't ring true.Similarly, Churchill's new secretary Miss Layton just so happens to have a brother who is fighting in France and who she's worried about. I know that dramatic license is often taken but this feels like a step too far.
Ultimately, this is a pretty average by-the-numbers biopic elevated by a truly spectacular central performance.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Tez
