‘Darkest Hour’ isn’t the only film of 2017 that tries to explore the man behind the complicated figure of Winston Churchill. Last year saw the release of a predictably divisive biopic starring Brian Cox in the titular role in a bold effort at portraying an anxiety-ridden man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. As confirmed in its omission from the year’s best of lists and Awards Season shortlists, Jonathan Teplitzky’s ‘Churchill’ was forgotten about as soon as it was released publicly: it just didn’t get the viewership and buzz it anticipated. Enter 2018, and already there is huge excitement in the run up to Awards Season, as Joe Wright’s ‘Darkest Hour’ had a fantastic response at the Telluride Film Festival late last year. As a matter of fact, this isn’t the first Joe Wright film in which the events contextually coincide with the Dunkirk evacuation. His award-winning drama ‘Atonement’ featured a brief reference to the allied retreat, albeit one that was pivotal to its plotline. Leaving British war drama trivia for another post, ‘Darkest Hour’ chronicles Winston Churchill’s uneasy appointment as Prime Minister of Great Britain, and his steadfast refusal to surrender British army troops in the ‘darkest hour’ of being under direct threat of attack by Hitler between June 1940 and 1941.
Needless to say, such a highly anticipated film takes flight or falls on the central performance. Viewers won’t be disappointed, as screen veteran Gary Oldman puts in a superb, method-style performance as Churchill. He brings immense conviction and strength to the part while subtly injecting sharp wit into an otherwise very intense role, reminding us of the wicked sense of humour that made Churchill a quotable figure in modern culture. It’s fortunate that the actor has the kind of looks that can be played with, as the make-up team have done such a brilliant job that it’s easy to forget it’s an actor beneath the prosthetics. The scene where Churchill meets with the Outer Cabinet and angrily slams the idea of negotiating with the ‘tiger’ is probably the best scene in the film, as Oldman’s acting is an explosive powerhouse of passion and unwavering determination. Oldman’s performance is clearing up so many awards week by week that the Academy may as well just hand him the Oscar now. Kristen Scott Thomas does impressive work as Clementine Churchill, even if her screen time is somewhat limited. What she does manage to convey in her few scenes is the grounding support Clementine gave her husband which kept their marriage together and happy.
As per generic convention of the facts-based drama, a degree of poetic licence comes with historical recreations of real life facts and people. With this in mind, ‘Darkest Hour’ is no exception to this repetitive tradition of adding things in that didn’t really happen and omitting certain events that did happen. But the diversions from truth in the film weren’t even remotely plausible, to the extent where the term ‘dramatic licence’ is an understatement for what we see in a few scenes. The Prime Minister Winston Churchill opting to ride the London Underground and find out how the people of Britain feel about the war not only felt too good to be true, but utterly ridiculous. The nationalist and elitist opinions which made Churchill such a controversial figure are not alluded to even once in the film: instead his biggest flaws seem to be limited to his grumpy disposition and tendency to be short-tempered when his patience is tried. Whichever light the writers chose to portray Churchill in would have be problematic for some, so they had to go with one interpretation knowing it wouldn’t please everyone. But the historical truth concerning why Churchill quite frankly was not the people or Parliament’s favourite for the job could have been told more faithfully.
One of the film’s most impressive features is its attention to period detail. If there existed an Oscar for period accuracy itself ‘Darkest Hour’ would no doubt be recognised for its convincing recreation of WWII England. The finished product’s appearance is very pleasing, and it’s altogether an enjoyable watch despite the far-fetched liberties it takes with historical accuracy. The film has been released at the perfect time for critics to call it an awards winner, and it most likely will be. ‘Darkest Hour’ may not be the first Churchill film, but it’s worth seeing for Gary Oldman’s towering immersion into the legendary figure.
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