Darkest Hour - Review
This review of Darkest Hour is spoiler free!
Sometimes the best performances in cinema come from unexpected places. What comes to mind are things like Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, and even to an extent Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne. Sure those roles are entirely different films than the one that I'm going to discuss today, but sometimes people here an actor is playing a role and tend to be rather confused than excited. That's exactly how I felt about Gary Oldman when it was announced he was playing Winston Churchill, but after seeing the Darkest Hour any questions I had are gone. Although, I had another bit of confusion when I started to notice the film was not doing very well critically, which floored me. I'll tackle that issue, but first let us get into the best part of the film without question: Gary Oldman.
Darkest Hour has a few characters that stand out overall but there is only one that should absolutely be up for an Oscar without question. That is obviously Gary Oldman's portrayal of the very odd and witty Prime Minister. After receiving multiple 100 hours of makeup work to become Churchill, Gary Oldman embodies this role better than anyone could have ever expected. He handles Churchill with such great strength and raw ability that I was engrossed in his performance to the point I didn't remember it was an actor. There's a poise to Winston Churchill that is hard to portray on any media and has been missed by many in previous portrayals, but Oldman absolutely nails it. He was a man of many inquisitive parts and I felt the nuance absolutely falling off the screen throughout the entire film and I was just floored by how well done it was.
One part of this film though that I feel is going to go severely underrated is Lily James as Elizabeth Layton, Churchill's private typist. I mentioned it with Churchill but there is a nuance to her character that I'm sure would have been difficult to tackle by many other actresses. Elizabeth is meant to at times fear and other times absolutely love Churchill and his straightforward nature. Lily James at this point in her career is beginning to break out with stellar performances, and I believe we're going to be seeing a lot more of her moving forward. The way she plays of Winston and shows raw emotion on the screen is outstanding and I consider myself a fan of not just her roles but her now, so I fully intend to see films just for her moving forward as many others should do as well.
This film has been receiving a lot of flack for its story and I'll be upfront when I say this: I think it's absolutely stupid that it is receiving this kind of flack. Many are saying that Darkest Hour's attempts to fictionalize some parts of history to make a better story for audiences is bad for the film's historical accuracy. For me though, I don't have a problem with fabrication in movies as long as it is better for the story. As a critic of film, I try to do something many others don't accept as important: suspension of disbelief. When watching a film you have to be able to accept that not everything you see is as it was recorded and if you are able to accept that the film will absolutely be better for it. Having said that, I found the story of Darkest Hour to be an accent piece for the character performances throughout. It is a great story of the early days of Winston and how he captures the support of his country during it's darkest days.
For myself, I never have found myself more invested in an actor's portrayal of a character as I have with Oldman and Churchill. I believe this type of performance is a career-defining role that absolutely makes the movie and helps to elevate others in the film. With multiple other films tackling the times before and just after this, it is great to fill in the gaps in a time that many people think they already know everything about. While I'm sure this film will continue to be attacked by critics, I hope people get out and see this film as it truly is a remarkable work by an actor who already had a great track record. Get out and see Darkest Hour while you can, you won't regret it.
